Students will have access to studio space and college library and computer resources.
University learning resources are available on campus at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, and online via the partner Need to Know pages of the university website.
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/courses_and_study/partnerships/current_students/email/index.jsp

Betts, R.F. (2004). A History of Popular Culture. Oxford: Routledge.
Dempsey, A. (2010). Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. 2nd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.
Harrison, C. & Wood P. eds., (2002). Art in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas . 2nd ed. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Jaeger, A.C. (2010). Image Makers Image Takers . 2nd ed. London: Thames & Hudson.
Perry, G. ed., (2004). Difference and Excess in Contemporary Art: The Visibility of Women's Practice. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.

Journals:
Aesthetica Magazine
Artforum Magazine
Frieze Magazine
Tate Magazine

Websites:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/ (Semiotics for Beginners)
www.tate.org.uk
http://www.vam.ac.uk/
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

Introduction to module
Series of lectures, visits and seminars relating to design history and design context
Workshops developing journal content with studio tutorials
Problem solving workshop
Design process
Research workshops
Practical studio workshops
Methods of evaluation
Group tutorials and critiques with formative feedback
Individual tutorials

Successful working in the creative industries requires insights into current trends, how the past has influenced where we are now, and what might happen in the future. This module is designed to help you explore influences on your area of work and the wider context that you are working in.

You will be able to explore the artistic, social and political influences on design over a significant period, in order to evaluate reasons for current design trends in your specialist area. You will gain insights into the impact of context on design so that you can plan your practical work with a better understanding of the cultural expectations of the audience you are aiming for. By recording your findings in your Reflective Learning Journal you will be able to develop your analytical and evaluative skills through discussing the ideas and influences relating to your work.

This module also helps you to deepen your experience of the application of skills; you will be able to relate the design theory and context that you are exploring in your Reflective Learning Journal with the application of your skills in a professional context. You will be expected to gain a substantial part of the evidence for assessment from work-related projects. You will address an identified need in the working environment, which may be part of a larger programme of work being undertaken in the workplace, or experience associated with working freelance or in an entrepreneurial role. This may, for example, be the design of material for a publicity campaign, the process of organising an arts exhibition or creating products for an identified market or audience.

You will increasingly be working independently, and may identify and/or initiate a project in order to meet the outcomes of the module: such a project should be planned in consultation with your tutor and, where appropriate, your mentor.

Assessment 1: 100% Course work submitted as complete portfolio, assessment weighting below:

60% ILLUSTRATED REFLECTIVE JOURNAL –¿including research and investigation stages

A substantial illustrated Reflective Learning Journal, containing key design milestones that have occurred over a significant period of time - typically from the 19th century through to the

21st century - with reference to national and international social, cultural and political context. The Journal should include influential examples relating to your own specialism. [LO 1, 2, 3]

40% DESIGN RESPONSE & OUTCOMES

A response to a brief demonstrating personal investigation and deeper understanding of 19th, 20th and 21st Century key cultural movements, design periods and artists. [LO 4, 5, 6]

Formative assessment: Peer review of the Reflective Learning Journal, to include evaluation of the breadth and depth of the journals, and their ability to demonstrate students' analysis of the areas covered.