VA6005 - Professional Practice

On this module you will learn through independent study, an external placement, group discussion/workshops, and through the Wednesday Lecture programme, delivered by professional artists, writers and curators. These lectures introduce you to a diversity of first-hand professional research contexts and experiences, and provide you with the opportunity to learn from both the lectures and by contributing to the questions and answers sessions at the end of each Lecture. Your peer community enhances your learning as you are joined by all undergraduate levels, our postgraduate school and often by PhD students.

In your professional external placement, you will gain valuable first-hand work experience in a professional organisation. This is a ‘live project’ that is set-up by you through consultation and support from the University Placement Team and an academic member of staff. Previous student placements include working in galleries and museums in areas of administration, technical crew and curatorial practices; events management and production, including the organisation of the Fine art auction; studio assistant; working with community groups; graphic / digital / architectural design studios; TV and media; Heritage and historical groups; schools and FE colleges; working on the fine art publication team . If you are interested in becoming a teacher, you may use the module to gain the mandatory experience required for a PGCE application.

You will be supported by the module lead who will provide you with your timetable, module guide, learning resources including key texts, advice on your placement and guidance for your Summative Assessments. All information will be posted on BLACKBOARD our electronic learning portal and you will be notified of key dates on your Northumbria email. The Faculty Placements and Partnerships Co-ordinator supports the Placement strand of this module. You will receive formative advice and feedback from academics and the Placement Team on the efficacy and logistical planning of your Placement.
The Wednesday Lectures provide support in the acquisition of skills and understanding of aspects of the professional art world. The employability workshops/symposia will offer insight into how you might identify and situate yourself and your career aspirations within a range of potential professional contexts.
You will be encouraged to actively engage with Graduate Futures and Graduate Enterprise support. Where appropriate you may also be directed to engage with our Skills Plus or other resources offered through the University Student Support Services such as Dyslexia Support.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
1 Demonstrate an understanding of how creative skills can be applied in different professional contexts.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Evaluate and critically reflect on achievements and transferrable skills acquired through the external placement learning experience.
3. Demonstrate the ability to produce a written and visual document that meets professional levels of presentation.
4. Evidence engagement, ambition and self-management in the realisation of an external project.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA)

Formative feedback will be offered on a group and individual basis through scheduled project supervision.
There is one summative assessment point.
Summative Assessment 001– EXTERNAL PLACEMENT REPORT Summative 100%
(MLO’s 1, 2, 3,4)

The 1,500-word external placement report will be a focussed document that evaluates and reflects upon a live professional project. The document will demonstrate your ability to critically reflect on what you have learned. You must include 4 high quality photographic images.
Written feedback on your summative assessment will be provided within the timeframe mandated by the university, which is currently 20 working days. Feedback will be provided electronically via the module BlackBoard site.

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This module represents the culmination of your professional practice study as an undergraduate, but it also marks the beginning of your ongoing journey as a professional, creative and active citizen. The key aim of the module is to provide you with knowledge and transferrable skills that will benefit you in your professional life. The overarching theme for Professional Practice is Lifeworld – Art Worlds. If lifeworld is a term that describes the state of affairs in which the world is experienced and lived, the art world is a term that describes diverse networks of institutional, economic and social systems, both formal and informal, that constitute a kind of ecosystem in which artists operate, conversations happen, art is made, distributed, bought and sold, experienced and talked about. The aim of the module is to gain an understanding of the art world as a backdrop against which students can explore and reflect on future career pathways or professional opportunities. This is supported through a series of guest lectures, an employability event and an External Placement, whereby each student has the opportunity to research, source and carry out a placement in a professional context.