KUN4400 – Topics in Avant-garde and Contemporary Art
Course description
Course content
KUN4400 is a course where the topic of teaching will alternate.
Topic for the Spring semester 2024 is: Video Art: Theory, Technology, Practice.
The course gives a critical introduction to early analog video and television art - from the proto-televisual impulses in the historical avant-gardes to the increasing proximity between analog and digital technologies in video art in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. We will focus on the various technical aspects of analog video, as well as on artistic practice and early writings on the subject. Topics may include the technics and politics of time; video, feedback systems and ecology; the reconfiguration of the artist’s studio; guerilla politics and alternative TV; video and autobiography; the relation between video and painting; the musical history of video; the invention of new machines; and video as a "television viewer".
Learning outcome
After completion of the course Spring semester 2024 you will:
- Have an overview of the most significant artworks, issues, texts and the theoretical conceptual apparatus related to early Video Art.
- Get an introduction to the main aspects of analog video technology and get perspectives on the relationship between art and technology. In addition, we will read the most important new litterature in the field.
- Be able to perform in-depth analysis of single works related to the topic of this course
- Be able to evaluate and discuss the critical and theoretical positions in the course literature from a comparative perspective.
- Be able to use the course’s key concepts, terms and theory in your own master thesis
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Recommended previous knowledge
It is recommended that you have passed 40 studiepoeng (equal to ECTS) in Art History, Aestethics and/or Visual studies before taking this course. It is also recommended that you have good reading skills in English.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with KUN2400 – Topics in Avant-garde and Contemporary Art.
Teaching
Each class is organized as a double lecture followed by a one-hour seminar. Following the seminars is highly recommended. We expect you to meet prepared for classes and to participate actively.
In order to qualify to the final exam, you must complete these compulsory activities:
- Written assignment
- Compulsory attendance for at least 7 out of 9 classes. Additional absence must be justified with documentation to the exam coordinator. Attendance will be taken at every class.
- Oral presentation
You do not qualify for the final examination unless this compulsory requirement is fulfilled. Read more about guidelines for compulsory activities.
The compulsory activities are only valid one semester.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
The examination at KUN4400 is a three day digital home exam.
The length of the assignment should be 6-7 standard pages (2300 characters without spacing, illustrations, notes and reference).
You will take the home exam in Inspera. You must familiarize yourself with the login and submission procedures in timely manner before the exam. Read more about Inspera below.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.