units

AHT3207

Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture

18 September 2017 22 December 2024

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This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2016 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

Monash University

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Art, Design and Architecture

Organisational Unit

Department of Fine Art

Coordinator(s)

Professor Rex Butler

Offered

Not offered in 2016

Notes

This unit was formerly coded TAD3207

Synopsis

This unit deconstructs the visual language/s of popular culture by exploring the notion that film, television, magazines, fashion, advertising, comics, computer graphics and the internet are amongst the most powerful and persuasive communicators of ideas, attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes in our contemporary world. Using the techniques of semiotics and contemporary theory students learn to interpret and deconstruct the meaning of the various mediums of popular culture.

Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, student will:

  1. be familiar with the salient ideas and methodologies of semiotics, and how these may contribute to an understanding of art and design
  2. be familiar with the salient ideas and differences between structuralist and post-structuralist thought, and be able to make connections between these ideas and art and design practice
  3. be able to use semiotics to critically decode and analyse the images and texts of popular culture
  4. have an awareness and understanding of the cultural roles and responsibilities of professional communicators in today's society.

Assessment

Assignment 1,500 words (40%)
Research essay 2,500 words (60%)

Workload requirements

12 hours per week including 3 contact hours and 9 hours of independent study or equivalent.

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Rex Butler

Prerequisites

12 credit points at second year level in Art History and Theory, or Theory of Art and Design, or Visual Culture, or permission from Unit Coordinator

Prohibitions

TAD3217, TAD2207, AHT2207