Students will develop skills in aural analysis, group discussion, and the formulation and presentation of critical perspectives, relating to sound-based and audiovisual artworks and their reception, while engaging with key concepts in the related fields of sound studies, art criticism and media theory. They will also engage with a range of essay formats, including audio and video essays, as vehicles for presenting critical perspectives on art and media.

5 x 2 hour labs

5 x 2 hour tutorial sessions over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus

None

None

Portfolio of Critical Essays Mid-Term (2000 words) - 50%

Portfolio of Critical Essays End of Term (2000 words) - 50%

This course aims to:

■ Develop students' awareness of writing about sonic arts practice for the purposes of critical review 

■ Enable students to develop flexible, genre-specific skills in writing critical reviews of sonic arts practice

■ Enhance students' critical acuity in relation to sonic arts, and awareness of its cultural contexts

■ Encourage students to engage critically with a broad range of sonic arts practice

■ Enable students to build a portfolio of different forms of critical writing, to publication standard, in print or via the web

■ Widen students' communication skills, enhancing employability

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Articulate insightful and well-informed critiques of sonic art (recorded or live)

■ Adapt their writing style for a range of different readerships, including both scholarly readers and the wider public

■ Write stylish, accurate, publishable prose

■ Retain clarity and fluidity whilst writing in a condensed form

■ Write criticism that articulates a clear point of view, supported with evidence drawn from attentive listening

■ Demonstrate critical openness across a range of practice

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.