Sexing the Canvas: Art and Gender (GEND20006)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
What do pictures want in relation to sex and sexuality? How is art gendered? How do painters use the materiality of oil on canvas to make gendered critiques of the history of art and its cultures? Structured around the rich collections of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), each class will focus upon a specific work considering what insights a gendered analysis of it can provide. Lectures will be delivered in front of the paintings in situ in the gallery. Curatorial and expert academic staff from the NGV and the University of Melbourne will provide the lectures which will address a range of works drawn from the 18th century to the present. We will consider how gender, sex and sexuality impact on both the production and the reception of art and how artists utilise sexual codes at specific historical moments. Themes surrounding discourse, equality, ideology, and protest, will be addressed. We will consider how curatorial practises reinforce sexual difference through considering the artworks currently on display and how these produce meaning when they are taken as an aggregate in the context of an exhibition. We will study how works are conceptually framed by the information that the gallery provides about them through audio-guides, catalogue entries, hanging, and labelling. The subject will introduce you to key ideas from a number of thinkers including Judith Butler, Barbara Creed, Julia Kristeva, Luce Irigiary, Michele Foucault, W.J.T.Mitchell, Nicholas Chare, Svetlana Alpers, Michael Baxandall, Lynda Nead, Fred Orton, Griselda Pollock, Carol Duncan and Lisa Tickner.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should have:
- an understanding of key terms from gender-related theories of art history and museology;
- the ability to demonstrate various ways in which ideas about gender theory can productively be employed in theorizing curatorial practices;
- the skills and confidence to take the initiative in relating theoretical ideas covered in the subject to the display of art and visual cultures;
- learnt how to organize material into coherent and convincing arguments in their written work; and
- the ability to foster close reading skills in relation to both texts and images.
Generic skills
At the completion of this subject, students should gain the following generic skills:
- learn to be skilled in critical thinking and analysis;
- cultivate oral and written communication skills;
- develop an understanding of cultural and social contexts;
- become skilled at managing time and resources effectively.
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Assessment
Additional details
- A tutorial presentation equivalent to 1,500 words (40%), done during the semester
- A 2,500 words essay (60%), due in the examination period
- Hurdle: This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 80% attendance and regular participation in tutorials. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day.
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Coordinator Djoymi Baker Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total 30 hours: a 1.5-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 29 July 2019 to 27 October 2019 Last self-enrol date 9 August 2019 Census date 31 August 2019 Last date to withdraw without fail 27 September 2019 Assessment period ends 22 November 2019 Semester 2 contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
- Breadth options
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 14 March 2025