Outline

Overview

The Capstone professional placement offers an invaluable opportunity to gain hands on experience in one of the University of Sydney’s many institutional partners. Students undertake a 20-day internship, focused on a specific aspect of arts or curatorial professional practice. Internships invite critical reflection on practice, foster skill acquisition, and enhance employment prospects. Projects encourage reflection on the relationship between theory and practice which is synthesized in a major essay. Partner organisations include public and commercial galleries, libraries, and archives as well as Artist Run Initiatives, auction houses and dealers, peak body organisations and festivals.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	ARHT6923
Academic unit	Art History
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Lilian Cameron, lilian.cameron@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research Proposal n/a	10%	Ongoing	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Presentation n/a	15%	Ongoing	1x1000 w equivalent presentation
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Critical Essay n/a	45%	Ongoing	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Supervisor's Report n/a	30%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Result name	Mark range	Description
High Distinction	85+	Work of exceptional standard (7% of students). Written work demonstrates initiative and ingenuity in research and reading; pointed and critical analysis of material; innovative interpretation of evidence, makes an insightful contribution to historical debate; engages with values, assumptions and contested meanings contained within original evidence, develops abstract or theoretical arguments on the strength of detailed research and interpretation. Properly documented; writing characterised by creativity, style, and precision.
Distinction	75 - 84	Work of a superior standard (among the top 25% of students). Written work demonstrates initiative in research and reading, complex understanding and original analysis of subject matter and its context, both empirical and theoretical; makes a good attempt to ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''get behind'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' the evidence and engage with its underlying assumptions, takes a critical, interrogative stance in relation to historical argument and interpretation, shows critical understanding of the principles and values underlying the unit. Properly documented; writing characterised by style, clarity, and some creativity.
High Credit	70 - 74	Highly competent work, demonstrating clear capacity to complete work of high standard successfully (among the top 40% of students). Evidence of extensive reading and initiative in research, sound grasp of subject matter and appreciation of key issues and context. Engages critically and creatively with the question, and attempts an analytical evaluation of material. Makes a good attempt to critique various historical interpretations, and offers a pointed and thoughtful contribution to an existing historical debate. Some evidence of ability to think theoretically as well as empirically, and to conceptualise and problematise issues in historical terms. Well written and documented.
Low Credit	65 - 69	Competent work, although further development is needed. (among the top 55-60% of students). Written work contains evidence of comprehensive reading, offers synthesis and critical evaluation of material on its own terms, takes a position in relation to various interpretations. In addition, it shows some extra spark of insight or analysis. Demonstrates good selection of evidence, coherent and sustainable argument, some evidence of independent thought, grasp of relevant museology or studies in cultural heritage.
High Pass	60 - 64	Work has considerable merit. Written work contains evidence of a broad and reasonably accurate command of the subject matter and some sense of its broader significance, offers synthesis and some evaluation of material, demonstrates an effort to go beyond the essential reading, contains clear focus on the principal issues, understanding of relevant arguments and diverse interpretations, and a coherent argument grounded in relevant evidence, though there may be some weaknesses of clarity or structure. Articulate, properly documented.
Medium Pass	55 - 59	Work of a satisfactory standard. Written work meets basic requirements in terms of reading and research, demonstrates a reasonable understanding of subject matter, offers a synthesis of relevant material and shows a genuine effort to avoid paraphrasing, has a logical and comprehensible structure and acceptable documentation, and attempts to mount an argument though there may be weaknesses in particular areas.
Low Pass	50 - 54	Work of an acceptable standard. Written work contains evidence of minimal reading and some understanding of subject matter, offers descriptive summary of material relevant to the question, but may have a tendency to paraphrase; makes a reasonable attempt to organise material logically and comprehensibly and to provide scholarly documentation. There may be gaps in any or all of these areas.
Fail	0 - 49	Work not of acceptable standard. Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons: unacceptable levels of paraphrasing; irrelevance of content; poor presentation, grammar or structure so sloppy it cannot be understood; submitted very late without extension.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Work of exceptional standard. Written work demonstrates initiative and ingenuity in research and reading; pointed and critical analysis of material; innovative interpretation of evidence, makes an insightful contribution to historical debate; engages with values, assumptions and contested meanings contained within original evidence, develops abstract or theoretical arguments on the strength of detailed research and interpretation. Properly documented; writing characterised by creativity, style, and precision.
Distinction	75 - 84	Work of a superior standard. Written work demonstrates initiative in research and reading, complex understanding and original analysis of subject matter and its context, empirical and theoretical; makes a good attempt to ''''get behind'''' the evidence and engage with its underlying assumptions, takes an interrogative stance to historical argument and interpretation, shows critical understanding of the principles and values underlying the unit. Properly documented; writing characterised by style, clarity, and some creativity.
Credit	65 - 74	Competent work, demonstrating a clear capacity to engage critically and creatively with the question, although further development is needed. Evidence of comprehensive reading and initiative in research, offering synthesis and critical evaluation of material on its own terms; takes a position in relation to various interpretations. In addition, it shows some extra spark of insight or analysis. Demonstrates good selection of evidence, coherent and sustainable argument, some evidence of independent thought, grasp of relevant museology or studies in cultural heritage.
Pass	50 - 64	Work of an acceptable standard. Written work meets basic requirements in terms of reading and research, demonstrates a reasonable understanding of subject matter, offers a summary of material relevant to the question, and has a logical and comprehensible structure with acceptable documentation of sources, but there may be gaps in any or all of these areas and some weaknesses in clarity and/or structure.
Fail	0 - 49	Work not of acceptable standard. Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons: unacceptable levels of paraphrasing; irrelevance of content; poor presentation, grammar or structure so sloppy it cannot be understood; submitted very late without extension.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The Assessment Procedures 2011 provide that any written work submitted after 11:59pm on the due date will be penalised by 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. If the assessment is submitted more than ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded. However, a unit of study may prohibit late submission or exclude late penalties only if expressly stated below.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate skills and knowledge suited to work in art museums, galleries or related visual arts organisations
LO2. explore how specific areas of art gallery and museum practice fit in the broader visual arts industry
LO3. explore current debates in a chosen area of arts practice and its institutional support.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Added Information Session learning activity and updated the assessment grading standard descriptions.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ARHT6923: Capstone Art Curating Placement

Semester 1, 2024 [Professional practice] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect