School of Modern Languages & Cultures | BA Visual Arts and Film

BA Visual Arts & Film at Durham University

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Explore the world of the Visual Arts & Film from a global and historical perspective. Combine high-level critical study of Visual Culture with a range of practical and professional skills.

Combining still and moving images, advanced academic study and practical skills development, this BA is a degree like no other. It draws on staff research spanning historical periods from Classical Rome to the present and is global in its geographical reach. There is an emphasis not only on Western Art, Film & Visual Culture, but also those of the Middle East, Russophone Eurasia and East Asia.

The concepts of the ‘Visual’ and the ‘Image’ you will explore on this course are fundamentally shaped by this transnational perspective. With this scope in mind, the degree offers extensive language-learning opportunities, as part of the School of Modern Languages & Cultures. You will have the opportunity to draw on the outstanding collections of the University’s internationally renowned Oriental Museum, its distinguished Western Art Collections and the curatorial expertise of its staff. No previous study of Art is required, just a desire to explore the exciting world of Visual Art & Film.

You will have the opportunity to study the Art, Film & Visual Culture of Western & Eastern Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. As such, alongside the language-learning opportunities, you can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four.

There is a practical and professional focus too. Depending on your own module choices, field trips, placement opportunities and skills-based modules will give you insights into how art is made, exhibited, bought and sold.

The study of Visual Arts & Film will help you build up future-proof skills.

In a world that increasingly demands visual literacy and is rapidly changing through technologies like AI, it is hard to predict what specialised skills will be needed in future.

For this reason, our programme seeks to enable you to be a nimble thinker and writer, moving across disciplines and geographical areas while still being rigorous In your academic work.

You will cultivate new active learning strategies, understand how to work in teams in the more practice-related elements of the course, develop an ability to solve complex problems, and display creativity, originality and initiative in the range of outputs the course demands. All of these are the kinds of skills identified in the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report in 2020.

A degree in Modern Languages & Cultures will provide you with an impressive portfolio of cultural knowledge, transferable skills and real-world experiences that is valued by employers worldwide. In particular, the year abroad which, as well as developing language abilities, can also greatly enhance your intercultural, problem-solving and communication skills.

With the UK as a whole producing fewer linguists, proficiency in languages coupled with the intellectual rigour and cultural understanding acquired during your degree will make you highly employable in a wide range of careers both in the UK and internationally. These include occupations such as interpreting, translation and teaching, media and the arts but also working across wider industry in research, administration, human resources, sales and business development and the financial services.

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We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world.

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other!