AR382-6-FY-CO:
Capstone - Art History / Curating / Heritage

The details
2026/27
Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 08 October 2026
Friday 02 July 2027
30
09 June 2026

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
AR347, AR354, AR383

 

(none)

Key module for

BA V314 Art History,
BA V315 Art History (Including Placement Year),
BA V31B Art History (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA V350 Art History (Including Foundation Year),
BA V35A Art History (Including Year Abroad),
MARTV399 Art History,
MARTVB98 Art History (Including Placement Year),
MARTVB99 Art History (Including Year Abroad),
BA VV31 Art History and History,
BA VV32 Art History and History (Including Placement Year),
BA VV38 Art History and History (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV3B Art History and History (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA VV3C Art History and History (Including Year Abroad),
BA V3RB Art History and Modern Languages (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA VR39 Art History and Modern Languages,
BA V3R9 Art History with Modern Languages,
BA VR3B Art History with Modern Languages (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA VW36 Film Studies and Art History,
BA VV53 Philosophy and Art History,
BA VV54 Philosophy and Art History (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV55 Philosophy and Art History (Including Placement Year),
BA VV5H Philosophy and Art History (Including Year Abroad),
BA VVHP Philosophy and Art History (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA V351 Curating,
BA V352 Curating (Including Year Abroad),
BA V353 Curating (including Placement Year),
BA V359 Curating (Including Foundation Year),
BA V35B Curating (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA W350 Art History, Visual Culture and Media Studies,
BA W351 Art History, Visual Culture and Media Studies (including Year Abroad),
BA W352 Art History, Visual Culture and Media Studies (including Placement Year),
BA W353 Art History, Visual Culture and Media Studies (Including Foundation Year),
BA R100 Art History and Language Studies,
BA R101 Art History and Language Studies (Including Foundation Year),
BA R102 Art History with Language Studies,
BA R103 Art History with Language Studies (Including Foundation Year),
BA V305 Curating with Politics,
BA V306 Curating with Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA V307 Curating with Politics (including Placement Year),
BA V308 Curating with Politics (including Year Abroad),
BA V309 Curating with History,
BA V310 Curating with History (Including Foundation Year),
BA V311 Curating with History (including Placement Year),
BA V312 Curating with History (including Year Abroad),
BA VV40 Art History, Heritage and Museum Studies,
BA VV41 Art History, Heritage and Museum Studies (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV42 Art History, Heritage and Museum Studies (including Placement Year),
BA VV43 Art History, Heritage and Museum Studies (including Year Abroad),
BA V301 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights,
BA V302 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA V303 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA V304 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

The capstone project should be 8000 words long (plus or minus 10%), if a written dissertation, or, if a curating or heritage project, a final product of equivalent scope.


Your capstone should show that you have an all-round grasp of your subject and can present your material clearly, succinctly and in the most appropriate sequence. It should also demonstrate evidence of a serious engagement with your topic, a mastery of the information currently available, and the inclusion of your own reasoned, critical judgements.

Module aims

The aim of this module is:



  • To allow final year students to conceive, develop and complete either an extended piece of written work or an ambitious curating or heritage project based primarily on their own independent research into a topic which they have chosen themselves.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to have:



  • Developed relevant research skills, such as independence of thought, the ability to explore the secondary literature on a particular topic in a more autonomous way and to develop their own ideas and arguments more in depth than in a standard-length essay.

  • Developed the capacity to organise and structure a longer piece of work, of c. 8000 words or its equivalent (if a curating or heritage project).

  • Developed the ability to manage a project across the span of an academic year.

  • Deepened their knowledge in the area relevant to the topic they have selected.

  • Developed transferable skills such as the ability to work with others (the supervisor), time management and clear communication, both oral and written.

  • Developed confidence in relevant IT skills.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

Once the proposal has been approved the student will be entitled to a minimum of three hours and a maximum of six hours, of one-to-one supervisions (in addition to the initial meeting where the topic is discussed and agreed).

Please note that there is no entitlement to supervision during the vacation preceding the submission date of the capstone.

Bibliography*

This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   8000-word Project OR Project of Equivalent Scope     100% 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Matt Lodder, email: mlodder@essex.ac.uk.
PHAIS General Office - 6.130; arugadmin@essex.ac.uk.

 

Availability
No
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 95 hours, 4 (4.2%) hours available to students:
91 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

 

Further information
Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)

* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.

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