Last modified: 20 Jun 2025 15:13
When a print is made, the same image and the same visual information can be reproduced multiple times. This course engages with a range of printmaking techniques across a period of five hundred years, to investigate how and why people have created, commissioned, and collected prints, including political caricatures, Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts, Victorian magazine illustrations and contemporary linocuts.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
When a print is made, the same image and the same visual information can be reproduced multiple times. This vital aspect to the print makes it a fascinating subject to study, as an object of communication, education, entertainment and propaganda.
In this course, we engage with both the theory and practice behind a range of printmaking techniques across a period of five hundred years, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Students will develop a knowledge of the processes involved in relief, intaglio and planographic printmaking, and an understanding, through close engagement with the material object, of their advantages and challenges to the artist.
In addition to classroom time, teaching will also take place in University Collections, together with visits to Peacock Printmaking Studio and Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Each student is assigned to a print from University Collections and engages closely with it across the course, gaining experience in object-focused research and working first-hand with visual materials.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 21 | Feedback Weeks | 24 | |
| Feedback |
Students will select their essay topic from a list of provided questions. Written feedback. In-person feedback available on request. |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Confidence in analysing the role of the multiple image across a variety of social and historical contexts, through consideration of scholarly literature and the material object. |
| Conceptual | Understand | The ability to understand a range of printmaking techniques, and the relationship between image, technique and visual content with respect to each. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | By regularly examining examples of prints at first hand, develop confidence in handling such materials, and evaluate their significance as material objects & carriers of meaning, historically & now |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 | Feedback Weeks | 20 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback, in-person feedback will be provided on request. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Confidence in analysing the role of the multiple image across a variety of social and historical contexts, through consideration of scholarly literature and the material object. |
| Conceptual | Understand | The ability to understand a range of printmaking techniques, and the relationship between image, technique and visual content with respect to each. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | By regularly examining examples of prints at first hand, develop confidence in handling such materials, and evaluate their significance as material objects & carriers of meaning, historically & now |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 17 | Feedback Weeks | 20 | |
| Feedback |
1,000-word Catalogue Entry. Students will expand upon the poster assessment by writing a catalogue entry for their assigned print. Written feedback. In-person feedback available on request. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Confidence in analysing the role of the multiple image across a variety of social and historical contexts, through consideration of scholarly literature and the material object. |
| Conceptual | Understand | The ability to understand a range of printmaking techniques, and the relationship between image, technique and visual content with respect to each. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | By regularly examining examples of prints at first hand, develop confidence in handling such materials, and evaluate their significance as material objects & carriers of meaning, historically & now |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 14 | Feedback Weeks | 16 | |
| Feedback |
Students will prepare a poster on the formal and technical qualities of their assigned print. This assessment provides important preparation for the completion of the catalogue entry assessment. Written feedback. In-person feedback available on request. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Confidence in analysing the role of the multiple image across a variety of social and historical contexts, through consideration of scholarly literature and the material object. |
| Conceptual | Understand | The ability to understand a range of printmaking techniques, and the relationship between image, technique and visual content with respect to each. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | By regularly examining examples of prints at first hand, develop confidence in handling such materials, and evaluate their significance as material objects & carriers of meaning, historically & now |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Written feedback provided. In-person feedback provided on request. |
Word Count | 5000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | The ability to understand a range of printmaking techniques, and the relationship between image, technique and visual content with respect to each. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Confidence in analysing the role of the multiple image across a variety of social and historical contexts, through consideration of scholarly literature and the material object. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | By regularly examining examples of prints at first hand, develop confidence in handling such materials, and evaluate their significance as material objects & carriers of meaning, historically & now |
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