Self-organisation in Contemporary Arts

The course is offered as a freestanding course.

Bachelor's Degree of at least 180 credits or the equivalent knowledge. Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6, English B or English level 2 from Swedish Upper Secondary School or the equivalent level of an internationally recognised test, for example TOEFL, IELTS.

The course aims to share knowledge of the theorisation, practices and skills of self-organisation across contemporary arts subjects in international contexts. It determines how differing cultural, political and social conditions shape why and how artists self-organise. The course also investigates what skills may be understood as associated with self-organised artistic initiatives.

Through analysing literature, artistic examples and case studies students explore how self-organised arts initiatives historically emerge as alternative, complementary or parallel models, which are critical of dominant artworld systems. Students further study current conditions and practices whereby practitioners of self-organisation in the arts, due to paradigmatic shifts, may accommodate or be attended to within conventional arts infrastructures.

Students engage with identifying and testing skills that artists invoke to co-originate, co-organise and co-deliver self-organised arts projects, in relation to the conditions of artistic production, circulation and reception. The course culminates in the development of a proposal informed by core concepts and skills of self-organisation, applied to the student’s own or others’ artistic practices.

On successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

• identify and discuss cultural, political, and social conditions that influence why artists self-organise
• identify and discuss models and activities that characterise self-organised arts initiatives
• identify and discuss skillsets associated with initiating, organising and delivering self-organised arts initiatives

Competence and Skills

• explore how skillsets associated with self-organisation relate to their own or others’ artistic practices
• outline a proposal for the application of concepts and skillsets of self-organisation to an artistic idea or context

Judgement and Approach

• reflect critically on cultural, political, and social conditions for self-organisation in contemporary arts subjects
• reflect critically on the positioning of self-organised arts initiatives in artistic ecologies
• reflect critically on their own and others’ perspectives on self-organisation in arts subjects.

The course is carried out as distance education via the University of Gothenburg's online learning environment.

Teaching is conducted in the form of lectures, discussion forums, seminars, workshops, and tutorials. Students are expected to work both independently and in groups.

The language of instruction is English. Students are expected to write, orally present, discuss and develop their course work in English.

The learning objectives will be assessed through:

• an oral presentation that describes and exemplifies why artists self-organise in relation to specific political, cultural, and social conditions
• a written and visual report that documents and critically reflects on their own explorations of skillsets associated with self-organisation
• a written proposal that relates concepts and skillsets of self-organisation for application to an artistic idea or context.

Complementation of an examined student performance may be allowed. The possibility of complementation is assessed on an individual basis and decided by the examiner. Complementation is carried out through the supplementary assignments determined by the examiner and within a specified time frame.

Absence from an oral presentation may be replaced by an alternative form of examination, at the discretion of the examiner.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The grading scale comprises: Pass (G) and Fail (U).

Students are given the opportunity to evaluate the course orally and anonymously via questionnaire at the end of the course. The results and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation

The course assumes access to a computer with camera, microphone and Internet connection.

Students are responsible for the costs of any of their practical experiments and to attend any optional in person events.