In Visual Cultures we explore and produce new forms of art history and theory in a culturally diverse and intellectually challenging environment. Our distinctive focus is on modern and contemporary artistic, visual and spatial practices. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we look at these practices in an international context and consider the ways in which they engage with urgent social, cultural and political issues. We explore visual culture within a framework of critical theory, philosophy and cultural studies. Areas of particular interest include cultural difference, performativity, curatorial strategy, aurality, encounters with audiences and the production of subjectivities.

Our approach to learning, teaching and research is exploratory and innovative, yet rigorous. Our degrees deliberately move away from chronological histories: the innovative art of our time arises out of the conflict of ideas, and we study it from an approach grounded in argument and debate. We equip you to become enquiring, informed participants in our field of study. From an early stage you start defining your own, independent lines of enquiry by taking a wide range of historical, theoretical, creative and collaborative approaches to research, writing and presentation. We also encourage you to get involved in public-facing, participatory projects designed to exchange ideas with wider, non-academic audiences.

It is both what we teach and research, and the ways in which we do this, that give our programmes their distinctive character. Our department has approximately 260 undergraduates, over 90 taught postgraduate students and over 60 MPhil/PhD candidates.