Module manager: Dr Maki Fukuoka
Email: m.fukuoka@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This course addresses themes that emerged from practices of collecting and exhibiting Asian object from 19th century to present. By contextualising particular case studies historically, this module unpicks the interwoven relationship between the production of the knowledge of Asian art and the practices of collecting and exhibiting that art. This module begins by unsettling the category of “Asia” and “art” and throughout the semester returns to different ways in which these two categories were deployed by nation/state, colonizers, and commercial enterprises. It engages with motivations and incentives for both collecting and displaying Asian objects in museum as well as commercial settings through balanced readings of primary and secondary sources. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module focuses on the historical practice of collecting and exhibiting Asian objects, both within and outside Asia. It offers a thematic survey of the history of engagements that displayed “Asian” cultures from 19th century to today by exploring wide-ranging primary sources from catalogues of Crystal Palace exposition to internet home pages. This module aims to analyse the interconnected ways through which political and social forces shape the access to and formation of knowledge of art in/of Asia.
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
1. Demonstrate skilled visual and textual analysis
2. Discuss historical and cultural differences in social and aesthetic values of art practiced in select case studies from Asia
3. Reflect critically on the discursive formation of art history in and of Asia
4. Propose independent research question about exhibitions about Asian cultures drawn from the methodological and contextual learnings from the module
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
5. Construct a sustained and coherent argument
6. Coordinate and synthesise a range of historical, contextual, and cultural information
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 180 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
The in-class discussion, and posting of alternate weekly responses on Minerva allow on-going monitoring of student progress. The successful completion of the final essay will be also monitored through submissions of abstract, bibliography, and individual tutoring.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Written | 60 |
| Coursework | Written | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 09/05/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team