What is a practicum course in Art History (ARTH 3900)?
\nHandbook
\n2015-2016
\n1
\nWhat is a practicum course in Art History (ARTH 3900)?
\nThe practicum course (ARTH 3900) is a student placement with one of our partners in the many
\nart-related institutions in the National Capital Region. The purpose of a practicum is to
\ncomplement the skills and knowledge gained in art history courses with relevant learning
\nexperience in the professional world.
\nEligibility.
\nPrerequisite: B.A. or B.A. (Honours) Art History registration with third-year standing or higher
\nand a CGPA of 9.5 or better in Art History courses, or permission of the discipline.
\nWhat can I expect from a practicum in Art History?
\nBecause of the variety in the types and sizes of institutions participating in our program and the
\npracticum projects they put forward in any given year, there is no one typical practicum
\nexperience. Each placement will be unique in the kind of work experience it provides, the
\namount of autonomy you can expect, and the type and range of tasks you will be expected to
\nundertake. The practicum will involve the acquisition of new skills particular to the job
\nplacement or the application of skills to new objectives, familiarization with different aspects and
\nactivities of an art-related organization and a focus on a particular project or projects. A
\npracticum may have you doing short research reports on works of art, writing descriptions and
\ncataloguing, assisting with exhibitions, outreach, organization; you may be working relatively
\nindependently, or you may be intricately involved in the daily workings of a busy organization. It
\nis worth thinking about what kind of experience you are looking for.
\nTasks that seem menial may well be involved in your practicum, as those tasks are ones that
\nallow one to get on with the interesting work at hand, but even simple repetitive tasks should be
\ngiving you skills and valuable experience with the collecting, research, care, display or promotion
\nof art or other activities of the art-related organization. If you have questions about your
\npracticum work, please speak to the practicum supervisor. It is a good idea to start right: take
\ncare to ascertain what your duties will be when your interview with your prospective on-site
\nsupervisor.
\nWhat should I not expect?
\nYou should not expect to be curating your own show in your semester. A practicum such as
\nyours is one step towards this level of professional work, and your on-site supervisor can serve as
\na model and mentor in that process. Be sure to be realistic about what to expect. At the same
\ntime, you should not expect to be doing purely menial or clerical work that does not involve
\ngaining new knowledge and\/or skills. If you have questions about this, please speak to the
\npracticum supervisor, and take care to ascertain what your duties will be when your interview
\nwith your prospective on-site supervisor.
\nHow do I apply?
\nYou need to pick up and fill out a student application form from Barbara Shannon, the practicum
\nadministrator in St. Patrick\u2019s 423, or download the form from the Art History website. This is
\nstep one. The form asks for interests, skills, and grade point average. Attach a copy of a recent
\nacademic audit to your application form. You may also append a resume. Send to Barbara
\nShannon (423 Saint Patrick\u2019s Building, (613) 520 2342\/ barbara.shannon@carleton.ca) You may
\nalso cc. a second electronic copy to St\u00e9phane Roy (stephane.roy@carleton.ca).
\n2
\nPlacement
\nLate August or early September you will be asked to sign up for a meeting with the Art History
\nPracticum Supervisor, St\u00e9phane Roy, to discuss your background, your program, and your
\npreferences for a practicum. Please see the Schedule of Important Dates at the end of this
\nhandbook.
\nIn most cases, this is the time when you will be given the telephone number of a Practicum
\nSupervisor at a potential placement. If the match is good, you will be sent to that placement.
\nThere are times when more than one student will be sent for the same position, or when you will
\nbe given more than one placement to interview for. There are also situations where a supervisor
\nis interviewing students from other institutions. We have asked that the institutions inform us if
\nthey are interviewing other students; it is equally important that you inform your interviewer if
\nyou are interviewing for more than one placement.
\nOnce you get the number of an institutional supervisor, you are to set up an appointment for an
\ninterview as soon as possible, normally within the first or second week of the term. When you
\nhave secured a placement, you will present a practicum agreement form to your on-site
\nsupervisor, on which you will be asked to identify the research area for your term paper. This
\nagreement is to be returned to Barbara Shannon, the practicum administrator. You will start work
\non the second or third week of term.
\nPracticum hours on site:
\nOne 8-hour workday per week for 12 weeks or its equivalent, totalling 96 hours per term.
\nWhen do I work?
\nIt is up to you to come to an agreement with your on-site supervisor as to when you come in to
\nwork. You will likely be able to negotiate hours that will fit in your class schedules, but do not
\nexpect to be able to do your work on evenings or weekends. On-site supervisors are often
\namenable to making alternate arrangements on religious holidays or during a busy study week.
\nEvaluation
\nPracticum work 75% Evaluated by on-site supervisor
\nWork journal and final paper 25% Evaluated by practicum supervisor,
\nProf. St\u00e9phane Roy
\nWritten work
\nWork journal. The practicum student must keep a journal account for every work day at the
\npracticum.
\nJournal entries should include:
\n? what work has been done
\n? what you have learned from this work
\n? what follow-up needs to be done
\n? what progress has been made towards the research project.
\nThe journal entries should be typed, single-spaced. They should be written in full sentences and
\nin a discursive paragraph style, rather than a point form list.
\n3
\nThe length of entries will vary, but an average entry will likely be about 1.0 page.
\nResearch paper
\nThe most common form of a practicum research paper is an academic essay. It may be, however,
\nthat written work may be produced in the course of the practicum eligible for submission in
\npartial or complete fulfillment of this requirement. If a student feels that her or his work may be
\neligible for academic equivalence to a term paper, she or he must gain the approval of the faculty
\npracticum advisor.
\nTopic
\nThe topic of the practicum research project will vary with each practicum. On the first day at
\nwork, students will speak to their on-site supervisors regarding the project(s) they are to work on,
\nand the source materials they will have access to. It is at this meeting that they should come to an
\nagreement about a (preliminary) paper topic. The topic will then be indicated on the application
\nform to be signed by both the student and the on-site supervisor.
\nThe initial paper topic will be refined as the student gains experience with the worksite and the
\npracticum project. Some practica will have a consistent and defined project; others will not.
\nThe student should work in the first weeks towards identifying a paper topic, which may entail
\nnarrowing a larger field, finding a personal area of interest, identifying a project that will yield
\nproductive research. This should be done in consultation with the institutional supervisor, who
\nhas the direct expertise with the resources available. You will be submitting a paper proposal to
\nthe Art History Practicum Supervisor at midterm (see Schedule of Important Dates); she is
\navailable by appointment for consultation on the paper at any stage.
\nWhat if my practicum does not deal with a single research project? In this case it is most
\nimportant to find a personal interest and to consult with the supervisors. A topic may deal with
\nparticular artists\u2019 works, archival materials, or exhibitions, for example, or it may be an
\nexamination and analysis of the (type of) institution in which one is working. It may be a
\ncombination of the two. One way to turn a focus of interest into a term paper is to situate it
\nwithin a larger context through library research, along with primary research materials available
\nat your worksite.
\nFormat
\nPracticum papers are in the format of a standard university research paper unless an alternative
\nhas been approved by the Art History Practicum Supervisor
\nThe paper should be 10-12 pages typed, double-spaced, standard font.
\nReferencing your sources:
\nFootnotes or endnotes: The paper must be completely and properly referenced with footnotes or
\nendnotes. Art history style is full notes added to the text, not embedded in the text in brackets.
\nUse a standard style such as MLA or Turabian. See the Carleton University Library website for
\nbasic style references. Refer to a style manual for the fine points of referencing.
\nBibliography: The bibliography must be appended to the paper in standard style (see above).
\n4
\nPlagiarism
\nWill not be tolerated. Be aware that plagiarism can also be inadvertent. Please look at the help
\navailable on avoiding plagiarism on the Carleton Library website at:
\nhttp:\/\/www.library.carleton.ca\/howdoI\/plagiarism.html
\nLibrary Research
\nThe Carleton University Library website is an extremely helpful portal for research, with a
\nnumber of important journal indexes, reference information and resources to expand your
\nresearch beyond the resources of the practicum institution. The reference librarian help desk on
\nthe main floor of the library is available for hands-on assistance. Questions about art historyrelated
\nsources at the library can be directed to our subject librarian, Alana Skwarok
\n(Alana.skwarok@carleton.ca).
\nNotes on online sources:
\nJournal articles available in scholarly journals accessible in full-text via the Carleton University
\nlibrary are valid sources.
\nFull-text books and articles accessed online by any other portal than the Carleton University
\nLibrary must give the online source and URL (see referencing online sources, below)
\nWeb sites are valid research material only if they form primary documentation for the paper (e.g.
\ngovernment sites for investigating government institutions or agencies, or gallery sites when
\nresearching galleries). Other websites are not acceptable.
\nWikipedia is not an acceptable source.
\nFor referencing online sources please refer to the Carleton University Library home page, under
\n\u201cHow do I\u2026?\u201d
\nProposal
\nA proposal for your paper is due at midterm. See Schedule of Important Dates at the end of the
\nhandbook.
\nThe proposal should be 1.5-2.5 pages and should include the following:
\n? A description of the research paper, including its relevance to the work you are doing in
\nthe practicum.
\n? A research plan that includes what sources you will be using.
\n? A preliminary bibliography that clearly indicates what materials have been consulted to
\ndate and which are yet to be consulted.
\nMidterm meeting with Practicum Supervisor
\nFollowing the submission of the proposal, a midterm meeting is to be arranged with the Art
\nHistory Practicum Supervisor. This meeting will address your proposed research project and will
\nalso be an opportunity to discuss any issues pertaining to your practicum. See Schedule of
\nImportant dates for midterm meeting dates. Sign-up will be available through the Practicum
\nAdministrator, Barbara Shannon (barbara.shannon@carleton.ca).
\n5
\nEvaluations
\nyour daily work on-site, evaluated by the institutional supervisor 75%
\nyour written work, evaluated by the Art History supervisor 25%
\nContact Information
\nArt History Practicum Supervisor Practicum Administrator
\nProf. St\u00e9phane Roy Barbara Shannon
\nSaint Patrick\u2019s 414 Saint Patrick\u2019s 423
\nstephane.roy@carleton.ca barbara.shannon@carleton.ca
\n613 520 2600 ext. 2061 613 520 2342
\nfax 613 520 3575.
\n6
\nCARLETON UNIVERSITY ART HISTORY UNDERGRADUATE PRACTICUM DATES
\n2015-2016 Schedule of Important Dates
\nFALL TERM
\nLate August through September 18 (last day for Fall term add\/drop)
\nInterviews with Art History Practicum Supervisor, St\u00e9phane Roy. Please email Prof. Roy for
\nappointment: stephane.roy@carleton.ca
\nSeptember 2
\nTerm begins
\nBy September 18
\nStudents will have been informed of their prospective placements. Students are to contact the onsite
\nsupervisor to set up an interview.
\nBy October 1st
\nStudents to have begun work at their practicum.
\nOctober 16
\nProposal due for final paper for single-term projects.
\nOctober 20-21
\nMid-term meeting with Prof. Roy, Practicum Supervisor.
\nOctober 26-30: Fall break
\nClasses not held. You may work at your practicum. Be sure to make arrangements with your onsite
\nsupervisor if this is a scheduled working day and you plan to be away.
\nNovember 20
\nProposals due for practica continuing the same project Fall and Winter.
\nDecember 7
\nFinal papers for single-term practica, and work journals for all practicum students to be
\nsubmitted. Please note: late papers will not be accepted.
\n7
\nWINTER TERM
\nJanuary 6
\nWinter term begins
\nJanuary 19 (last day for Winter term add\/drop)
\nInterviews with Prof. Roy for Winter term practica. Please email Prof. Roy for an appointment.
\nFebruary 5
\nProposal due for term paper for students starting at a practicum institution in January.
\nFebruary 11-12
\nMidterm meetings with Art History Practicum Supervisor.
\nFebruary 15-19: Winter break
\nPracticum suspended unless alternative arrangements are made by request of the student with the
\ninstitutional Practicum Supervisor.
\nApril 8
\nTerm paper and work journal due. This is the University Senate deadline for handing in
\nassignments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What is a practicum course in Art History (ARTH 3900)? Handbook 2015-2016 1 What is a practicum course in Art History (ARTH 3900)? The practicum course (ARTH 3900) is a student placement with one of our partners in the many Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19639\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benedictsol.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}