Overview
Research Methods in the Arts introduces scholarly, practice-based, studio, and community-engaged approaches to inquiry across artistic and creative disciplines. Students examine methods for developing researchable questions, conducting literature, exhibition, archival, library, digital, and field research, and interpreting artifacts, performances, images, materials, and media.
The course develops practical skills in interviews, observation, oral history, surveys, case studies, reflective documentation, process analysis, and practice-led research. Students learn to evaluate primary and secondary sources, distinguish evidence from interpretation, manage research files and data, apply an appropriate citation system, and communicate findings through writing, presentation, creative work, or an exegesis.
Ethical practice is addressed through informed consent, privacy, authorship, cultural ownership, community reciprocity, representation, accessibility, and responsible use of images and digital content. Students apply these principles to a structured research proposal, annotated bibliography, report, exegesis, or practice-based project connecting research evidence to artistic decision-making.
Learning Outcomes
- Formulate focused and researchable questions relevant to artistic and creative practice.
- Compare scholarly, practice-based, studio, and community-engaged research approaches.
- Evaluate the credibility, relevance, and limitations of primary and secondary sources.
- Select and justify appropriate methods for investigating creative works, practices, contexts, and communities.
- Collect, organize, document, and securely manage research evidence, data, files, and source records.
- Analyze visual, material, textual, performative, and digital materials using appropriate interpretive frameworks.
- Apply ethical principles concerning consent, privacy, authorship, cultural ownership, reciprocity, representation, accessibility, and digital content.
- Synthesize research findings to support artistic decisions and contextual arguments.
- Produce and communicate a clearly structured research proposal, annotated bibliography, report, exegesis, or practice-based project.
- Reflect critically on the relationship between research methods, evidence, interpretation, and creative outcomes.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Research question and preliminary source exercise | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Annotated bibliography | 15.00% |
| Assignment | Methods and ethics plan | 15.00% |
| Capstone | Research proposal or practice-based project | 25.00% |
| Deliverable | Research report, exegesis, or equivalent creative submission | 25.00% |
| Attendance | Participation in workshops and tutorials | 10.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement 4 NCEA Level 2 English credits, externally assessed
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
