TEACHING DESIGN IN NEW POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES: THE UNIVERSITY MASTER'S DEGREE IN DRAWING

Over the last five years, Spanish universities have made a number of legislative changes in order to adapt their study programmes to the European Higher Education Area’s postgraduate model. In February 2011, the process was completed with the introduction of new rules for doctoral theses. The arts teaching sector has gone through this change in the midst of a conflict regarding its real essence and its future in a geographical area marked by contrasts, which includes countries that do not rank art at the level of "university studies".

Graphic and audiovisual design teaching takes the form of either advanced vocational training or research, either in colleges or universities. In introducing degrees in fine arts and design, we have seen conflicts of interests between both institution types, and this has led us to consider a new stance for university teaching. The postgraduate degree has allowed us to put this into practice.

The Master's Degree in Drawing offered by the University of Granada is a new initiative, the first of its type in Spain, which aims to combine top-class artistic research with professional training. The course includes two modules which we will focus on here in order to exemplify this new direction in postgraduate studies: Children's Illustration and Audiovisual Creation.

We will explain how these courses are designed to teach students about artistic research and production without overlapping with course content provided by lower level institutions.