The Theory Platform The Theory Platform is an academy-wide platform for bringing about educational innovation. At bimonthly meetings chaired by the Lectorate Art Theory and Practice (Prof. Dr. Anke Haarmann) an ongoing dialogue is facilitated about teaching methods, forms of collaboration between theory tutors and practice tutors, the meaning of research, its relationship with artistic practice, thesis requirements, quality criteria, et cetera. These bimonthly meetings constitute an environment in which critical (self)reflection and experiment can thrive and different viewpoints and experiences can be exchanged and measured up against one another. For instance: educational innovation, policy advice, new structures and fields for theory teaching and research, guidelines for examinations and theses, exchanging and development for teaching research and theory in all BA and MA programmes.

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You can join the meetings and/or join (or initiate) a workgroup.

Reimbursement:

  • For freelancers: you can invoice the two hours plus travel expenses (if applicable).
  • For staff: the two hours will be added to your fee as well as the travel expenses (if applicable)

Theory Platform Meetings

Meetings that take place 6 times per year. The meetings are in English.

Calendar overview:

Theory Platform meetings 2023/2024

Tuesday’s 16.00-18.00 hours at the Lectorate office BB.115

#1: Tuesday 5 Sept. 2023 16:00 till 18:00 Theory Platform

#2: Tuesday 3 Oct. 2023 16:00 till 18:00 Theory Platform

#3: Tuesday 5. Dec. 2023 16:00 till 18:00 Theory Platform

#4: Tuesday 6. Feb. 2024 16:00 till 18:00 Theory Platform

#5: Tuesday 16 April 2024 16:00 till 18:00 Theory Platform

#6: Tuesday 21 May 2024 16:00 till 18:00 Theory Platform

Agenda:

  • Check-in
  • Welcoming and planning for the year
  • Announcing changes
  • check-out


Agenda:

  • Check-in
  • Planning of the four remaining sessions
  • Budget
  • Workshops from the 'Working Conditions' workgroup
  • check-out

Agenda:

  • Check-in
  • Follow up of the 'Working Conditions' workgroup (15min)
  • Workshop by 'Thesis & Referencing' Workgroup (1h)
  • check-out

Agenda:

  • Check-in
  • Workshop by 'Body of Knowledge' Workgroup (1h)
  • check-out

Agenda TBA

Agenda TBA

Theory Platform Workgroups

The Theory Platform currently facilitates 5 workgroups.

Mission statement:

Workgroup ‘Thesis Criteria and Referencing’November 2021[Ernie Mellegers, CarlJohan Hogberg, Anne Hoogewoning]The mission of our workgroup is to develop a framework for the evaluation of graduate theses for BA/MA level that does justice to the student's efforts while/when sharing/communicating their research in a written text. For tutors, this framework should function as a reliable tool to assess the thesis and decide whether a student has passed or not. For external critics, such as the members of the thesis-award-jury, it should provide insight in the shared expectations of commonality that align with KABK’s policy on artistic research. Moving outward in this expanding circle from the student to the professional field, expectations on the requirements of a thesis may differ and might even have conflicting purposes. Rather than implementing robust criteria, the framework will suggest attention points that ideally allow tutors to deviate from given standards to support the independence and individuality of the students’ abilities and vary by discipline. We highly value the individual expressiveness of students within the shared concept of writing a thesis. As such, we regard each thesis as a unique body of work and be appreciated in its own right. In line with this, the possibility of a thesis in a non-written form could and should be brought up -for further discussion and investigation. The ultimate goal of the recommended framework is that it inherently increases the quality of the theses on both the BA and MA levels, without limiting the students’ experiment and exploration of the thesis as a concept.

Mission statement:

The University of the Arts (KABK & KC) is an institutional member and founder of the international Research Catalogue. The Research Catalogue is an open source, online, collaborative workspace for the archiving, designing and publishing of research in the fields of (performing) art, design and music. With the aim of displaying and documenting the practice in a manner that respects artistic modes of presentation, the RC allows the weaving together of text, images, files, audio and video material.

The RC is already being used extensively by teachers and students of the Royal Conservatoire (KC) and the Academy of the Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA) of the University of Leiden.

In the coming period, the KABK will use the Research Catalogue more extensively. We will start by using the RC for archiving all KABK theses and sharing them internally on the KABK portal. Up until now all thesis archiving was physical and difficult to access for students and teachers.

We would also like to stimulate RC use for other purposes, like public publishing of digital artistic work and texts, thesis supervision and as an online educational collaboration tool.

Portal link: https://portal.kabk.nl/message...

Contact e.huurdeman@kabk.nl

Mission Statement:

Mission statement:

At a time, when the arts are under attack from different sides, how can the academy be and remain an image-defining and guiding factor in the artistic and social discourse? What role is reserved for notions of critical autonomy versus (political) engagement? Within this work group, we aim to draft a position paper, evaluating the role of the contemporary academy and clarifying the role theory education can and should play in it.

We are interested in developing and sharing experiences with various didactical work forms. We re curious about how you design your classes and formulate specific exercises. I am convinced we should share experiences & knowledge more since it can be so beneficial & inspirational.

Mission statement:

The traditional passive lectures, taking notes and evaluating tests have not been commonly used anymore for a long time. A variety of didactical forms and related assignments & exercises are practised by all of us.

The past 1.5 years has forced us to sometimes radically transform our programs into online teaching. This situation has made us reconsider our and the student’s role in learning in many ways, not necessarily only online. I wonder how some of our online experiments may be transformed again to fit into refreshed offline programs & classes. Or hybrid programs. Or programs and exercises deliberately offline.

The main focus of the workgroup can be how to create an inspirational setting for production and active participation in theory classes in general.

I would like to share information and discuss alternatives with each other. We may end up composing a bank with various exercises and assignments, which can be applied and adjusted by all of us.

Another option may be to compose a (updated) list with related research & literature.

Mission statement: