KUN4400 – Topics in Avant-garde and Contemporary Art
Course description
Course content
KUN4400 is a course where the topic of teaching will alternate.
The topic for the Spring semester 2026 is: Video Art: Technology, Theory, Practice
The course provides a critical introduction to early video art, from the proto-televisual experiments of the historical avant-garde to the transition from analog to digital technologies in the early 1980’s. We will focus on the technical aspects of early analog video, as well as on artistic practice and writing on the subject. Themes will include the technics and politics of time, video feedback and ecology, the transformation of the artist’s studio, video activism and alternative TV production, the relation between video, painting and music, the invention of new machines and the interaction between video and TV.?
Learning outcome
After completion of the course in the Spring of 2026? you will:
-
have an overview of the most important works, topics, texts and theoretical concepts in the field of early video art.
-
have been introduced to key aspects of analog video technology and perspectives on the relation between art and technology. In addition we will engage with the most influential new literature in the field.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
This course is for students admitted to Kunsthistorie og visuelle studier (master). Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Recommended previous knowledge
It is recommended that you have passed 40 studiepoeng (equal to ECTS) in Art History, Aestethics and/or Visual studies before taking this course. It is also recommended that you have good reading skills in English.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with KUN2400 – Topics in Avant-garde and Contemporary Art.
Teaching
The teaching consists of approximately 27 hours of lectures and seminars.
Teaching is divided into three-hour long sessions: Two hours of lecture followed by a one hour seminar /group discussion with student presentations. Following the seminars is compulsory. In the seminar teaching, you will have the opportunity for training and guidance in oral presentations and argumentation.
In order to qualify to the final exam, you must complete these compulsory activities:
Compulsory attendancet for at least 7 out of 9 classes.
Written assignment
How to apply for a valid absence from compulsory activity/compulsory attendance.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
You do not qualify for the final examination unless this compulsory requirement is fulfilled. Read more about guidelines for compulsory activities.
The compulsory activities are only valid one semester.
Examination
The examination at KUN4400 is a three day digital home exam.
The length of the assignment should be 6-7 standard pages (2300 characters without spacing, illustrations, notes and reference).
You will take the home exam in Inspera. You must familiarize yourself with the login and submission procedures in timely manner before the exam. Read more about Inspera below.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.