Principles & Practice: Core Skills & Ethics (HISTART5052)

Year 1: Semester 1

This course introduces students to the key concepts of interventive and preventive conservation and to the appropriate implementation of interventive techniques. It introduces the core techniques of conservation documentation and photography, surface cleaning, humidification and stitched support, in addition to the underlying principles of textile science, including the science of fibres and dyes.

Convenor: Sarah Foskett

Material Cultures (HISTART5052)

Year 1: Semester 1

This course provides an introduction to the cultural heritage sector and enables students to gain an understanding of how they may contribute to the sector as professionals after graduation. It explores both the material and symbolic properties of objects in order to analyse why artefacts matter, and why they are collected, exhibited and conserved; concepts from material culture frameworks, such as object biographies, are introduced as ‘working tools’ for interdisciplinary research by those involved in preserving and interpreting objects

Convenor: Frances Lennard

Preventive Conservation (HISTART5049)

Year 1: Semester 2

This course provides information and practical experience of the agents and processes of the physical, chemical and biological deterioration of textiles and the preventive conservation strategies devised for these artefacts.  This knowledge will help students to identify how and why textiles deteriorate, and to contribute to decisions regarding the selection, implementation and evaluation of appropriate preventive measures.

Convenor: Anita Quye

Principles and Practice: Developing Skills (HISTART5053)

Year 1: Semester 2

This course introduces the theory and practice of further key textile conservation skills: photography, wet cleaning and dyeing. It continues the development of skills introduced in Semester 1 through the treatment of objects from the collections of Glasgow Museums.

Convenor: Sarah Foskett

Understanding Textiles: Technology (HISTART5070)

Year 1: Semester 2

The course aims to give students an understanding of the processes involved in forming yarns and fabrics from fibres, including spinning, weaving and non-woven techniques, and of the main historic decorative and construction techniques. As a result students should be able to identify techniques found in historic and modern textiles, understand how they influence the deterioration of textiles and be able to document and record the techniques used.

Convenor: Frances Lennard

Placement (HISTART5048)

Year 1: Semester 2

Students undertake a work placement of at least six or eight weeks following the spring vacation of the first year, hosted by a textile conservation department in a museum or other heritage organisation, in the UK or overseas. The placement provides an extended period of practical work and the opportunity to gain experience of the way textile conservation departments operate to fulfil their remit within different institutions.

Convenor: Karen Thompson

Principles and Practice: Advanced Skills (HISTART5050)

Year 2: Semester 1

This course builds on key conservation skills and concepts introduced in the first year, reinforcing the key concepts of cleaning and support by introducing the theory and practice of advanced textile conservation skills such as the use of adhesive supports, solvency and bleaching. The developing skill set is reinforced by the practical application of conservation treatments to historic textiles, put in context by the concurrent sessions in the two units Conservation in Practice and Deconstructing the Artefact.

Convenor: Karen Thompson

Deconstructing the Artefact: Materials Investigation (HISTART5097P)

Year 2: Semester 1

The course aims to give students an understanding of the manufacture, characteristics, ageing and degradation of materials used in the production of fine arts, textiles and associated objects, such as wood, paint and leather, so that students gain an awareness of the problems concerning preservation of these materials and how their present appearance should be interpreted.

Students will also be introduced to the instrumental analytical techniques used in the identification and interpretation of textiles and other historic artefacts through guest lectures by specialists from conservation and materials science, and visits to conservation studios and scientific labs.

Convenor: Anita Quye

Conservation in Practice (HISTART5010)

Year 2: Semester 1

This course complements the theory and practice of Principles and Practice: Advanced Skills, putting the practical skills into context and including case studies of conservation treatments, demonstrating how  interventive skills are selected and used for a range of clients including different types of museums. It introduces the specialist skills used on a range of textiles, including costume, tapestries and upholstery.

Convenor: Sarah Foskett

Professional Development (HISTART5054)

Year 2: Semester 2

This course gives students a broader view of textile conservation, with an emphasis on collections, rather than the single objects encountered during interventive treatments. It introduces the wider collections management and project management skills textile conservators need in the workplace.

Convenor: Frances Lennard

Research Management (HISTART5055P)

Year 2: Semester 2

This course gives students practical and theoretical experience of managing a research project in a specific area of textile conservation practice, and provides a foundation for the dissertation course. It introduces key topics such as project management and experimental design, and presentation of research data, with sessions for private study to allow experimental work and associated research.

Convenor: Frances Lennard

Principles & Practice: Conservation Projects (HISTART5051P)

Year 2: Semester 2

As the final interventive course on the programme, Principles and Practice: Conservation Projects gives students the opportunity to consolidate their knowledge and understanding of the approaches and techniques used in textile conservation and to refine their practical skills by working on two textile artefacts. Students consolidate their skills in devising, carrying out and evaluating more complex conservation treatments; the management of the projects is a key element of the course and includes independent research to learn about the objects they are working on and to inform the conservation treatment.

Convenor: Karen Thompson

Dissertation (HISTART5018P)

Year 2: Semester 2

The dissertation, or other substantial piece of work, encourages independent work through deeper study of a particular conservation issue or related problem and encourages the application of acquired research skills.

It is expected that MPhil dissertations should make a contribution to some aspect of the subject. The dissertation is 15-20,000 words in length (including footnotes and bibliography) and will be on a topic chosen in consultation with the tutors and the programme convenor.