Pottery In Australia Vol 36 No 2 Winter 1997

So You Want to be a Student
A comparative look at the Ceramic Course options available in Australia,
Article and research by KAREN WEISS,
You're thinking of doing a course. To make it easier
for you to find the course that meets your needs,
we have surveyed Ceramics courses throughout
Australia. You've seen the pictures, now browse through
our table, listed by State,
THE INSTITUTES I:lasically, you are looking at two
systems: TAfE and Universities, TAfE Colleges run
courses with a strong emphasis on the practical and
technical training needed by a pOller. Having said that,
th ere is considerable va riation in focus within the
curriculum, from College to College, T AFE colleges have a
good deal of autonomy and have often taken advantage
of this to tailor courses for local conditions and demands,
TAFE colleges run courses varying from teaching basic
skills to Advanced Diplomas which integrate An Hi tory
and conceptual development with small business and
advanced technical skills, TAFE courses arc relatively
inexpensive and are otien offered both as pan-time and
full-time, Chidcare may be ava ilable to students,
Universities usually offer cer'dmics as pan of a Bachelor
of VisuaVFinel Applied Arts degree, The student is offered
a choice of electives in the first year and then can choose
to go on to major in ceramics, Masters Degrees can be
done by cou rsework or research, depending on the
University, and some also offer Ph,D,s,
Degree cou rses are pan-time or full -time or may be
done as external post-graduate studies,
The University course gives the student the possibility
of exploring diverse media with an emphasis on Arts
training followed by speCialisation,
Many TAFE Colleges and Universities also offer single
subject studies, These are usually studies with practical
applications, such as mouldmaking or glaze theory, They
are shon courses, usually one night a week for a tenn, sLx
months or a yea r.These cou rses mayor may not be
accredited, Generally TAfE offers accredited courses,
Universities offer non-accredited courses. There arc
exceptions, Accreditation or otherwise will only be of
concem to you if you are thinking of going on to do a
more substantial course and can use the piece of paper.
The Ieaming is just as valuable,
PRIMARY ORIENTATION The orientation of
courses varies enormously, Some have a strong bi as
towards produ ction and tec hnical skills, producing
trad itional fun ctional ware or utilising industri al
techniqu es, Others lean equally strongly towards the
conceptual and scu lptural, making individual art
statem ent s, Still others try and achi eve a balance
somewhere in the middle,
ARTIST·IN -RESIDENCE PROGRAM Smdents
benefit from this program, panicularly if the institute takes
full advantage of the anist's presence by integrating them
into the curriculum via workshops, lectures etc. Having a
successful professional around from outside the system,
can give a salutary perspective and hel p the smdent beller
define the al ternatives that exist once the course is
finish ed, This is equally true of guest lecturers, The
majority of institutes have visits from guest lecturers,
TEACHING STAFF Teachers are the backbone of
the depanment. Having several pan-time teachers is an
advantage, Often they will have been brought in because
of a particular area of expenise, or extensive experience,
This widens the pool of knowledge,
KILNS The number and type of kilns in an institute
can tell you a great deal about the priority and types of
firings done there, Ii also tells you of the options available
to the smdent, If the course you favour has '& others' in
the kiln column, in many cases this indicates kilns such as
raku, blackfire, pi!' (E is electric and \VI IF is wood fired in
the table following),
SPECIAL FEATURES Educational Institutes are
being enco uraged more and more to compete for
smdents, Institutes are offering more flexible courses, This
means part-time courses are more co mmon, modular
courses are being introduced and interdisciplinary and
inte rca mpu s stud y options are becoming the rule,
InterdiSCiplinary studies means that depanments can share
sta ff and facilities, creating more options for students in
either elective subjects or lectures in specia lised areas,
Intercampus studies make these possibilities available
between campuses within courses,
IT'S A BUYER'S MARKET I-lave a good look at what it
is you are buying, Ask to be shown around the
depanment, the staff will be happy to show it off. Work
out what your needs are, Do you need childcare' Do you
have to fit the course in around a job' Do you have a
disabi lit y' Do you have special interests' HAPPY
LEARNING' oo
ll1anks 10 all the institutiOns for the information [hey supplied and
also to TAFE and the Universities Admission Boards in various SHHCS.
C K.Weiss t997
36/2 WINTER 19'17 + PonERY IN AUSTRALIA 67