Independent Studies Programme

The objective of the Independent Studies Programme (PEI) is to promote reflection and theoretical work by means of active engagement with a series of lines of research and of knowledge production in the field of artistic practice that connect art to human sciences.

The PEI has been conceived as an international studies programme that offers an alternative to academic studies. It rejects the notions and techniques of management as the foundations of the museum space in favour of a multidisciplinary perspective based on the concepts of discourse and pedagogy.

By understanding art as a field of complex production at the intersection of diverse systems, realities, social spheres and types of knowledge, the PEI seeks to open up new spaces for political education. Consequently, the programme is structured in a wide range of activities, including practical research workshops linked to specific projects.

In keeping with these objectives, the PEI seeks to encourage critical professional activity in the artistic and cultural field.

The course begins in October 2012 and ends in June 2013.
Duration: 9 months.
Teaching hours: Monday to Friday, 5 to 9 pm

The academic calendar is divided into three terms. Each term consists of:

- Either two or three subjects, with classes held Monday to Friday, 5 to 9 pm.

- Theory and Criticism, the core subject that runs through the three terms.

-One public seminar or conference. These will be held from 6 pm onwards on weekdays or Saturdays.

- A research workshop (to choose one of several options) with intensive sessions held periodically throughout the three terms.

This schedule is subject to change.

The Independent Studies Programme (PEI) is recognised as a university-specific masters degree by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, within its Museum Studies and Critical Theory programme (60 credits).

It will consist of ongoing evaluation (60%) and the public presentation of the final project (40%).

The PEI offers two types of work experience in different departments of the MACBA:

1) Obligatory work experience arising from and linked to the research workshop. This will be the origins of the student’s research work.

2) Optional work experience to promote the student’s professionalization. This may include internships in one of the various departments of MACBA (subject to availability).

The Independent Studies Programme is a one-year with a total of 450 to 500 teaching hours. Students, who also attend the Open PEI seminars, become part of one of several research workshops geared towards a final project to be presented at the end of the course.

The PEI connects artistic and visual practice, critical theory of discourse and art, political imagination and action, technology of gender, strategies of desire and psychoanalysis, the links between economy and culture, urban processes and politics of space, postcolonial studies, and the pedagogy of art, in a programme that combines the discursive lines that the Museum has been implementing in recent years.

Xavier Antich, Manuel Asensi, Marcelo Expósito, Ana Long, Beatriz Preciado and Suely Rolnik.

Doug Ashford, Zdenka Badovinac, Lars Bang Larsen, Franco Berardi, Enric Berenguer, Jordi Borja, Rosi Braidotti, Judith Butler, Ximena Briceño, Christophe Broqua, Pablo Ciccolella, Jeffrey Cohen, Lisa Collins, Beatriz Colomina, Douglas Crimp, David Harvey, Elisabeth Lebovici, José Esteban Muñoz, Miren Etxezarreta, Marcelo Expósito, Safaa Fathy, Michel Feher, Maurizio Ferraris, Michel Ferrer, Devin Fore, Maria Gough, Gabriela Gutiérrez Dewar, José Luis Pardo, Robin Kelsey, Andrew Kirby, Ana Longoni, Rita McBride, Jordana Meldenson, Chantal Mouffe, Francesc Muñoz, Lluís Ortega, Doina Patrescu, Cynthia Patton, Jorge Pedemonte, Pilar Pedraza, Víctor Pimstein, Beatriz Preciado, Carlos Prieto, Ferran Pujol Roca, John Rajchman, Jacques Rancière, John Roberts, Joan Roca, Emmanuel Rodríguez, Suely Rolnik, Anne Sauvagnargues, Allan Sekula, Neil Smith, Gayatri Spivak, Eyal Weizman, Brian Winston, George Yúdice.

Applications for admission will be accepted: from 1 May 2012 to 11 June 2012

Admission requirements: applicants must have a university degree and a high level of both Spanish and English. Classes will be imparted in either language depending on the teacher and the subject in question.

Applicants are required to submit the following documentation:

• Application form
• Letter of motivation (two pages)
• CV
• Two letters of recommendation
• Certified photocopy of university degree
• Photocopy of DNI or passport
• Two passport photos

The selection process will be based on the material submitted and a face-to-face interview, where possible. Above all, the connections between the content and objectives of the Programme and the applicant’s academic or professional experience and activities will be valued. The applicant’s level of English will also be assessed.

Applications can be submitted by e-mail or post:

Independent Studies Programme–MACBA
Plaça dels Àngels, 1
08001 Barcelona
pei@macba.cat

A minimum of twenty and a maximum of forty participants. MACBA reserves the right to cancel the course if the minimum number of successful candidates is not reached.

Enrolment period: from 1 July to 15 September 2012

Course fee: € 2,500

Payment terms: 50% on enrolment and 50% in January 2013.

The PEI offers seven AECIS-funded scholarships to form a research group. Students from Latin America or the Eastern Europe, will have priority.