School of Arts and Media

Uses art making to develop creative thinking: observation, experimentation, play and reflection, with weekly exercises that need no prior art training.

A practical introduction to Photoshop: layers, selections, retouching, colour correction, text and exporting images for print and the web.

A twelve-week study of Myanmar's traditional design: motifs, patterns and symbolism in architecture, textiles, lacquer and manuscripts, and how to draw on them in contemporary work.

How art and politics intertwine across Southeast Asia: artists under authoritarian rule, protest art, state patronage and the region's contemporary art scenes.

A first course in writing for the screen: story structure, character, dialogue and the basics of script format, ending with a short script of the student's own.

Thirteen weeks on the design side of advertising: concept development, visual identity, layout, typography and producing campaign materials for print and digital.

Telling stories with a camera: composition, light, sequence and editing, with weekly photo and video assignments that build towards a complete visual narrative.

The fundamentals of user experience and interface design: research, user flows, wireframes, visual design and prototyping, with a portfolio project.

A three-week introduction to writing about art: describing and interpreting work, the review, the artist statement and the exhibition text.

A short course on cheik, the Myanmar textile weaving pattern: its history, structure and motifs, and designing new work within the tradition.

A first animation course: the principles of movement, timing and spacing, storyboarding and producing a short animated sequence.

An introduction to abstract art: its history, key movements and artists, and studio exercises that explore colour, form and gesture.

The parabaik and palm-leaf manuscripts of Myanmar: their materials, scripts, illustration and contents, and what they tell us about the country's past.

A twelve-week introduction to producing music on a computer: digital audio workstations, recording, arranging, mixing and mastering a finished track.

A nine-week reading group on ecofeminism: the key texts linking the treatment of women and the treatment of nature, discussed in relation to Myanmar's environment and politics.

A short study of Burma's traditional houses: regional forms, materials and construction, the social life they were built for, and their place in heritage today.

An experimental studio course in making images across photography, collage, drawing and digital media, with critique sessions and a final body of work.

How a film gets made and who does what: development, pre-production, the shoot and post-production, and the roles from producer and director to editor and sound.

An approach to the paintings found in traditional Myanmar parabaik manuscripts: their styles, subjects and techniques, and how to read them, taught in Burmese.

The craft of translating literature between Burmese and English: fidelity and voice, handling idiom and culture, and workshopping translations of short texts.

Where art meets technology: generative and digital art, new media, the tools artists use today and the questions technology raises for creative practice.

A hands-on introduction to augmented reality and the ideas behind the metaverse: building simple AR experiences and understanding the platforms and possibilities.

A five-week course on art that breaks the rules: the ethics and methods of transgressive and experimental art, and what making work wrong on purpose can teach.

An open studio for people who do not call themselves artists: making, looking and talking about art together without the pressure of expertise.

Covers the basic principles and structures of script writing: three-act structure, character and conflict, script format, and pitching tools such as the logline and synopsis, with film analysis and the development of each student's own script.

An introduction to modern music production with the computer as the main instrument: the basics of a digital audio workstation, the science of sound and audio engineering, song structure and arrangement, music theory essentials and studio equipment, taught by an industry record producer.

A seven-week introduction to illustrating digitally: tools and brushes, line and colour, character and scene, and producing finished illustrations for print and screen.

A five-day intensive on directing: working with actors, blocking, shot planning and leading a crew, with practical exercises on set.

A five-day introduction to cinematography: camera, lenses, exposure, composition, lighting and movement, with hands-on shooting exercises.

Learn to play rhythm guitar from scratch: holding the instrument, basic chords, strumming patterns and playing along with songs over eight weeks.

A five-week foundation in photography: exposure, composition, light and editing, with weekly assignments and group critique.