Course syllabus
Global History of Photography
SEMESTER 2, 2019
15 points
Teacher: Sophia Powers
Course delivery format:
E.g. - 2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial
(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)
Summary of Course Description:
This course explores the history of photography as it evolved across the globe. How was photography invented and what were its first uses? How did the medium develop to change the course of history and human understanding? Major themes and issues will include the evidential value of photography and the medium’s relationship to “truth.” Can a photograph lie? What is the “indexical” nature of photography and why is it special? Do photographs carry moral weight? How can photographs both evoke empathy and incite terror and hate? How do photographs encode memory and capture time? What is the relationship between painting and photography, and photography and film? How was photography crucial to the development of a range of contemporary art forms such as conceptual and performance-based practice?
We will explore photography’s diverse contexts of display, from the courtroom to the gallery to the family mantelpiece. Photography is uniquely scalable— it can be carried around in your pocket or an image can be enlarged to tower over a city. How do such diverse viewing conditions affect the power of the image? These questions will be explored through a careful consideration of social and political context along with art historical, anthropological, and philosophical theory and close readings of photographic images.
The course is designed to attend to the unique geographical diversity of photographic practice. For example, the French avant-garde will be considered alongside vernacular studio photography from 19th century India. We will also spend time exploring the photographic traditions of New Zealand ranging from with early colonial “ethnographic” style images to contemporary art photographers such as Marti Friedlander and Shigeyuki Kihara. Finally, we will consider the impact of digital technology and social media on photographic practice. Do Kim Kardashian’s selfies matter? Major figures (beyond Kim Kardashian) will include Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sally Mann, Andreas Gursky, Jeff Wall, Tehching Hsieh, Manuel Alverez Bravo, Robert Mapplethrope, Man Ray, Carrie Mae Weems, Dayanita Singh, and Seydou Keita. By the conclusion of this course, photographs will appear both more meaningful and more strange.
* There will be a $2,000 cash prize awarded to the most original and well-researched final essay in the class!
Class Schedule
Week 1: Course Overview and the Birth of Photography (July 23)
Week 2: Art vs. Science: Early photography and Pictorialism (July 30)
Week 3: "Straight" Photography and Modernist Stirrings (August 6)
Week 4: Dada and Surrealism (August 13)
Friday, August 16: Critical Reading Response due by 5 pm (500 words)
Week 5: War, Welfare, Social Photography, and mid-term Review (August 20 )
Week 6: In-class Midterm & Photo-Wallahs film (August 27)
In-class Midterm
Week 7: Public & Private Photography- from the Street to the Family Album (September 17)
Week 8: The Shape of Things: Landscapes, Buildings, Nudes (September 24)
Week 9: Conceptual Photography (October 1)
Online: Student-as-Photographer Project due.
Week 10: Photography and Performance (October 8)
Week 11: Fashion, Advertising, and the Digital Turn (October 15).
Final Essay Outline (+ annotated bibliography for stage III)
Week 12: New Zealand Photographic Traditions: Guest lecture by Professor Len Bell (October 22).
Final Research Essay (2000 words for Stage II, 2500 words for Stage III) due by the end of the Day via. E-mail on Nov. 11th
Class Policies:
We will take a 5-minute break in the middle of class. Feel free to get up and stretch your legs- grab a cup of coffee, or post on Instagram :)
Please minimize use of laptops and other electronic devices. We want to create an environment that encourages engaged learning. Feel free to text/email/etc. during the break, but please refrain from doing so during seminar. While I realize tablets and computers can be an important source for referencing reading and notes, I reserve the right to prohibit such resources if I feel they are being abused. Please also be warned, I will cold call you to participate in discussion if I believe you may be distracted by technology.
Turn work in on time. Late work means that you are not keeping up with the class. Please notify me in advance if you are unable to submit an assignment or take an exam on time. Make-up exams and extensions will not be granted without a well-documented reason, such as a written note from your doctor.
Proofread your work. Ask a friend to proofread it again, or take your paper to a Writing Tutor at the University Learning Center. One strategy that I have found invaluable is to listen to the computer read your paper out loud to you; for some people this makes it much easier to catch mistakes. Major spelling and grammar errors, as well as typos, will negatively affect your grade.
Office Hours. Please attend office hours to address any difficulties with the course or to further discuss any of the topics covered in class. If you have irreconcilable scheduling conflicts, please contact me via email to set up an alternative time.
N.B. After the first day, please consult the most recent version of the syllabus uploaded onto Canvas, as course details may change!
Evaluation Due Date
Critical Reading Response (500 words) – 10% Aug. 16
In-class Midterm – 20 % Aug. 27
Student-as-Photographer Project — 20% Sep. 24
Final Essay Outline (+ annotated bibliography for stage III)—10% Oct. 8
Final Research Essay (2000 words for Stage II, 2500 words for Stage III)—40% Nov. 4
Assignment Overview
The Critical Reading Response consists of a 500 word precis of an assigned reading for the course.
The Midterm will cover all material from weeks 1 – 5, and will be given in class. Make-up exams will NOT be possible without prior arrangement with the instructor.
The Student-as-Photographer project encourages you to get creative (and analytical)! This is a two-part assignment consisting of an original photography project as well as a 1,000 word essay that both offers a formal visual analysis of the original image, and grounds it historically and contextually in relationship to topics covered in class lectures and readings.
The Final Essay Outline gives you an opportunity to provide a detailed outline of your final research essay- keeping you on track for the paper and giving me a chance to provide feedback before the final deadline! Stage III students will also be expected to include an annotated bibliography of at least 5 scholarly sources that have been consulted for the research paper, providing a paragraph long analysis/summary of each source.
The Final Essay Allows you to demonstrate independent research on a photographic topic of your choice. The expectation will be 2,000 words for Stage II students, and 2,500 words for Stage III. Additionally, Stage III students will be required to use at least 10 scholarly sources, while the minimum for State II will be 5 scholarly sources.
Optional info depending on course requirements
Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:
The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.
Course summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|