How is culture expressed in visual images? This deceptively simple question is the frame for the course through which we will study issues of production, circulation, and reception in art and visual media. Because visual culture is a fluid term, we will cut across disciplinary boundaries and theoretical approaches to consider not merely the ideas and the reality depicted by images but, rather, how images work and what they do. Throughout, our focus will be on people, places, and groups who are and are not represented in visual images from the emergence of photography in the mid-nineteenth century to social media in the present day. Put differently, we will look at what it means to be documented and what meaning can – or, perhaps, should – be ascribed to the undocumented.

Course Requirements:

These will include active and engaged participation, a viewing journal, short papers, and a final exam.

Intended Audience:

Students from any discipline who are interested in exploring the power of visual media. No previous experience of art, art history, or art theory is required; rather, the emphasis will be on developing a critical vocabulary and critical skills for interpreting pictures, images, and visualizations.