6 ECTS credits
180 h study time
Offer 2 with catalog number 4004584FER for all students in the 1st semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
In this course we focus on the current debates on photography in its social and political implications. Particularly, we consider the ways in which photography contributes to the formation, consolidation and contestation of its publics. In the first part of the course we discuss the critiques of the objectification and victimization of the photographed subjects as well as the ideas of compassion fatigue and visual communication associated with the documentary photographic image. Concepts such as gaze, view, universal visual language and transparency will guide our theoretical and historical analyses of photographic practices in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The second part of the course is centered around photography as an event. We will consider circulation and reception of photographic images seen as catalyzing action, especially dissent and contention, within public sphere. Subsequently, theories of affect will be brought to bear on recent photographic practice, including various artistic interventions in the photographic archive.
Students are expected to actively participate in the discussions and prepare an oral presentation of a chosen text.
Compulsory study material consists of PowerPoint presentations with slides and the comments on the contents of the slides which are given during the classes. De reader includes articles discussed in the class as well as supplementary study material.
Attendance is compulsory.
In order to take this class, compulsory additional costs will be charged next to the invoice sent to you as a student by the Student Administration Centre: for excursion or exhibition visit a minimum contribution of € 5 and a maximum contribution of € 20 will be required. The costs are borne by the student and can neither be passed on to fellow students nor recovered from the lecturer or faculty. The amounts stated are approximately correct. If you experience payment difficulties as a result of these additional costs, you can contact Student Social Services via sociale.dienst.studenten@vub.ac.be or + 32 2 629 23 15. More information can also be found on https://my.vub.ac.be/en/social-services.
1. The students have knowledge of the current debates on photography and its publics.
2. The students have insight in the technical and material aspects of photography and can connect those to theoretical issues concerning photographs’ public circulation and reception.
3. The students have the ability to reflect on selected theoretical issues and approaches in photography, especially with respect to its social and political implications.
4. The students can independently formulate research questions within the field of photography, especially pertaining to political and social roles of photographs.
5. The students are able to report orally and in writing on their study results in photographic media and theory.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
LEC Presentation determines 30% of the final mark.
SELF Paper determines 70% of the final mark.
Within the LEC Presentation category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The final grade consists of the following components:
Presentation determines 30% of the final mark.
Paper determines 70% of the final mark.
Presentation. the following assignments need to be completed:
2 assignment: Paper. the following assignments need to be completed:
Additional information regarding evaluation
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
The paper counts for 70% of the final mark.
The student chooses the topic, but it must be in keeping with the themes discussed. The paper must meet a number of conditions: it must discuss a single work of art that is analysed using theoretical insights from the lectures. Length: max. 5,000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography). Format: Word document, font size 12, spacing 1.5. The topic must first be approved by the lecturer.
The presentation counts for 30% of the final mark
Explanation: every student gives a presentation during the lectures based on an article or extract from the literature (max. 20 min.). This presentation is graded and included in the calculation of the exam mark.
In the case of resit (resit examination period) the paper must be submitted again. The partial grade (based on the oral presentation) can be transferred to the resit examination period.
If the student is unable to complete the assignment ‘Presentation’, she / he must submit written summaries of two articles from the reader before the end of the semester. The length of each summary is 1000 words.
In the second examination period, the student submits the presentation in writing.
If the student does not participate in all assignments, the final mark for the course will be an absence mark. The student must obtain a partial mark of at least 8/20 for each assignment to pass. Partial grades can be transferred to a later examination period within the same academic year.
Partial grades can be transferred to a later examination period within the same academic year.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Adult Education: Profile Cultural Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Art Studies and Archaeology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Arts and Humanities: History (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Arts and Humanities: Art History and Heritage Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Arts and Humanities: Philosophy (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Arts and Humanities: Ethics and Humanism (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Behavioural Sciences: agogische wetenschappen (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)