ph 111: August 2012

Objectives:

The objective is to expand one’s working knowledge of the photographic lexicon, the artists that shaped this vocabulary, and the tools and materials employed to define our current discourse and production within this medium. Through required research, students will be responsible for the development and implementation of cultural, political, and personal positions within the medium throughout its history. These skills will be developed through independent research conducted on authors, genres, movements, techniques, and technologies, as well as the evolution of these aggregate systems to form the unification of the medium, as we know it today. As informed and critical viewers of imagery, our knowledge base of the history of this medium will become an essential component of one’s arsenal for the development, direction, and execution of personal work.

Assessment

QUIZZES/EXAMS

There will be two quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam to assess your understanding of the topics discussed in class.

ASSIGNMENTS

All assignments, readings, research papers, exams, written paper, and the Image Akin project (production of an image in the style of a photographer) discussed in class are to be completed by identified date on the syllabus or otherwise discussed in class.

RESEARCH PAPER

The subject matter of your final research paper and presentation will be at your discretion, pending final approval from the instructor. This will allow you to dedicate time throughout the semester to exploring one particular artist of your choice and the process they used. This paper will consist of a strong conceptual analysis of the individual’s work, historic relevance, and the effects or parallels of that work within contemporary art. Additional topics to address will be the process and method(s) of image production (daguerreotype, salt print, albumen print, gelatin silver print, etc.). The paper should be a minimum of five pages, plus images that support your thesis. The presentation should be ten to fifteen minutes long with accompanying images.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Exhibitions, openings, and events are to be attended regularly independent from scheduled class trips and identified NEiA visiting lectures. View work critically and seek additional information from galleries, museums, and events when possible that will aid in the advancement your understanding of the work you are experiencing. You are encouraged to bring to class discoveries of new images, artists, or ideas. These topics will always be addressed in class or independently with the instructor. The History of Photography is a rich and complex history, and regrettably we will not be able to explore all of the many facets of this wonderful field, so information sharing inside and outside of class will add to the this course and is greatly appreciated.

Students will be evaluated based on comprehension of reading(s), written assignments, presentation, quizzes, exams, and class participation.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Fin