Course Description
An introduction to photography and contemporary image culture,
including history, criticism, and practice utilizing digital
cameras and image interpretation.
Athena Title
Intro Photo and Image Culture
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in ARST 2205, ARST 2210E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate technical proficiency in digital photography tools and techniques, including camera operation, composition, and post-production editing, thereby developing their Digital Literacy.
- Students will critically analyze photographic images using historical, cultural, and theoretical frameworks, articulating their social, political, and aesthetic significance to strengthen their Critical Thinking.
- Students will create original photographic works that communicate a coherent political, cultural, or personal narrative, showcasing their ability in Creativity and Innovation and enhancing their Communication skills.
- Students will evaluate and interpret contemporary image culture, including the role of photography in media, identity formation, and visual communication, to deepen their Critical Thinking.
- Students will collaborate in peer critique sessions to provide and receive constructive feedback, refining both technical and conceptual aspects of photographic work, thereby improving Communication.
- Students will articulate the evolution of photographic practices and image culture, identifying major movements, artists, and technological shifts from historical to contemporary contexts, demonstrating Critical Thinking.
- Students will reflect on ethical considerations in image-making and representation, including issues of consent, cultural appropriation, and digital manipulation, thereby cultivating Ethical Reasoning.
Topical Outline
- Module 1: Foundations of Photography and Image Culture
Course overview and expectations
What is image culture?
History of photography: key movements and technological shifts
Introduction to digital cameras and basic photographic techniques
Composition, exposure, and lighting fundamentals
- Module 2: Image Analysis and Visual Literacy
Reading and interpreting photographic images
Semiotics, visual rhetoric, and image theory
Case studies in photographic critique
Photography and identity: race, gender, and representation
Ethical considerations in image-making
- Module 3: Contemporary Image Culture and Media
Photography in social media and mass media
Surveillance, documentation, and digital manipulation
The role of photography in shaping public discourse
Visual storytelling and narrative construction
Planning a photographic series with thematic intent
- Module 4: Creative Practice and Collaboration
Developing a photographic concept and proposal
Shooting and editing techniques for series work
Peer critique workshops and feedback strategies
Revising work based on critique
Collaborative creative practices
- Module 5: Final Projects and Reflection
Final project production and refinement
Artist statements and reflective writing
General Education Core
CORE IV: Humanities and the Arts
Institutional Competencies
Creativity & Innovation
The capacity to combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways and the experience of thinking, reacting, and working in an imaginative way characterized by innovation, divergent thinking, and risk taking.
