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AH20220

Academic Year 2020/2021

History of Photography (AH20220)

Subject:
Art History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Art History & Cultural Policy
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Emily Mark-Fitzgerald
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
Blended
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module surveys the history and theory of photography, beginning with its origins in the nineteenth century and concluding with recent developments in photographic practice. We will examine the photograph as both document and artwork – as a scientific, cultural, and aesthetic practice—by reflecting on its technological and aesthetic evolution. How has photography revolutionized our ways of seeing? What is the relationship between photography and other forms of visual art and representation? What questions about looking, the gaze, and the agency of subjects does it provoke? Following a roughly chronological structure, we will discuss the contribution of key photographers and important stylistic movements throughout its history.

The history of photography in Ireland will form an important dimension of this module, and students will have the opportunity to conduct research utilizing local photographic collections. A central aim of this course is to develop students’ fluency in analyzing photographs and the complex conditions of their production and reception.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, students will be able to:
(1) Recognise and describe key photographic processes (and its chronological development) from the 19th century to the present
(2) Identify and describe the importance of historically significant photographers, as well as examples of their work
(3) Demonstrate knowledge of theoretical frameworks concerning photography's status as art, technology, and form of witness
(4) Demonstrate familiarity with and application of correct terminology when analysing photographs, developing critical thinking and writing skills

Indicative Module Content:

Topics will include the innovations of early photography; pictorialism and ‘straight’ photography; photojournalism and war photography; photography and modernism (abstraction, surrealism, the ‘new Objectivity’); post-modernism (conceptualism and new digital practices); and the role of the photograph as ‘document’ and photographer as ‘witness’.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

38
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Lectures

22
Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Sessions will be primarily lecture based, with class discussion of particular images incorporated. A midterm exam will assess students' ability to identify photographic processes, knowledge of key terminology and photographic theory, and discuss historically important photographers / photographs. Students' critical writing skills will be honed via a research essay assignment, where they will have the opportunity to appraise local photographic collections if desired.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Recommendations:

Art History majors should not take any Stage 2 or 3 Art History modules until they have completed their Level 1 Art History requirements.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Continuous Assessment: Midterm examination covering the first half of course content. Week 7 n/a Graded No

50

 No
Essay: Final research essay, focused on an in-depth examination of a selected photograph. Week 12 n/a Graded No

50

 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be given on slide exam held at the mid-term point, and suggestions for improvement offered. Extensive written feedback will be given on the final essay via Brightspace.

Name Role
Ms Carla Briggs Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mrs Susan Curley Meyer Tutor
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