Admission requirements
A relevant BA-degree
Description
In this course we will discuss topical debates and some seminal theoretical texts about photography. The first part of the course focuses on debates related to characteristics of the analogue and digital medium photography. Debates on issues of representation usually deal with concepts such as ‘indexicality’ and ‘transparency’; discussions on issues of time often compare photography with film and use ‘death’ as metaphor for photography; or photography critics and theorists interrogate aspects of decontextualisation, construction, memory, photographic places and spaces, or self-reflectiveness.
The second part of the course will focus on sociocultural aspects of photography. Besides being an artistic tool, photography has been continually used as a means of documentation of reality. But since the beginning of the medium, it has remained controversial what justifies the veracity of this documentation and what we mean by ‘reality’ when dealing with photography. To discuss the uses of photography in contemporary societies, this part of the course will examine the relationship between the artistic and the documentary photography, drawing on topics such: language, trauma, snapshot, and event.
Course objectives
In the course Topical Debates on Photography the student gains knowledge of and insight into:
the methodologies and research methods employed in the academic study of photography; the methods and evolution of theory in the history of photography; the history of thought about the medium and the makers; and the most important theoretical approaches and seminal texts.
The students possess the following academic and professional skills: the independent academic study and interpretation of artefacts with the aid of relevant sources and specialist literature specific to the medium photography; a training in presenting research results clearly, orally or in writing, with accompanying argumentation.
Timetable
Timetable on the website
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Seminar
Course Load
Total course load for the course: 10 EC = 280 hours.
Hours spent on attending lectures and seminars: 3 hours per week x 12 weeks = 36 hours
Time to prepare two short presentations: 14 hours
Time for studying the compulsory literature: 80 hours
Time to write two short papers and a research proposal: 150 hours
Assessment method
Part 1 (Theories of Photography):
- Paper of 1500 words for a collaborative project with an external institute (35%)
Part 2 (Historiography of Photography):
- Essay of 3000 words for the second project (65%)
Compensation is possible, but each part must be at least 5.0.
In case of a fail you are entitled to rewrite the papers.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used to provide students with an overview of current affairs, as well as specific information about (components of) the course.
Reading list
Part 1 (Theories of Photography): *Van Gelder, H., Westgeest, H., Photography Theory in Historical Perspective. Case Studies from Contemporary Art, Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2011. *Some extra (short) texts (available on Blackboard) Part 2 (Historiography of Photography): *Texts will be made available on Blackboard.
Registration
Enrollment through uSis is mandatory. If you have any questions, please contact the departmental office, tel. 071 5272144 or mail: osz-oa-eyckhof@humleidenuniv.nl.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Contractonderwijs
Contact details
Please contact Student administration van Eyckhof
Coordinator of studies: stuco-ma-mediastudies@hum.leidenuniv.nl