Art & the History of Art 286 - Photography and the Body

(Offered as ARHA 286 and SWAGS 286) How have changing modes of representation reflected and contributed to shifting conceptions of embodiment and identity? This course explores the complex relationship between photography and the human body since the introduction of photography in 1839, with particular attention to the United States. Moving decade by decade, this course traces the development of photography alongside social and political change that altered how human bodies were understood, represented, controlled, and inhabited. We will study a variety of photographic genres that figure the body, including personal portraits, ethnographic images, documentary photography, identification images, and fashion photography. Alongside the close examination of photographs, we will read key primary sources, scholarship in art history, and theoretical texts. Visits to local collections will give us an opportunity to have our own embodied encounters with historical photographs. Although the course considers the period between 1839 and 1970, we will reflect upon the enduring legacy of historical photographic practices and conceptions of embodiment in the contemporary world.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Fein.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference given to ARHA, SWAGS, and AMST majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: An emphasis on written work, readings, oral presentations, in-class discussions, field trips, and visual analysis.