Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0182 - History of Photography

This course will be a selective examination of the history of photography in Europe and the U.S., from the earliest daguerreotypes in the 19th century to the digital works of the present. We will consider the evolution of photography in relationship to other art forms, including architecture, literature, painting, collage, video, performance, printmaking, and film. We will treat the photograph as an art historical document, and above all, interrogate the works as aesthetically resonant reflections of specific historical moments. This will be a rigorous critical examination of both canonical and non-canonical photographs, and we will work to link the "decisive moment" of the image to those social, political, cultural and intellectual moments in the past that informed their creation and reception. Students will be responsible for a series of papers, regular trips to Five College Museums, and a final student symposium on the state of photography in the 21st century, including global perspectives.

Culture, Humanities, and Languages Writing and Research Field Trip In this course, students are expected to spend a minimum of between six-eight hoursa week of preparation and work outside of class time. This time includes reading, writing, and research, as well as image study, including field trips to Five College museums.