Art History 280 - COLQ: ART HIST ST: PHOTOGRAPHY

Topics course. Students may take up to four semesters of ARH 280 Art Historical Studies, as long as the topics are different. Kodak's 2012 declaration of bankruptcy, and the OED's announcement of "selfie" as its 2013 Word of the Year, are historical events that signal a transformative moment in vernacular photography: when analog practices have been eclipsed by digital, dematerialized operations. This course reflects back on the material objects that we refer to variously as snapshot, amateur and vernacular-photographs. We consider the difficulties presented by these seemingly benign objects, and then engage a range of literary and critical examinations of vernacular photography. Local objects of analysis are sourced from both the Sophia Smith Collection and the SCMA. Group B (E)

Topic: Vernacular Photography