3 ECTS credits
75 h study time
Offer 2 with catalog number 1020901BER for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.
The Photography and New Media course consists of three parts. First, it traces historical developments in photography and the new media in the period from the early nineteenth century to the present. The focus is on the intense interaction between the photographic medium on the one hand and the established art forms on the other. Second, the course investigates the role of photography within the changing cultural paradigms(based on theoretical insights from, among others, Walter Benjamin and Roland Barthes). Finally, the course familiarizes the students with various uses of the photographic apparatus such as documentary, scientific and vernacular photography. The emphasis is on the role of non-artistic photography within modern and contemporary art. Throughout the lectures, the aim is to bring to light the ever-changing position of photography within the artistic field.
Compulsory study material consists of PowerPoint presentations with slides and the comments on the contents of the slides which are given during the classes. De reader includes scientific articles, book chapters as well as other supplementary study material.
Attendance is strongly recommended due to the numerous film and video fragments shown during classes, as well as the opportunity for discussion at the end of each lecture.
In order to take this class, compulsory additional costs will be charged next to the invoice sent to you as a student by the Student Administration Centre: for excursion or exhibition visit a minimum contribution of € 5 and a maximum contribution of € 20 will be required. The costs are borne by the student and can neither be passed on to fellow students nor recovered from the lecturer or faculty. The amounts stated are approximately correct. If you experience payment difficulties as a result of these additional costs, you can contact Student Social Services via sociale.dienst.studenten@vub.ac.be or + 32 2 629 23 15. More information can also be found on https://my.vub.ac.be/en/social-services.
1. The student can explain the key ideas and debates in photography and the new media from a historical perspective.
2. The student can analyze and interpret the historical and contemporary relationships between photography, new media, art institutions and society.
3. The student is able to apply the basic terminology and tools in order to analyze photographic and photo-filmic material.
4. The student has a critical attitude towards various methodological approaches within the study of photography and new media, so that he/she is able to describe, interpret and situate photographic images within a cultural and historical context.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 70% of the final mark.
SELF Paper determines 30% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The final grade is based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 70% of the final mark.
SELF Paper determines 30% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Oral Examination which comprises 70% of the final mark.
Note: There are two main questions (students draw a question) and, if relevant, a few follow-up questions based on the reader, including commentary on visual material shown during the lectures. Question 1: A broad question on one of the chapters from the lecture/reader, with a number of follow-up questions (comparison to other movements, photographs, historic context), by which the student must demonstrate that he or she can differentiate between main and secondary issues, indicate the characteristics of a particular genre/movement/period using examples and place them within the broader social-historical context. Question 2: A specific question about a photographer or work/photo series from the lecture/reader. A comparison between two photographers/photo series is also possible. The student must be able to analyse a number of concrete images and indicate similarities or differences between specific examples. The student is given 10 minutes to prepare in writing.
Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Note: The student must complete the following assignments: a) Essay (30% of total final mark) and b) Clarification (paper): every student writes a review or essay (1,000 words) about a recent photo exhibition.
If the student does not participate in one or more assignments, the final mark for the course will be an absence mark. The student must obtain a partial mark of at least 8/20 for each assignment to pass. Partial grades can be transferred to a later examination period within the same academic year.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Adult Education: Profile Social Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Profile Cultural Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Initial track (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Art Studies and Archaeology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Art Studies and Archaeology: Profile Profile Art Studies and Archaeology (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Arts in Art Studies and Archaeology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Preparatory Programme Master of Arts in Art Studies and Archaeology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)