Intro to Visual Culture: Lec

PLVS 2500 | Fall 2011 | Faculty: Margot Bouman

Visual images pervade our everyday experiences in an increasingly technological and communications based culture. From newspapers to the Web, from the sciences to the humanities, to advertisements and movies, we encounter visual images in every area of our lives. Visual Studies is an exciting new area of study that looks at this range of art, media, and visual images, rather than focusing on fine art alone. The course will familiarize students with the key terms and debates, as well as introduce techniques used to analyze visual images from art and photography, to television and electronic media, using a variety of overlapping analytic frameworks. We will draw upon new approaches in art history, media studies, gender studies, literary and social theory, and discuss their cultural, political, and aesthetic implications. Pathway: Visual Studies