Visual Culture Studies (2025/2026: Semester 2 – Spring)

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Cursusdoel

Course Aim

After completing this course students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate knowledge on key topics and key theories pertaining to visual culture (e.g. photography, films, music videos, advertising, etc.).
  2. Develop a sophisticated understanding of Visual Culture Studies as a transdisciplinary field of inquiry synthesizing perspectives and approaches from various academic fields.
  3. Apply a transdisciplinary framework of concepts, theories and methods when analyzing specific case studies.
  4. Use creative practice (scholarly video essay, visual ethnography) as a research method.

Relationship between assessment and learning goals

1: Visual anthropology assignment: 2, 4.
2: In-class exam: Visual analysis: 1, 2, 3.
3: Video essay: 2, 3,4.
4: Academic research paper: 1, 2, 3.
5. Attendance, preparation and participation: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Vakinhoudelijk

Course Content
From billboards to tiktok clips, from photojournalism to cinema, from street art to music videos – it has become a commonplace to state that spaces without images have become scarcer in the past few decades and that our daiy lives have become exceedingly ocularcentric. At the same time, we often consume these images habitually and perhaps even without interrogating them.

Visual culture can be entertaining and afford us pleasure, impact who we are or who we aspire to be. It also mediates and regulates power relations and determines who is visible and who or what remains unseen.
Visual Culture Studies is a fairly new trans- and interdisciplinary field of inquiry bringing together methodologies and theories from cultural studies, media studies, social-cultural anthropology, art history and museum studies, philosophy, decolonial studies, race and gender studies and other relevant approaches.

In this course, we will develop a transdisciplinary theoretical framework and methodological toolbox to guide us in critically reflecting on our ‘ways of seeing’ (John Berger).
Our analytical inquiry will tackle questions about the politics of images and image-making (e.g. topics such as visual representation of class, race and gender; conditions for production and circulation of image-making; or decolonial film cooperatives). Additionally, we will also learn how to use creative practice (photography for the visual anthroplogy assignment; and moving images for the video essay assignment) for research.

Course teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2sOFilBxGc


Format
Most classes will be held seminar-style at times accompanied by lectures. In preparation for each class, students will read the assigned texts or watch a film. In some weeks, they will also be prompted to do an exercise (e.g. prepare reading notes or a creative self-portrait, visit an exhibition, analyse a video, etc. ).
There will be ample opportunity to reflect on current debates and practice the application of theories and methods to case studies. Therefore, active participation in class is expected.

Werkvormen

UCU HUM 2 course

Toetsing

Attendance, preparation and participation

Verplicht | Weging 15% | ECTS 1,13

Video essay

Verplicht | Weging 20% | ECTS 1,5

Visual anthropology assignment

Verplicht | Weging 20% | ECTS 1,5

Academic research paper

Verplicht | Weging 30% | ECTS 2,25

*midterm FEEDBACK*

Niet verplicht

In-class exam: Visual analysis

Verplicht | Weging 15% | ECTS 1,13

Ingangseisen en voorkennis

Ingangseisen

Er moet voldaan zijn aan minimaal één van de cursussen:

Voorkennis

Er is geen informatie over benodigde voorkennis bekend.

Voertalen

  • Engels

Competenties

  • Academisch schrijven
  • Debatteren / discoursanalyse
  • Internationale en interculturele oriëntatie
  • Interdisciplinariteit
  • Kritisch lezen
  • Leren In Community’s
  • Onderzoeksvaardigheden
  • Presenteren
  • Samenwerken

Cursusmomenten

Gerelateerde studies

Tentamens

Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus

Verplicht materiaal

  • READER
    Reader

Aanbevolen materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de aanbevolen literatuur bekend

Coördinator

N. Köll MA N.Koll@uu.nl

Docenten

N. Köll MA N.Koll@uu.nl

Inschrijving

Let op: deze cursus is niet toegankelijk voor studenten van andere faculteiten, bijvakkers mogen zich dus niet inschrijven.

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