University of the West of England

MODULE SPECIFICATION

(Revised October 2005)

Code: UACPAU-30-2 Title: PhotoMedia: Version: 3

Level: 2 UWE credit rating: 30 ECTS credit rating: 15

Module type: Project

Owning Faculty: FCA Field: Culture and Media Studies Field Leader: J Arthurs

Valid from: September 2003 Discontinued from:

Contributes towards: Awards up to BA(Hons)

Pre-requisites: UACPAD-30-1 - Introduction to Digital Media

Co-requisites: None

Excluded combinations: None

Learning outcomes:

By the end of the module students who have participated fully should normally be able to demonstrate:

• the ability to realise ideas and a competant technical grasp of photography and digital image manipulation (assessed through all elements of assessment);

• the ability to contextualise the work of a number of photographers and digital artists within traditions of visual representation (assessed through all elements of assessment);

• an understanding and articulation of key debates in photography and the digital image (assessed through all elements of assessment);

• an understanding of the nature and role of images in contemporary society (assessed through all elements of assessment);

• the ability to research and produce a portfolio of 10 images and 10 shortpieces of writing using photographic and digital techniques (assessed through all elements of assessment);

Syllabus outline:

This module teaches digital photography, photography theory and image manipulation. It encourages students to develop their own approaches to digital photography through an engagement with existing practices and debates. The module will familiarise students with the work of photographers, artists and activists both contemporary and historical, and teaches skills in photography and photo-manipulation and in reading photographs. Through producing and analysing images students explore questions such as:

1. What is the relationship between the photographic image and the reality/world it represents?

2. What is the cultural and social significance of the potential of photography for mass reproduction?

3. What is image manipulation, in what ways have images been manipulated (since the invention of photography) and what purposes have such manipulations served?

These questions are considered through a practice organised around different genres of photography in relation to current developments in digital image production, manipulation and reproduction, and in contemporary art and media . The acquisition of a technical understanding of the medium is integrated with a conceptual understanding.

Teaching and learning methods:

Teaching will take place in instructor and tutor-led workshops. There is no lecture on this module. Classes will alternate between in-class presentations and work ‘in the field’. Classes are taught in combined workshop/seminars of 3 hours.

Students will use digital cameras and scanners, and computer software Adobe Photo-shop or equivalent (industry-standard) software.

Reading Strategy

Essential reading will be provided electronically or as printed study packs. Students will be encouraged to read widely using the library. They are expected to order books from other campuses, and not to rely solely on internet resources or tutor presentations. Additional resources including links to relevant websites will be available through UWEonline. It is expected that the workbooks and/or written parts of the portfolio demonstrate further reading and research.

During the course of the year, students will be taught to analyse photographs, and in tutorials, assisted to identify and retrieve reading appropriate to their own projects. Recommended further reading and key photographers will be listed in the Module Handbook.

Indicative Reading List:

The following list is offered to provide validation panels/accrediting bodies with an indication of the type and level of information students may be expected to consult. As such, its currency may wane during the life span of the module specification. However, as indicated above, CURRENT advice on readings will be available via other more frequently updated mechanisms.

Barrett, Terry	Criticizing Photographs; An Introduction to Understanding Images, (New York: McGraw Hill, 2000)
Sontag, Susan	On Photography (London : Penguin1979)
Benjamin, W.	'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' in Walter Benjamin, Selected Writings, (Cambrideg, Mass. , London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1999).
Berger, John and Mohr, Jean	Another Way of Telling, (London: Writers and Readers, 1982)
Bolter, J.D. and Grusin, R	'Digital Photography' in Remediation: Understanding New Media, pp. 104-112. (Cambridge, Mass., London: MIT Press, 1999).
Evans, D. and Gohl, S.	'Revolutionary Aesthetics' in Photomontage: A Political Weapon, pp. 32-35. (London: Fraser, 1986).
Wells, Liz	Photography : A Critical Introduction, (Third Edition), (London: Routledge, 2004).
Livingstone, J., Krauss, R. and Ades, D.	L'amour Fou: Photography and Surrealism, (Washington, DC., New York: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Abberville Press, 1985).
Wodiczko, K.	'Public Projection' in Critical Vehicles, pp. 44-48. (Cambridge, Mass. , London: MIT Press, 1999).
Tate Publishing	Cruel and Tender: The Real in the Twentieth Century Photograph, (London: Tate Publishing; 2003)

Assessment

This is a project module with all assessed work under component A. Therefore there is no component B.

ATTEMPT 1

First Assessment Opportunity

Component A

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Portfolio and Workbook 40%

2. Portfolio and Workbook 60%

Second Assessment Opportunity (further attendance at taught classes is not required)

Component A

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Viva Voce 30%

2. Portfolio and Workbook 70%

SECOND (OR SUBSEQUENT) ATTEMPT Attendance at taught classes is required.

Specification confirmed by …………………………………………………Date ……………………………

(Associate Dean/Programme Director)