This course is an introduction to the key issues of the field of visual culture, looking at the social role of images & visuality (the structures & power relations of looking, being seen & unseen, & vision in society). It introduces students to some of the foundational aspects of visual culture theory & concepts, in contemporary culture, with particular attention to the US context in relation to the global. This course will introduce some of central themes of visual culture, looking at the history of modern forms of visuality & the history of visual technologies, concepts of spectacle & scale, museums & image collections, image icons, taboo images, & the relationship of images to memory. We will examine how images circulate through digital media, remakes, & viral networks, & the cross-fertilization of images between various social arenas, such as art, advertising, popular culture, comic books, news, science, entertainment media, video games, theme parks, architecture, & design.

Media, Culture & Communication (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks