Course information

This module introduces and examines key writings and debates in the history of photographic criticism from the 1830s to the present day. Our aim is to investigate the historical and methodological questions raised by critical approaches to photography and to provide a good grounding in the major issues and debates in the history of the medium. Among other themes, we will examine the social meanings of photography, the contested nature of its critical terms, its institutional status and curatorial practices, and the relevance of photography for debates on modern subjectivity and identity politics. In this module the issue of interpretation is a priority, whether of primary materials or recent scholarship, of historical photographs or related textual archives. This module has been designed to provide MLitt students in their first semester with a solid grounding in the key issues and debates in the history of photography and visual culture methodologies.