Visual Culture

The syllabus includes a selection of texts that will provide students with an introduction to traditions of knowledge and understanding relating mainly to modern and contemporary issues within the humanities.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have:
- advanced insight into selected works from across the field of visual culture
– advanced knowledge of scholarly literature characteristic of visual culture studies, chiefly derived from a humanist hermeneutic tradition
– advance knowledge of key questions arising from the historical, theoretical and analytical study of visual culture
– understanding of key terms and insight into the main approaches to the study of visual culture
– an overview of the main disciplines which have contribute to the development of visual culture as a field of study and in-depth knowledge of certain contributions.

The students will be able to
– outline the history, development and distribution of visual culture
– identify and analyse key characteristics of different visual cultures
– formulate and critically discuss research questions relevant to the field of visual culture studies
– write a longer text which independently and coherently either discusses a theoretical topic within visual culture studies or analyses a specific visual-cultural phenomenon using theoretical and methodological skills acquired as part of the course

Lectures and seminars.

Course requirements:
An analysis of a syllabus-related question must be presented orally at a seminar. In order to receive final course assessment the seminar presentation must be approved.

More on assessment:
The method of assessment will be a 6 days take-home examination. Students are required to respond to the exam questions in a written paper of 6 000 - 8 000 words (10-15 pages).

Students are required to inform themselves of the results via It's Learning.

Students are required to stay updated on relevant messages from the department or the course teacher via It's learning and Innsida.

This course is taught in Norwegian only.