ARTS 281 Photography: Self As Subject
A studio course about the use of the self in photography. Students will produce new photo-based projects which may include self portraits (What counts as a portrait? What constitutes the self?) as well as loose or alternative interpretations of the theme, such as work that explores the self through family history. The special focus on the notion of "self" offers a way to engage not only with individual "self-representation," but also with the ways a "self" might emerge from, and shape, other modes of identity: family, community, nation, transcultural. Thus, the course is not only a fine arts course, but also a course that expressly engages with issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as explored through the experiences, histories, and contemporary lives of students, faculty and the larger communities that an individual may imagine themselves to be a part of. Discussion topics will include gesture and expression, the gaze, beauty, identity, narcissism (actual and perceived), memory and time, and self portrait methodology. Lectures will offer an overview of the history of self-portraiture in photography, from the medium’s early days though contemporary social media.
Core Requirements Met
- United States Diversity
- Fine Arts