Our next class (Monday June 16) will focus upon preparations for the final exam.We will continue to explore the theme of desire ('What do Pictures Want?') addressed during the last class, while revisiting the concept of iconoclash. The exam will be designed to test your understanding of these concepts and your critical thoughts on their value. In this respect it is not only important to know what Mitchell is saying to us, but also why he is drawing it to our attention. So too is it important for you to draw your own conclusions on the usefulness of his observations and, in turn, articulate your thoughts.
For the moment, then, I will leave you with a few general questions to consider before we meet:
Why does Mitchell pose the question 'What do Pictures Want?'
(What does he want us to take from this question?)
Are his observations, in response to this question, useful? If so, why? If not... why not?
What does iconoclash mean?
How does the idea of iconoclash fit into the larger theme of the book?
(Does the idea of iconoclash connect with the general theme of 'desire'? If so, why? If not... why not?)
I will be posting a number of key images from the last few lectures later this evening. The final exam will nonetheless leave you to select your own images to include in your response. These can come from the lectures, readings or other sources of your own choosing.
GD
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
ART HIST 2A03 (VIS. LIT): TAKE-HOME TEST
The take-home test question is posted below and I will respond to any enquiries you might have when we next meet on Wednesday May 28. Note that due to the cancellation of tonight's class I will be moving the due date for the take-home test to Wednesday June 4.
School of the Arts
McMaster University
VISUAL LITERACY
ART HIST 2A03 / CMST 2I03, Spring 2014
TAKE-HOME TEST
(Due: Wednesday June 4, in class)
Using full sentences, provide a written
response of no more than five pages (double-spaced). Your written response must
be returned to the instructor, in class, on Wednesday June 4. Electronic versions
will not be accepted. Do not email your response.
QUESTION:
Racist and offensive
imagery is addressed in episode five (season one) of Ricky Gervais’s 2005-2006
HBO series Extras (guest star, Samuel L. Jackson).
With reference to various moments in the episode (shown in class) discuss how this type of
imagery is used make a satirical commentary on the subject of racism and the
power that offensive images seem to have over us.
END
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
ART HIST 2A03 / CMST 2I03: Test Study Images
One of the following images will be selected for the upcoming in-class test. Please refer t these as you review your notes:
.jpg)
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (c. 1503-1506, oil on panel)
Marcel Duchamp, L.H.O.O.Q (1919, postcard and graphite)
Willem Kalf, Still Life with St. Sebastian Archer's Cup, (1653, oil on canvas)
Frere Luc, France Bringing Faith to the Hurons (c. 1670, oil on canvas)
Edouard Manet, Olympia (1863, oil on canvas)
Theodore Gericault, The Raft of the Medusa, (1819, oil on canvas)
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
ART HISTORY 2A03 / CMST 2I03: In-Class Test Info
The in-class test is approaching. The following information is offered to help you prepare.
As noted in lecture the test will be 30 minutes in length. You will be presented with one image of a picture discussed in the lectures and you will need to respond to a question pertaining to that picture. Your response must use full sentences (no point form). The identification (title, date and artist) for the picture will be provided. A list potential test images will be provided on this blog shortly. Here is a sample test question from a previous version of the course:
,_by_Velazquez.jpg)
As noted in lecture the test will be 30 minutes in length. You will be presented with one image of a picture discussed in the lectures and you will need to respond to a question pertaining to that picture. Your response must use full sentences (no point form). The identification (title, date and artist) for the picture will be provided. A list potential test images will be provided on this blog shortly. Here is a sample test question from a previous version of the course:
Image: Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, (oil on canvas, 1656)
Respond to the following question using full
sentences. Point form will not be
accepted.
QUESTION: In his painting titled Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez
presents a picture of the King and Queen of Spain, their daughter (the
Infanta), her maids of honor and entourage, and a self-portrait. The painting
challenges the limits of conventional portraiture by clearly adopting the
format of a metapicture. Briefly define the term (as it is applied here) and
explain how the metapicture shapes our response to the painting.
ART HIST 2A03 / CMST 2I03: Mitchell Book Online
I have received a link for pdf file of the Mitchell book online. While I clearly advocate buying the text (to support the author and publisher for this work) you may wish to look at the pdf while waiting for delivery of copies at the bookstore:
What do Pictures Want?
When the search window opens, select one of the four 'mirror' options on the right-hand side of the highlighted bar to download the file.
GD
What do Pictures Want?
When the search window opens, select one of the four 'mirror' options on the right-hand side of the highlighted bar to download the file.
GD
Monday, May 12, 2014
ART HIST 2A03 (Spring 2014): Readings
I have not yet managed to locate a full and free online Elkins text. However, the following link should provided a free online version of the Elkin's chapter, 'Visual Literacy, or Literary Visualcy?' by W.J.T. Mitchell:
Visual Literacy, or Literary Visualcy?
Note: after clicking on the link be sure to scroll back to the beginning of the text as it loads to the end of the chapter.
GD
Visual Literacy, or Literary Visualcy?
Note: after clicking on the link be sure to scroll back to the beginning of the text as it loads to the end of the chapter.
GD
Monday, May 5, 2014
ART HIST 2A03 / CMST 2I03 Spring 2014: Course Outline
School of the Arts
McMaster University
VISUAL LITERACY
ART HIST 2A03 / CMST
2I03, Spring Term I, 2014
Lectures: Monday & Wednesday 6:00-9:00 pm (DSB B105)
Office hours: Wednesday 5:00-6:00 pm., or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION: What is ‘visual
literacy’ and what does it mean to be visually literate in today’s society?
These questions will be addressed through a series of lectures and open
discussions aimed at increasing student awareness of the impact of visual
images upon our understanding of ‘self’ and the world around us.
The visual material and issues treated in class discussions will be
broad-ranging. Course participants should be aware that discussion topics and
visual material may reach well beyond those conventionally treated in art
history and communications lectures. A survey of the lecture titles below will
indicate the general spectrum of topics to be addressed. Individual lectures
will often focus on ‘case studies’ (eg., Byzantine icons, ‘Dolly’ the Sheep,
etc.), with the intention of drawing group discussions on larger, relevant
issues addressed in the readings and previous class discussions. Students
should thus be prepared to look, read, think critically and speak up!
Please note that there are two course texts to be purchased (listed below).
As the course progresses students will also be asked to consult relevant web
sources. These will also constitute a course requirement.
COURSE TEXTS: The required course texts (available at the bookstore)
are:
W. J. T. Mitchell, What do Pictures Want? The Lives and Loves of
Images, (Chicago, 2004).
James Elkins, ed., Visual Literacy, (London, 2007).
COURSE EVALUATION: The final grade for
this course will derive from three pieces of work. There will be one in-class
test, one take-home test and a final examination. The marking scheme for each
is listed below.
Test: 25% (MAY
21, IN CLASS; 30 minutes)
Take-home test: 35% (DUE JUNE 2,
IN CLASS)
Final exam: 40% (JUNE 18,
IN CLASS: 2 hours)
The requirements for each will be discussed in class. Please be aware
that a guideline for the take-home test, including information on late
penalties and the correct procedures for submission, will be distributed in
class on May 12, 2014.
MODIFICATIONS TO THE COURSE OUTLINE:
The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of
the course during the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines
for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of modification
becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will
be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the
responsibility of the student to check their McMaster email and course websites
weekly during the term and to note any changes.
EMAIL COMMUNICATION:
It is the policy of the Faculty of Humanities that all email
communication sent from students to instructors (including TAs), and from
students to staff, must originate from the student's own McMaster University email account. This policy protects
confidentiality and confirms the identity of the student. Instructors will
delete emails that do not originate from a McMaster email account.
EXTENSIONS OR ACCOMMODATONS:
Extensions or other accommodations will be determined by the instructor
and will only be considered if supported by appropriate documentation. Absences of less than 5 days may be
reported using the McMaster Student Absence Form (MSAF) at www.mcmaster.ca/msaf/ . If you are unable to use the MSAF,
you should document the absence with your faculty office. In all cases, it is YOUR
responsibility to follow up with the instructor immediately to see if an
extension or other accommodation will be granted, and what form it will take.
There are NO automatic extensions or accommodations.
ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
You are expected to exhibit honesty and use ethical behaviour in all
aspects of the learning process. Academic
credentials you earn are rooted in principles of honesty and academic
integrity.
Academic dishonesty is to knowingly act or fail to act in a way that
results or could result in unearned academic credit or advantage. This behaviour can result in serious
consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a
notation on the transcript (notation reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic
dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.
It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic
dishonesty. For information
on the various types of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy,
located at http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity
The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:
1.Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one’s own or for
which other credit has been obtained.
2.Improper collaboration in group work.
3.Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.
AVENUE TO LEARN:
In this course we will be using Avenue
to Learn. Students
should be aware that, when they access the electronic components of this
course, private information such as first and last names, user names for the
McMaster e-mail accounts, and program affiliation may become apparent to all
other students in the same course. The
available information is dependent on the technology used. Continuation in this course will be
deemed consent to this disclosure. If
you have any questions or concerns about such disclosure please discuss this
with the course instructor.
SUPPORT SERVICES:
The University provides a variety of support services to help students
manage their many demands. Reference librarians can provide invaluable research
assistance. The Student Accessibility Services Centre (SAS) provides assistance
with personal as well as academic matters. MUSC B107 and http://sas.mcmaster.ca/
GRADING SCALE: The McMaster grading scale may be consulted at: http://registrar.mcmaster.ca/calendar/2012-13/pg145.html
LECTURE SCHEDULE & READINGS:
All readings are taken from the course texts:
W. J. T. Mitchell, What do Pictures Want? The Lives and Loves of
Images. [MITCH.]
James Elkins, ed., Visual Literacy, [ELK.]
Preface: Why ‘Visual
Literacy’?
May 5 Introductory class
discussion (no readings assigned)
May 7
James Elkins, “Introduction: The Concept of Visual Literacy and Its
Limitations” [ELK.], pp. 1-10.
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Visual Literacy or Literary Visualcy?” [ELK.], pp.
11-13.
A Picture Says a
Thousand Words
May 12
Peter Dallow, “The Visual Complex: Mapping Some Interdisciplinary
Dimensions of Visual Literacy,” [ELK.], pp. 91-104.
Jon Simons, “From Visual Literacy to Image Competence,” [ELK.], pp.
77-90.
Living Images
May 14
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 6. Offending Images,” [MITCH.]
May 19 NO CLASS (VICTORIA DAY)
May 21 TEST
(In class: 30 minutes)
(‘Living Images’ discussion continues after
test: W.J.T.
Mitchell, “Ch. 6. Offending Images,” [MITCH.])
Iconoclasm
May 26, 28
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Preface,” pp. xii-xvii; “Images,” pp. 1-3.; “Vital
Signs: Cloning Terror,” pp. 5-27. [MITCH.]
Narrative and Image
June 2 (TAKE-HOME TEST DUE IN CLASS)
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 13. The Ends of American Photography: Robert Frank
as National Medium,” [MITCH.]
June 4
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 14. “Living Color: Race, Stereotype, and Animation
in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled,” [MITCH.]
Visualizing Desire
June 9
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 2. What Do Pictures Want?,” [MITCH.]
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 3. Drawing Desire,” [MITCH.]
June 11
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 8. Romanticism and the Life of Things,” [MITCH.]
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 9. Totemism, Fetishism, Idolatry,” [MITCH.]
Imagine: Picturing
the Unseen
June 16
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 7. Empire and Objecthood,” [MITCH.]
W.J.T. Mitchell, “Ch. 15. The Work of Art in the Age of Biocybernetic
Reproduction,” [MITCH.]
June 18 FINAL
EXAM (in class: 2 hours)
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