ANTH 375 - Captured by the Lens: Photography in Anthropology and Archaeology

Examines the role that photography has played in the emergence of anthropology and archaeology as disciplines. Beginning in the 1860s, advances in technology turned the camera into a standard piece of fieldwork equipment, and a range of image genres emerged as cameras were taken on-site and into the field. Part of the course is historical and archival in intention, and examines the emergence of these image genres, asking questions about the nature of the gaze, about forms of representation, and about the relationship between the visual imagination and more empirically imagined knowledge projects. Another part of the course examines contemporary photographic practices and the leaking of anthropological image genres like the ethnographic photograph into popular forms. Students take a case-study approach and look at individual sites, photographers, and bodies of work, alongside a close reading of contemporary theory. Students are encouraged to take their own photographs, and the course concludes with an exhibition of student work.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No First-year
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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