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Course Textbook
Course Description
This course will provide a selective overview of the cultural history of photography,
concentrating primarily on developments in Europe and the United States. We will begin
by considering the cultural and social context within which photography came to function
during the mid-nineteenth century, focusing on traditions of realism in the fine arts and the
sciences as well as the proliferation of early photo-based technologies as a form of
entertainment and urban spectacle (stereoscopes, kinetoscope parlors, lantern slide
lectures, etc.). In the second section of the class we will examine the relationship that was
established between power and observation in the deployment of photography in military
technology and systems of criminal identification. Next, we will discuss early attempts to
establish photography as a legitimate art form (in Pictorialism and the Photo Secession),
and their complex relationship to the role of the photographic image within advertising and
consumer culture. In the fourth section of the class we will examine the shift from
Pictorialist definitions of art photography to the Neue Sachlichkeit and Constructivist
movements within the European avant-garde of the 1920s and '30s. In the final section of
the class we will discuss the critical and institutional validation of modernist art
photography in the U.S. during the post-WWII period, and its relationship to the
subsequent emergence of "postmodern" art photography during the 1980s. In addition to
the readings drawn from the course textbook (A World History of Photography) I’ve
placed several articles on the course Canvas site (https://canvas.ucsd.edu/) to provide
additional background on specific topics. I’ve also placed a copy of the course syllabus on
this site. Grading will be based on two in-class exams (which each include take-home
essays). Regular attendance is very important; we have a short period of time to cover a
great deal of material. Most of the material covered in the midterm and final exams will be
presented in our lectures, so please refrain from texting and surfing the internet during
class. Further details on grading policies are contained below.
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The Museum of Photographic Arts
Please take advantage of the Museum of Photographic Arts, located in Balboa Park (in
the Casa de Balboa Building), where you can see original prints by many of the
photographers we’ll be discussing in class. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday 10AM-5PM.
MoPA currently has a “pay what you wish” admissions policy. For more information see
the MoPA web site: http://www.mopa.org/. This fall they have a survey exhibition titled
The Stories they Tell: A Hundred Years of Photography (Oct. 12, 2019-Feb. 17, 2020).
It will be assumed by the instructor that all material presented in your take-home and in-
class essays without citation or attribution is your own work. Do not cut and paste texts
from the internet (or any other source) into the body of your essays without
attribution and the use of quotation marks. This is plagiarism and it violates the UCSD
Student Code of Conduct (section 22.21.12.13): “No student shall plagiarize or copy the
work of another person and submit it as his or her own work.” Any student who submits
plagiarized material in his or her take-home or in-class essays will be subject to
disciplinary action by the Dean of Student Affairs. It is advisable to not use lengthy
passages of writing taken from other sources in your take-home essay answers, even if
you do cite sources. Do not submit answers to take-home essay questions that are based
on writing produced for other courses. Any incidents of cheating will be referred to your
college and subject to disciplinary action. If you have any questions about the grading of
your exam you need to notify the instructor within two weeks of receiving the graded
exam. In the case of obvious mathematical mistakes in the grade calculation you can
notify me in person, with a copy of the exam. For other questions you need to submit a
written explanation and schedule a consultation. Re-grade requests, submitted in
writing, must be initiated within two weeks of the exam being returned to the
student. Do not wait until the end of the term to present questions or disagreements with
the grading of your midterm exam. These requests will not be honored.
In order to receive an "A" in this class you must not only complete the final and
midterm exams (and take-home essays) in a timely and highly competent manner; you
must also produce work that demonstrates additional initiative on your part (e.g., outside
reading and research). However, take-home essays should not be composed primarily of
material quoted from other sources. To earn an “A” for an essay question it must be
extensive and detailed and demonstrate your ability to identify new connections
among the ideas presented in class. Your grade will be based on a midterm (Thursday,
October 31) and final exam (Wednesday, December 11). Each exam also includes a
take-home essay. The midterm take-home essay will be due in class one week after the
midterm itself (November 7) and the final exam take-home essay question will be e-
mailed to you during week nine (with your answers due on the last day of class,
Thursday, December 5). Late take-home essays will be marked down one letter
grade per-day. The exams consist of slide identification (name of photographer, title of
work, date) and short, in-class essay questions. The essay questions are based primarily
on material presented in course lectures. In lectures be especially attentive to those
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concepts that are presented as a series of key points or characteristics (e.g., "three
characteristics of realism") as well as illustrations that involve "compare and contrast”
relationships. Given the significant differences in available time the final exam will be
longer than the mid-term. Your final grade will be based on the calculations listed below
TOTAL 420
A 393-420
A- 378-392
B+ 364-377
B 350-363
B- 336-349
C+ 322-335
C 308-321
C- 294-307 (C- and below is failing for Vis Arts majors & minors)
D+ 280-293
D 266-279
D- 252-265
F 251 and below
The dates and times for the final and midterm exams listed on the syllabus are
fixed. They are also available on the UCSD Triton Link web site. Make any travel
plans accordingly. Travel plans (for vacations, family gatherings, study abroad
trips, etc.) are not valid excuses for missing an exam or a class and no make-up
exams will be scheduled to accommodate these. In a class of this size it is very
difficult to schedule make-up exams. The only acceptable excuses are medical or family
emergencies (verified with a written explanation from your parents or doctor) or conflicts
with religious observance (outlined below). It should be impossible for you to register for
another class that has a directly overlapping final exam time. In the unlikely event that this
occurs you must submit documentation to the instructor no later than the third week of the
term.
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It is the policy of the University to make reasonable efforts to accommodate
students having bona fide religious conflicts with scheduled examinations by providing
alternative times or methods to take such examinations. If a student anticipates that a
scheduled class meeting or examination will occur at a time at which his or her religious
beliefs prohibit participation in the class or examination, the student must submit to the
instructor, no later than the end of the second week of instruction of the quarter, a
statement describing the nature of the religious conflict and specifying the days and times
of conflict together with documentation of the religious proscription and of the student's
adherence to this religious belief. If a conflict with the student's religious beliefs does
exist, the instructor will attempt to provide an alternative, equitable procedure which does
not create an undue hardship for the instructor.
Important Tips
• In order to prepare for the exam essay questions it is advisable to compile a list of
possible or anticipated questions (based on your lecture notes and readings) to use as a
study aid. You may also want to draft a set of 2-3 paragraph practice answers to these
questions ahead of time. For some students the most time-consuming part of the exam
involves the process of trying to articulate responses to the essay questions in written
form. This is especially true with the midterm, when your time is relatively limited. Your
answers should provide a coherent, structured response to the question. They
should consist of legible, complete sentences, rather than simple statements, lists
or sentence fragments. You are strongly encouraged to provide specific examples
(movements, works, photographers, etc.) to illustrate given points. It has also
proven useful for students to form study groups in order to compare notes.
• Take very complete notes! Do not assume that you can simply remember what was
discussed in the lectures. If you have difficulty taking notes you can make an appointment
for tutoring at the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Service (“Oasis,” see link
below). The instructor will not provide you with lecture notes if you miss a class. If you
miss a lecture it’s your responsibility to find a fellow student willing to share their notes
with you.
Canvas Access
The Canvas site ((https://canvas.ucsd.edu/) includes a copy of the course syllabus along
with the images that you’ll need to prepare for the midterm and final exams and additional
readings (as listed on the syllabus). All registered students are added to Canvas (to allow
you to access this material) the first day of classes. Requests made less than one week
prior to the start of the quarter may be delayed. Concurrent enrollment (Extension)
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students are not added automatically. Extension students should obtain a registration
token from Extension's Student Services or the ACMS Help Desk and register for an
account. More information is at: http://sdacs.ucsd.edu/~icc/ce.php
Campus Resources
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Internet History of Photography Resources
Devices of Wonder
An exhibition of pre-photographic technologies at the Getty Museum
• http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/devices/html
Eadweard Muybridge
• http://americanhistory.si.edu/muybridge/
• http://www.muybridge.org/
Etienne-Jules Marey
• http://americanhistory.si.edu/muybridge/htm/htm_sec1/sec1p3.htm
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Alfred Stieglitz
• http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/stgp/hd_stgp.htm
• http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/5664
Bauhaus Archive
• http://www.bauhaus.de/en/
John Heartfield
• http://www.johnheartfield.com/John-Heartfield-Exhibition/
Aleksandr Rodchenko
• http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1998/rodchenko/
Robert Frank
• http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/features/robert-frank.html
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Class Schedule
Week 0
Thursday, September 26
Introduction to class
Week 1
Tuesday, October 1
Photographic Syntax
Readings
• WHP, “The Early Years: Technology, Vision, Users” (pp.14-37)
• WHP, “A Short Technical History: Part 1” (pp.192-199)
Thursday, October 3
Realism in Science and Art
Readings
• Linda Nochlin, "The Nature of Realism,” in Realism (Penguin Books, 1977) (Canvas)
Week 2
Tuesday, October 8
Photography and the Metropolis, Part I
Readings
• WHP, “A Plenitude of Portraits 1839-1890” (pp.38-93)
Thursday, October 10
Photography and the Metropolis, Part II
Readings
• David Nasaw, "Talking and Singing Machines, Parlors and Peep Shows,” in Going Out:
The Rise and Fall of Public Amusements (Basic Books, 1993) (Canvas)
Week 3
Tuesday, October 15
Criminality and Conquest
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Readings
• WHP, “Documentation: Landscape and Architecture” (pp.94-153)
• WHP, “Documentation: Objects and Events” (pp.154-191)
Thursday, October 17
War and Industrialization, Part I
Readings
• WHP, “New Technology, New Vision, New Users, 1875-1925” (pp.244-279)
Week 4
Tuesday, October 22
War and Industrialization, Part II
Readings
• Paul Virilio, "A Travelling Shot over Eighty Years" and “Cinema isn’t I See, It’s I Fly” in
War and Cinema: The Logistics of Perception (Verso, 1989) (Canvas)
Thursday, October 24
Pictorialism
Readings
• WHP, “Photography and Art: The First Phase: 1839-1890” (pp.208-243)
Week 5
Tuesday, October 29
Photography and Painting
Readings
• WHP, “Art and Photography: Another Aspect: 1890-1920” (pp.296-339)
Thursday, October 31
MIDTERM EXAM
Week 6
Tuesday, November 5
Stieglitz and the Photo-Secession
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5. Formalism and the Avant Garde
Thursday, November 7
Violence & Defamiliarization
Midterm Take Home Essay due today
Readings
• WHP, “Art, Photography and Modernism 1920-1945” (pp.392-441)
Week 7
Tuesday, November 12
Montage, Part I
• David Evans, "John Heartfield," in John Heartfield: AIZ 1930-1938 (Kent Fine Art, 1992)
(Canvas)
Thursday, November 14
Montage, Part II
Readings
• Abigail Solomon-Godeau, "The Armed Vision Disarmed: Radical Formalism from
Weapon to Style," in Photography at the Dock: Essays on Photographic History,
Institutions and Practices (University of Minnesota Press, 1994) (Canvas)
Week 8
Tuesday, November 19
F-64 and the American Landscape
Thursday, November 21
Robert Frank and the Family of Man
Readings
• WHP, “Photography Since 1950: The Straight Image” (pp.516-569)
Week 9
Tuesday, November 26
Photography and Pop Art
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Readings:
• Frederic Jameson, “The Deconstruction of Expression,” in Postmodernism, or, The
Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, (1992), pp.58-62. (Canvas)
Thursday, November 28
THANKSGIVING: NO CLASS
Week 10
Tuesday, December 3
Photographic Postmodernism
Readings:
• Douglas Crimp, “The Photographic Activity of Postmodernism,” October, vol. 15 (Winter
1980)
www.academia.edu/5728395/The_Photographic_Activity_of_Postmodernism
Thursday, December 5
Photography and Politics
Final Take Home Essay due today
Readings
• Grant Kester, “Towards a New Social Documentary” Afterimage (March 1987)
www.academia.edu/5329664/Toward_a_New_Social_Documentary_Part_1_1987_
www.academia.edu/5329670/Toward_a_New_Social_Documentary_Part_2_1987_
Wednesday, December 11
FINAL EXAM: 11:30AM-2:30PM
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VIS 158
Histories of Photography
Fall 2019
1. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, View from the Window at Le Gras (c. 1826-27)
10. William Mumler, Mary Todd with the Spirit of her Husband, Pres. Lincoln (1870)
20. William Mortensen, Self Portrait in the Guise of the Mad Hatter (1928)
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Final Exam Images
5. John Heartfield, Adolf the Superman: He Eats Gold and Spews Idiocies (1932)
9. Ansel Adams, Monolith, The Face of Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, California (c.1927)
20. Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled (Woman and Daughter with Makeup) (1990)
* You are responsible for all of the images listed for each exam, regardless of whether we
have discussed them in class by the actual exam date.
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