Module HIST20R1: Photographic Histories

Department: History

HIST20R1: Photographic Histories

Prerequisites

• A pass mark in at least ONE level 1 module in History

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To help students understand the development of photography in the 19th century and its global impact, up to ca. 1950
• To consider different approaches to the study of photographic history and the implications of photography for historical research
• To develop research skills for studying photography and using photographic archives

Content

• The module examines the history of photography from its emergence in the 1830s to the mid-20th century, using a variety of case studies and scholarly approaches. Possible themes we will cover (these are regularly updated) include photographic technology; photography and print media; photographic archives; and the use of photography in anthropology, archaeology, medicine, science, policing and the military, tourism and travel, race and gender, and family, self, and social identities.

Learning Outcomes

• To acquire a knowledge of changing photographic technology from ca. 1840 to 1950
• To appreciate the impact of photography in a range of social practices and fields of knowledge
• To explain the place of photography within the 19th/early 20th-century visual environment, and the emergence of new institutions, businesses, technologies, and ways of seeing that went with it
• To understand different scholarly approaches to the history of photography.

• To develop skills to interrogate photographs as historical sources and make effective use of photographic archives
• To synthesize some of the debates in photographic studies, especially in relation to historical theory and method;
• To link developments in photography to interrelated developments in visual media and technologies.
• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/ModuleProformaMap/

• To acquire the confidence to undertake research involving photography
• To develop appropriate skills of analysis and interpretation for photographic sources, as well as images in other media based on photography
• To evaluate the implications of different methodologies for studying photography
• To interrogate the links between photography and historiography
• Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of the following teaching methods:
• lectures to set the foundations for further study and to provide the basis for the acquisition of subject specific knowledge. Lectures provide a broad framework which defines individual module content, introducing students to themes, debates and interpretations. In this environment, students are given the opportunity to develop skills in listening, selective note-taking and reflection
• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students’ ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative work done in preparation for and during seminars, including oral and written work as appropriate to the module. The summative coursework will have a formative element by allowing students to develop ideas and arguments for the examination and to practice writing to similar word limits.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University