Visual Anthropology

Catalog description

Deals with the aspects of visuality in culture and anthropology. A significant part of the course will be devoted to visual anthropology. We will learn about the development of visual anthropology as a discipline, the particular problems and challenges involved in practicing this type of ethnography, the evolution of ideas about accountability, representation, reflexivity and positioning in visual ethnographic methods. We will start with exploring the role of image in anthropology by considering the relationship between photography and ethnography, and continue to study ethnographic filmmaking, from Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North," (considered to be the first ethnographic documentary), to the development of Cinema Verite, to the emergence of indigenous media. Students will gain a nuanced understanding of the subject through weekly writing exercises, presentations, and in-class discussion. For a final project, students will write a long-form paper that will combine original research and visual analysis.