POV4352 Contemporary Photography PracticesBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
POV4352 Contemporary Photography Practices Spring
Fall
2 2 3 5
This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Face to face
Course Coordinator : Instructor ORHAN CEM ÇETİN
Course Lecturer(s): Instructor ORHAN CEM ÇETİN
Recommended Optional Program Components: None
Course Objectives: This course aims at an analysis of the evolution and gradual separation of the concepts of contemporary and modern art over the last four decades. The second aim of the course is to combine contemporary photographic practices with one’s own experiences in photographic applications and to question the relation of the concepts to visual experiences.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1. Identify and describe the concept of contemporary art.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary art applications.
3. Interpret the theoretical background of contemporary photography practices.
4. Compare global and local contemporary art practices.
5. Discuss the probability of conveying social, cultural and personal experiences through the language of contemporary art.
6. Develop the ability to apply their own concepts in the multilayered narrative structures and forms of contemporary art.

Course Content

Works by contemporary photographers, that are usually intertextual, more micro and more identity oriented, will be analyzed in terms of the narratives created within contemporary art practices. Practices of photography which have been evolving in parallel with contemporary arts since the 1970’s will be assessed.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Definition of contemporary art. Its relation to modern art practices. Debates about the notion.
2) Definition and explanation of contemporary photographic practices. Early debates on the subject (dating from 1970's) Photography related modern and postmodern practices. Weekly readings will be assigned.
3) Photography and the agents of contemporary art. I. Basic information of the agents of art: Museums, spectacle, markets. II. Contemporary photography and its practice within the agents of contemporary art. Presentation: Analyze the work of a contemporary artist .
4) Pre-contemporary examples and debates on photography-I: Avant-gardes and their experiments with the medium. Avant-garde narrative style in photography. Assignment I: Mimicking the artistic experiments of avant-gardes.
5) Pre-contemporary examples and debates on photography-II: The social use of photography and questioning identity. Ethnicities and gender in photographic medium. Assignment 2: Creating a narrative with one’s own experiences by the means of the photographic medium.
6) Pre-contemporary examples and debates on Photography-III: Converging media and its relation to artistic experience. Intertextuality in photographic practices. Assignment 3: A visual diary which includes text and photographs.
7) Themes / Identity and the Body - Examples from the works of Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, Nobuyashi Araki etc. and their critiques. Weekly readings will be assigned.
8) Themes / Place- Examples from Andreas Gursky, Hilda and Bernd Becher, Thomas Struth etc. and their critiques. Weekly readings will be assigned.
9) Themes / Time - Examples from Gerard Richter, Hans Peter Feldman etc. Assignment 4
10) Current Issues of Contemporary Photography-I Weekly readings will be assigned.
11) Current Issues of Contemporary Photography-II Assignment 5
12) Contemporary Photography in Turkey. Weekly readings will be assigned.
13) Creating ideas for the final project. Preparation for Final Assignment A
14) Presentations and discussions. Preparation for Final Assignment B

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: 1. Cotton, C. (2009). The photograph as contemporary art. London New York, N.Y: Thames & Hudson.
2. Marien, M. (2006). Photography : a cultural history. London: Laurence King.
References: 1. Costello, D. & Iversen, M. (2010). Photography after conceptual art. Chichester, West Sussex, UK Malden, MA, USA Great Britain: Wiley-Blackwell Association of Art Historians.
2. Smith, T. (2009). What is contemporary art. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
3. Szarkowski, J. (2007). The photographer's eye. New York: Museum of Modern Art.

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Homework Assignments 5 % 50
Presentation 1 % 10
Final 1 % 40
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 40
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours 14 4 56
Study Hours Out of Class 13 3 39
Presentations / Seminar 1 1 1
Homework Assignments 5 6 30
Final 1 1 1
Total Workload 127

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) Knowledge of photographic and video media and ability to use basic, intermediate and advanced techniques of these media. 3
2) Ability to understand, analyze and evaluate theories, concepts and uses of photography and video. 5
3) Ability to employ theoretical knowledge in the areas of the use of photography and video. 5
4) Familiarity with and ability to review the historical literature in theoretical and practical studies in photography and video. 5
5) Ability in problem solving in relation to projects in photography and video. 2
6) Ability to generate innovative responses to particular and novel requirements in photography and video. 3
7) Understanding and appreciation of the roles and potentials of the image across visual culture 5
8) Ability to communicate distinctively by means of photographic and video images. 5
9) Experience of image post-production processes and ability to develop creative outcomes through this knowledge. 2
10) Knowledge of and ability to participate in the processes of production, distribution and use of photography and video in the media. 4
11) Ability to understand, analyze and evaluate global, regional and local problematics in visual culture. 4
12) Knowledge of and ability to make a significant contribution to the goals of public communication. 2
13) Enhancing creativity via interdisciplinary methods to develop skills for realizing projects.
14) Gaining general knowledge about the points of intersection of communication, art and technology.