Expected learning outcomes

The course will give the students knowledge of the general history of photography, a history of photographic reproduction technology, and the role of photography in modern graphic design. The course also has a hermeneutic approach where the students have to make themselves acquainted with critical theory that questions the properties of the published / mass produced photograph as a communicative medium. The course is also about practical and instrumental pictorial communication for designers.

Topic(s)

National and international history of photography
The history of the technology of photography
The history of reproduction techniques as applied to photography
The mass-produced picture
Photomontage and the "typo-photo" of the inter-war period, and their significance for the development of modern graphic design
Photography as a communicative and rhetorical medium
The status of photography as a medium for representation
The status and potential of the photograph in the "digital era"
Practical and instrumental pictorial communication

Teaching Methods

Lectures

Teaching Methods (additional text)

Writing of two essays with formative-iterative assessment.

Form(s) of Assessment

Essay
Written exam, 3 hours

Form(s) of Assessment (additional text)

Essay (counts 60%)
Written Exam, 3 hours (counts 40%)
Summative assessment of two essays after end of the semester.

Grading Scale

Alphabetical Scale, A(best) – F (fail)

Coursework Requirements

None

Teaching Materials

• Bo Bergström (2000). Bild & budskap: ett triangeldrama om bildkommunikasjon . Stockholm: Carlsson Bokförlag
• Erlandsen, Roger (2000). Pas nu paa! Nu tar jeg fra hullet!: Om fotografiens første hundre år i Norge: 1839—1940 . Våle: Forlaget Inter-View
• Wells, Liz (ed.) (2004). Photography: a critical introduction . Third ed. London: Routledge
• Plus additional material