ARTH 267 Aspects of the History of Photography

• Tuesdays, 8:45-11:30 am
• Instructor: Dr. Julia Skelly

This is a survey course that will examine photography from its invention in the early nineteenth century to the present day, approaching photographs through the analytical framework of ethics. Case studies will include mugshots, ethnographic photographs, and war photography, as well as twentieth-century photojournalists’ representations of famine victims, drug users, and survivors of intimate violence. We will discuss contemporary artists who employ photography to depict or index the aftermath of violence, for example, American photographer and activist Nan Goldin and Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, whose work is often concerned with drug violence and femicide. Issues including spectatorship, race, gender, trauma, and scholarly ethical responsibility will be addressed.