Part II of a two-semester course that will survey major topics in the Histories of Photography. Emphasis will be given to the diverse cultural uses of photography from its invention to the present day. Such uses include: the illustrated press; amateur photography; studio photography; industrial; advertising, and fashion photography; political and social propaganda; educational and documentary photography; and photography as a medium of artistic expression. Much attention will be paid to how photographs construct histories, as well as being constructed by them.

Preference given to Sophomore Photography Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Photography

This course is designed to widen the cinematic perspective to understand theoretical and art-
historical concerns of experimenting with moving images within our creative practice. We will
explore film and video works in Avant-Garde, Surrealism, Dadaism and Magical Realism by
engaging in cinema viewing and film analysis as active engagement with the medium, followed
by workshop exercises where students will work in groups to realize a short scene or a video
poem(2-3min). Through readings around scene construction and deconstruction, we will
investigate the language of moving images that will allow students to gain an understanding of
concepts of mise-en-scène and film analysis with an emphasis on the different elements of
cinema. The course will culminate in a series of screenings of short experiments in videos/video
poems created by students through the workshops.

Elective

This course focuses on the use of photography to emphasize the concept or idea behind the image and the visual aesthetics of the photograph itself. It will provide an overview of recent photographic practices and genres in modern and contemporary contexts. Students will be introduced to various approaches, mediums, and processes. They will use various techniques and approaches to convey their ideas, including text, collage, and other mixed media. Through lectures, discussions, research, studio production, and critique, students will gain the ability to articulate what has motivated their work. The course will involve a combination of shooting, printing, and other techniques, as well as discussions, critiques, research and readings, field trips, etc. By the end of the course, aesthetic and conceptual development will be refined and a substantial body of work will be created to prepare for further study in there are practice. Readings from John Berger, Roland Barthes, Victor Burgin, Hito Steyerl will be discussed during the class.

Elective

How do we consciously approach framing visual narratives? Which kinds of structures give meaning to the media we both create and consume? How can we deconstruct not only these structures but our gaze in order to become more effective audiovisual storytellers? How can we find new creative ways to mediate the world around us?

In this course, we will learn the basics of photojournalism and documentary photography both by analyzing cases and creating and critiquing work. We will begin by closely studying well-known examples of visual storytelling both historical and contemporary. Students will understand various structures employed to create narrative images and then use those structures to make both photographic and video-based work.

Through demo sessions, lectures, and group critiques, students will learn how to approach the creation and also the consumption of visual storytelling both with an artistic and critical perspective. They will learn how to identify stories, make portraits, photograph events, interview people and edit their videos so the result aligns with their communicative and creative goals. Students will also learn post-production workflows with still and moving images.

Elective

The Image & Difference explores the ways in which photography is and has historically be central to the production of a wide array of forms of difference, and to the normalisation of inequities within and between communities and nations. It explores the various social and political uses to which photography (and the moving image more broadly) have been put, as well as an array of creative strategies devised by communities or artists to evade or subvert or refuse these exercises of power. The class operates from an explicitly antagonistic stance against the intersecting violences of white supremacy, heteronormativity, misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, and the many other ideologies that work to devalue minorities, and to reassert a narrowly defined definition of normativity. The class demands a willingness on the part of all its members to confront unpleasant, ethically reprehensible acts, events, objects and images and to speak to and about them openly, and with care.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $25.00

Majors are pre-registered by the department. This course is a requirement for Photography students.

Major Requirement | BFA Photography

What does 'research' mean for contemporary photographers? For artists using photography within their practice? This hands-on studio course investigates and critiques the nature and scope of research and its practical application to current practice, and how research provides a critical context to help develop awareness, extend subject knowledge, and inform the creation of new artistic work. We will learn through current case studies, unpicking what kinds of processes photographers use when making work. We will investigate to what extent individual practices differ and what analogies can be drawn across those practices. We will look at the roles of instinct and serendipity in allowing for other ideas to emerge. You will develop and hone your own research methods through a wide variety of experimental making and writing assignments, and through critique. This course is also a research project in itself, bringing together examples of photographic practice for you to ponder and engage into our own ideas, processes, and projects.

Estimated Materials Cost: $50.00

Open to Junior, Senior and Graduate Students.

Elective

This class serves as an introduction to photographic methods and ideas. Through this, we will be exploring the creative possibilities of both traditional and digital photographic technologies. First and foremost, this course is about creative exploration in photography. Technical skills mean nothing if not paired with imagination, and this course will aim to develop both. Throughout the semester, the instructor will consistently be pushing towards an integration of these new technical skills with the interests and ideas that are important to you as an individual. Using film cameras and complimentary digital tools, students will address the essential technical, conceptual, and artistic problems that have been associated with photography since its birth, as well as some of the new issues that have arisen with the advent of digital imaging. Through a combination of assignments and critiques, in-class exercises, and artists' talks, students will question what they know about the medium and its potential. At a time when photography's popularity and ubiquity has challenged its relevance as a fine art form, this course will explore the photographic image as a powerful and versatile tool for contemporary artistic self-expression.

Elective

Over the past decade, photography books have seen a resurgence within the art world, this time transcending their original use as survey or catalog to become ideal spaces and platforms to experience and disseminate work. Today image-based printed matter functions in a multitude of ways, all of which at their core are driven by the mechanics of sequence and editing. Through class discussions, using RISD's Fleet Library and Special Collections, and individual research - students will form a personal vision of what images mean in the book form. Our focus will be equally on content, concept, production & technique. The semester will culminate in each student having devised, sequenced, edited and produced a fully resolved and realized photography book.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $125.00

Open to Photography Students.

Elective

This is a basic course in the techniques of photographic seeing. Students will be given exercises to develop their ideas concerning the fundamental visual problems of photography. Students will also learn technical aspects of exposure, developing and printing in the darkroom as they explore and respond to the visual qualities of the medium. Students must provide their own 35mm camera with manual controls.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00 - $200.00

Elective

This is a basic course in the techniques of photographic seeing. Students will be given exercises to develop their ideas concerning the fundamental visual problems of photography. Students will also learn technical aspects of exposure, developing and printing in the darkroom as they explore and respond to the visual qualities of the medium. Students must provide their own 35mm camera with manual controls.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00 - $200.00

Open to Sophomore or Junior Non-major Students.

Elective

This is a basic course in the techniques of photographic seeing. Students will be given exercises to develop their ideas concerning the fundamental visual problems of photography. Students will also learn technical aspects of exposure, developing and printing in the darkroom as they explore and respond to the visual qualities of the medium. Students must provide their own 35mm camera with manual controls.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00 - $200.00

Elective

This is a basic course in the techniques of photographic seeing. Students will be given exercises to develop their ideas concerning the fundamental visual problems of photography. Students will also learn technical aspects of exposure, developing and printing in the darkroom as they explore and respond to the visual qualities of the medium. Students must provide their own 35mm camera with manual controls.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00 - $200.00

Open to Sophomore or Junior Non-major Students.

Elective

This is a basic course in the techniques of photographic seeing. Students will be given exercises to develop their ideas concerning the fundamental visual problems of photography. Students will also learn technical aspects of exposure, developing and printing in the darkroom as they explore and respond to the visual qualities of the medium. Students must provide their own 35mm camera with manual controls.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00 - $200.00

Elective