27835 - Theory and Practice of Photography (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will possess a thorough, monographic, knowledge, of few specific theoretical and poetical issues concerning the role of photography in the development of contemporary art. From a professional point of view, students will thus possess the necessary skills to properly approach, with the correct awareness, the diverse opportunities offered by the professional market in relation to conservation, curation and exhibition of photographic material.

Course contents

The exam of History of Contemporary Art A consists of two courses: Theories and Practices of Photography (Prof. C. Marra) and Forms and Functions of Contemporary Art (Prof. R. Pinto).

The course contents releated with Theories and Practices of Photography will deal with short monographic articulations, some fundamental links between the historical relationship between photography and visual arts. From the dialectical representation/presentation, to the question of authors, from the various forms of language that emerged between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to relations with other arts, to the problems of discipline historiography. In addition to the lectures held by the teacher, this course requires active participation of students (see entry: Texts for attending students)

Readings/Bibliography

Syllabus for Non-attending Students

A) Students who have not taken the exam of History of Photography at the University of Bologna in the three-year degree:

1) C. Marra, Fotografia e pittura nel Novecento (e oltre), Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2012.

2) C. Marra, Fotografia e arti visive, Roma, Carocci, 2014.

B) Students who, during their three-year undergraduate degree, took the Examination of History of Photography at the University of Bologna:

1) C. Marra, Fotografia e arti visive, Roma, Carocci, 2014.

2) WARNING: the exam for these students will still contain 4 questions related to the text:

C. Marra, Fotografia e pittura nel Novecento (e oltre), Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2012.

3) Design and creation of a catalogue on the following theme: Photography, Body, Performance. The catalogue can be developed around a single author (as if it was a personal show) or multiple authors (as if it was a collective exhibition). The project is completely free in the choices of development and organization

The catalog requested (point 3 for both choises A and B) must however contain the following information:

A) Title

B) Critical text (maximum 4000 characters including spaces). The text should include within it a minimum of two citations, with notes, from books.

C) Images (with reference caption)

Shape, size and layout of the catalogue are free. It is not important to exceed in the number of pages or even the format. It is preferable to submit a small but accurate work both in the layout and in the overall graphic aspect. It will be assessed directly during the exam (the project shall not be submitted before the exam), the originality of the project, the contents of the critical text, the graphic aspect, and the overall executive care will be considered.

The catalogue will be marked as follows: 0 sufficient, 1 good, 2 excellent.

 

Syllabus for attending Students

For the attending students, it applies the same syllabus (texts) and the same distinctions (Exam of History of Photography supported by the DAMS of the University of Bologna) as for non-attending students. However, the lecture program will have a special development. In addition to the traditional lectures on the recommended texts, enriched with a specific bibliography, there will be small thematic seminars and activities involving direct and active participation of students with a useful evaluation for the exam. In practice, by actively participating in these activities, students may get additional 'points' that will contribute to the final mark.

Attending students will be marked as follows: result of the written test + evaluation of the catalogue (for those who are required to do it) + evaluation of the quality of the participation in the lectures attested by the 'score' acquired.

Teaching methods

Due to the restrictions imposed by the current health emergency, this teaching activity will be carried out in the following manner:

Traditional method: the teacher will always be present personally in the indicated classroom during this teaching activity. The students will alternate their presence, according to a schedule of shifts being defined (more detailed information regarding the shifts and about the modalities to get access to the classroom lessons will be provided soon). It will always be possible to connect remotely and to follow live lessons via the online platform TEAMS.

Assessment methods

Contemporary Art History A is an integrated exam of 12 CFU (6 CFU+6 CFU) and the verification and evaluation of the preparation follow the procedures laid down for an integrated exam, i.e. they must be taken in the same session and students must then register simultaneously for both exams.

The examination releated with Theories and Practices of Photography will be in a written form using a multiple-choice computerized test (each question will contain 4 answers already given, among which students shall choose the right one). The test consists of 20 questions. Each correct answer corresponds to 1.5 points. There is no penalty for wrong answers. The time available for the test is 40 minutes. The result will be given immediately after the end of the test. The test consists of historical questions on the main events of the subject of the test texts (e.g. 'In which year was x movement founded?'). There may be, moreover, various questions of 'understanding the text,' which are, for example, excerpts from the test texts, of which students are asked for the meaning (e.g.: 'Which statement can be correctly derived from the following song?'). Significant space will be also given to declarations of poetics and critical reflections in the texts for which students are required to recognize the author (e.g. 'Who is the author of the following statement?').

As outlined above, beyond the result of the test, the final grade will be determined by other scores obtained by students (evaluation of the catalog for students who have already taken the Examination of the History of Photography at the ' University of Bologna and evaluation of 'points' acquired by attending students)

Teaching tools

Power Point with projection of images and texts

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Marra