Course content

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-instrumental pictorial communication

Learning outcome

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.

The student will through process-oriented essay writing based on formative evaluation in an incremental manner have improved:

• his/her analytical skills
• his/her ability for critical reflection
• his/her writing skills
• his/her ability to locate, gather and synthesise information
• his/her ability to critically assess sources and literature
• his/her ability to cite and reference sources and literature appropriately
• his/her skills in editorial handling of text.

Learning methods and activities

• Lectures
• Writing of two essays with formative-iterative assessment.

No compulsory assignments

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

The course is reserved for for students in the program Graphic Design

Course materials

Course litterature will be announced at the start of the semester.

SUPPORTING LITTERATURE:

Bergström, Bo (2011). 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.) (2015). Photography: a critical introduction. 5th ed. London: Routledge. Plus additional material. SUPPORTIVE LITERATURE: Benson, Richard (2008). The printed picture. New York: The Museum of Modern Art. Evans, Harold (1978). Pictures on a page. London: Heinemann. Fotografia publica: photography in print 1919–1939. (c 2000). [Madrid]: Aldeasa / Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Hassner, Rune (1977). Bilder för miljoner. [Stockholm]: Sveriges Radio / Rabén & Sjögren. A selection of journals about photography in NTNU’s library: Aperture. Fotografi.

Credit reductions