Course: The Rise of the Visual
Instructor: Trevor Laurence Jockims
Time: Tuesday 9:30-12:00
PROVISIONAL SYLLABUS
Course Description
Chinese artists were using the camera obscura—or pinhole camera—as early as 400BCE,
Aristotle discussed its optics, and by the Renaissance the practice of projecting and
tracing ‘camera’ images was widespread. Somewhere between 1680 and 1720
photography was certainly possible: the optics and chemistry were in place, yet
photography did not emerge until the second half of the 19th century. This course traces
out the peculiar, fascinating, delayed emergence of photography, and the subsequent
explosion of film and digital media, in an attempt to illuminate what, exactly, the desire
to capture images is, why it emerged when it did, and what it means to our culture now –
more replete in images than any moment previous. In order to grasp the meanings of our
visual culture, we will look closely into the literary culture that has challenged,
championed, and in many cases moved forward and made sense of visuality. This will
include the long history of ekphrastic poetry, from Homer to the present day;
contemporary writings from the birthplace of photography, France, especially selections
from Marcel Proust and Charles Baudelaire; twentieth-century novelists such as Vladimir
Nabokov, W.G. Sebald, and Alexander Hemon, who integrate drawings and photographs
into their works; graphic novels that further blur the distinction between word and image;
as well as film essays and photo essays that invert the relationship once more by bringing
qualities nominally attributed to the verbal realm back into the visual. Readings in theory
and philosophy will include Roland Barthes, Geoffrey Batchen, Walter Benjamin, John
Berger, Jacques Derrida, Martin Heidegger, and Susan Sontag.
Reading Schedule
Week 1 – Richard Howells, Visual Culture
Week 2 – John Berger, Ways of Seeing; Ekphrastic poetry (selections from Reader)
Week 3 – Rolland Barthes. Camera Lucida
Week 4 – Susan Sontag, On Photography
Week 5 – Geoffrey Batchen, Burning With Desire
Week 6 – Early Cinema (selections from Reader
Week 7 – Alain Badiou, Cinema
Week 8 – W.G. Sebald, Rings of Saturn
Week 9 – Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory
Week 10 – Art Spiegelman, Maus
Week 11 – Timothy Corrgian, The Film Essay
Week 12 – Marjorie Perloff, Unoriginal Genius
Week 13 – Kenneth Goldsmith, Uncreative Writing
Required Texts
Richard Howells, Visual Culture
Rolland Barthes. Camera Lucida
Susan Sontag, On Photography
Geoffrey Batchen, Burning With Desire
John Berger, Ways of Seeing
Alain Badiou, Cinema
W.G. Sebald, Rings of Saturn
Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory
Art Spiegelman, Maus
Timothy Corrigan, The Essay Film
Marjorie Perloff, Unoriginal Genius
Kenneth Goldsmith, Uncreative Writing
*A course reader containing selected materials will also be made available
**This class will include 2 to 3 museum visits as part of the required curriculum
Grade Allocation
Essay 1 (2-3 pages)
Essay 2 (4-5 pages)
Presentation
Essay 3 (10-12 pages)
Participation
10%
15%
15%
40%
20%
Due Week 3
Due Week 6
Due Week 12