| Unit name | The Politics of Photography in Latin America |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP30107 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Teichert |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
In this unit, you will study instances across Latin America where documentary photography has been put to the service of socio-political change and human rights activism throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. You will explore a wide range of photographers from across the region, from Mexico and Cuba to Chile and Argentina. In a political landscape often seared by violence, dictatorship and civil conflict, how have photographers set out to give testimony to these events, and how have they resisted them? How have they memorialised the past, and how have they influenced the future? You will ground these analyses in photography theory, the ethics of the documentary genre, and in each political and social context. While the first half of the unit follows a chronological order, the second half prioritises thematic associations. You will study a trend, both in theory and practice, that understands documentary photography as a social exercise, which produces, at the same time as it represents, politics.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on visual analysis skills developed by students through units offered in Year 2. It also equips students with specialist knowledge on the study of photography, and of political and human rights issues that have impacted and continue to influence the region.
An overview of content
This unit explores a number of photographers and collectives working in Latin America throughout the 20th century to the present day. It will cover photographers who witnessed the Mexican and Cuban Revolutions, who resisted dictatorships and shaped memory politics in the Southern Cone, and who engaged with a number of human rights issues across the region, such as feminism, environmentalism and identity politics. The unit recognises the particular importance of politically engaged photography in relation to human rights claims, and you are strongly encouraged to explore relevant material beyond the key topics covered in seminars.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will gain an appreciation of the particular ubiquity and potency of photography, and the way its consumption influences our everyday understanding of political events and human rights issues. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to develop visual communication skills by developing an argument through images, and critically reflecting on this mode of argumentation. You will have the opportunity to explore social and political issues that you care about and place them in connection to the contexts and images studied in the unit.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, you will be able to:
1. Analyse documentary photography in relation to specific historical, cultural, social, and political events;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of political and human rights issues in the region;
3. Engage with and assess the academic literature and theorical frameworks relevant to the field;
4. Construct and communicate arguments and analyses of photography;
5. Combine creativity with critical/academic analysis to produce an argument in visual form.
The unit will be taught via a weekly 2-hour seminars, which will include plenary presentations by the unit tutor, discussions of reading done before the session, and whole-class analysis of key primary and secondary sources.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The unit will run a photographic portfolio presentation session and workshop to help you prepare for the first summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Photographic Portfolio, accompanied by a 1000-word Critical Introduction (30%) [ILOs 4 and 5]
Coursework Essay, 3500 words (70%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISP30107).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
