Naturally, I have professional goals in taking this course, but my interest necessarily begins with a personal fascination with non-textual art and unspoken expression. Images especially have this power to render us speechless, and in that silence, compel us to speak. Theorists suggest that the advancing popularity of images has deflated the impact; we are desensitized. But we are not unaffected. The study of visual culture has the potential to confront this apathy.
In my professional life as an ESOL teacher for adults, I have tried several times to approach themes of visual culture. While the students did appear engaged, and willing to discuss the images, the potential of these lessons was always limited. My approach was focused on teaching “visual culture” as a discreet subject, like a lesson on the parts of speech. Most recently, I attempted to address this lack of context with a semester long project, where students were expected to develop a personal portrait in the form of a narrated slide show, using photographs taken specifically for this project. I believed I was using the critical approaches of reading images as a tool for enhancing our projects, rather than the main focus of the lesson. We spent a lot of class time developing methods for analyzing and critiquing slides of portraits, intending to make the photographer’s process and choices transparent. Overall, the students did increase their ability to critically discuss my selection of images, but this never quite translated to approaches to the students own photography. The professional portraits remained art. Their photographs were still family photos. As most students had familiarity with using a camera, maybe it seemed unnecessary to do anything more than insure we could see the faces we were intended to see.
I do not want to seem critical of the students' efforts or disappointed in the results. The students overcame overwhelming obstacles to complete their projects. Many students were beginners with computers, some of them using a computer for the first time in my class. You can view the class blog and their narrated slide shows here.
I believe the best opportunity for student success requires a truly interdisciplinary curriculum. Though, no subject, whether history, art, politics, or music, should be treated as a means to an end. I don't want to use paintings or graphic novels, for example, as a step toward literacy goals. With this class I hope to broaden my understanding so that discussions on visual culture illuminate the complexity of this subject.
I do not want to seem critical of the students' efforts or disappointed in the results. The students overcame overwhelming obstacles to complete their projects. Many students were beginners with computers, some of them using a computer for the first time in my class. You can view the class blog and their narrated slide shows here.
I believe the best opportunity for student success requires a truly interdisciplinary curriculum. Though, no subject, whether history, art, politics, or music, should be treated as a means to an end. I don't want to use paintings or graphic novels, for example, as a step toward literacy goals. With this class I hope to broaden my understanding so that discussions on visual culture illuminate the complexity of this subject.
-Eric
