DHUM 25A34 - The Politics of Images — Pedagogical Programmes and Course Directory

Information

Description

Our society is overflowed with images. Technology today facilitates their proliferation and mirrors, to a certain extent, our way of life. As means of communication, images convey our personal and public experiences on a daily basis, captivate our attention and influence our perception of the world. What is the secret of their power? Why do they enchant us? Furthermore, if images are to be considered representations, this implies that they have both an aesthetic and a political component. How to make sense of this intrinsic interplay?

The purpose of this seminar is twofold: firstly, to explore the nature of representations and their impact on our society through philosophy, cinema, literature and art; and secondly, to develop a critical analysis of the image through aesthetics, political theories, cultural studies, and the philosophy of humour.

In order to achieve these two objectives, students will analyze different scenarios of the image in class in order to circumscribe its 'field of action': in particular, we’ll try to understand the motives behind the objects of the representation, the impact on spectators and the socio-political consequences that they generate.

Prerequisites

No prior knowledge is required.

Teaching format

Seminar / Lecture / Class Discussions

Assessment

Active participation10%

Class presentation40%

Final paper50%

Readings

Main readings 5

1. Arendt, H. (1961;2001), “The Crisis in Culture” in Beiner, R & Nedelsky, J. (Eds.), Judgment, Imagination, and Politics: Themes from Kant and Arendt, p. 3-25, Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
2. Aristotle, (1997), Aristotle’s Poetics, translated & with a commentary by Whalley, G., Baxter, J.& Atherton, P. (Eds.), Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.
3. Bottici, C. (2014), Imaginal Politics: Images Beyond Imagination and the Imaginary, New-York, NY: Colombia University Press.
4. Critchley, S. (2002), On Humour, London & New York: Routledge.
5. Dayer, R. (2002), The Matter of Images (2nd ed), London & New-York: Routledge

Teaching units

Unit no.	Unit type	Teaching units	Teachers	Number of hours	Credits
17329	Cours séminaire	The Politics of Images	Ayelet LILTI	24	5

DHUM 25A34 - The Politics of Images