DHUM 25A34 - The Politics of Images

DHUM 25A34 · Semestre d'automne 2026-2027

Langue d'enseignement
English
Nombre d'heures
24
Crédits
5

Informations

Descriptif

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.

Pré-requis

No prior knowledge is required.

Format pédagogique

Seminar / Lecture / Class Discussions

Mode de validation

Active participation10%
Class presentation40%
Final paper50%

Lectures

Lectures principales 5

  1. 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. 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. 3. Bottici, C. (2014), Imaginal Politics: Images Beyond Imagination and the Imaginary, New-York, NY: Colombia University Press.

  4. 4. Critchley, S. (2002), On Humour, London & New York: Routledge.

  5. 5. Dayer, R. (2002), The Matter of Images (2nd ed), London & New-York: Routledge

Unités pédagogiques

N° d'UPType d'UP Unités pédagogiquesEnseignants Nombre d'heuresCrédits
17329Cours séminaire The Politics of Images Ayelet LILTI245

Enseignants

  • Ayelet LILTI

Dans les maquettes

Contacts et ressources

Contact pédagogique
SYMPHOR Benoît