AH4166 Histories of Photography (1835 - 1905)

Academic year

2024 to 2025 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Module coordinator

Dr L Gartlan

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr L Gartlan

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module examines the diverse histories of photography in the nineteenth century from the beginnings of the medium to the rise of modernist photography. Among numerous topics, the module examines war photography in Victorian Britain, portraiture and celebrity, imperial landscapes, the modern city, exploration photography, Kodak and modern tourism, and the body of photography. Students will become familiar with the work of major photographers of the period, including Fox Talbot, Hill and Adamson, Julia Margaret Cameron, Lady Hawarden, Lewis Carroll, Nadar and Alexander Gardner.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS AH2001 AND PASS AH2002

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

Coursework = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x 2-hour lecture and related contact time (x 11 weeks), 1 x 1-hour tutorial (x 11 weeks), 2 x office hour (x 12 weeks).

Intended learning outcomes

  • understand the diverse social, political and historical uses of photography, and the aesthetic and pictorial means employed to fulfil these objectives in various contexts
  • appreciate nineteenth-century photography and analyse the pictorial aspects, styles and methods employed by many of its major exponents
  • consider the camera's role in enforcing and challenging perceived notions of society and the modern subject
  • visually analyse early photographs through a consideration of their formal properties and contexts
  • present their ideas to others in open discussions
  • critically evaluate historical materials