Course: Visual Anthropology

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Course title Visual Anthropology
Course code KSA/VIAN
Organizational form of instruction Not filled in + Seminar
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Summer
Number of ECTS credits 4
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Pohorecký Tomáš, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
1. Introduction. Sources of information, conditions of atestation. 2. Basic characteristics of the discourse of the visual-anthropology (theories, methods, topics) 3. Anthropology and fotographic documentation. 4. Origins of visual anthropology (Bateson, Meade) 5. Photography as a anthropological research method (Colliers) 6. Visual antropology since 80s - changes of paradigms (Ruby, Pink) 7. Photography as a subject of an anthropological research. 8. Movie as an instrument of anthropological research, education and data presentation (ethnographical movie) 9. Movie and audovisual technology as a subject of an anthropological research 10. Digital ethnography and internet from the perspective of the visual anthropology. 11. Posibilities of the visual anthropology in the Czech and Central European context. Institutional basis and contemporary perspectives of the visual anthropology in the world. 12. Prezentation and discussion of the student's projects and essays. Closing remarks.

Learning activities and teaching methods
E-learning, Cooperative instruction, Multimedia supported teaching, Students' portfolio, Laboratory work, Skills demonstration, Seminar classes, Self-study of literature, Textual studies
  • Preparation for comprehensive test (10-40) - 25 hours per semester
  • Graduate study programme term essay (40-50) - 40 hours per semester
  • Contact hours - 39 hours per semester
prerequisite
Knowledge
characterize the basic theoretical and methodological foundations of social and cultural anthropology
describe and characterize the basic schools of thought (paradigms) of social and cultural anthropology
based on their knowledge, devise and design their own research topic
formally present a topic in the field of social and cultural anthropology, ethnology
Skills
read and understand a professional social science text
write a sophisticated professional text on a given topic
use electronic information resources
distinguish literature from different periods in the development of the discipline
apply general theoretical and methodological models of social and cultural anthropology in relation to the subtopic
Competences
N/A
N/A
N/A
learning outcomes
Knowledge
to define visual anthropology in relation to the foundations of the anthropological study of culture, society and human action
from a theoretical and methodological point of view, compare and evaluate the perspective of visual anthropology with other social science approaches to the study of (audio)visual communication
clarify and critically evaluate the ideas of scholars working in the field of visual anthropology
Skills
apply contemporary theories of sign to the field of audiovisual communication
critically reflect on the uses of photography and film in classical and contemporary anthropology
to use photography or film in the context of field research as a tool for anthropological interpretation of cultural and social conditions of actors' actions
use specialised software tools to process audiovisual material for presentation purposes (e.g. editing) and for analysis purposes (e.g. evaluation of audiovisual data)
interpret socially shared patterns of behaviour through quantitative and qualitative analysis of visual manifestations of the observed society and use relevant software tools in the analysis
Competences
N/A
N/A
N/A
teaching methods
Knowledge
E-learning
Multimedia supported teaching
Textual studies
Cooperative instruction
Self-study of literature
Skills
E-learning
Seminar classes
Cooperative instruction
Skills demonstration
Students' portfolio
Laboratory work
Multimedia supported teaching
Textual studies
Competences
E-learning
Seminar classes
Cooperative instruction
assessment methods
Knowledge
Test
Seminar work
Skills
Skills demonstration during practicum
Seminar work
Individual presentation at a seminar
Competences
Skills demonstration during practicum
Seminar work
Individual presentation at a seminar
Recommended literature
  • Banks, Marcus; Morphy, Howard. Rethinking visual anthropology. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-300-06691-3.
  • Collier, J. Visual Anthropology: Photography as a Research Method.
  • Flusser, Vilém. Za filosofii fotografie. 1. vyd. Praha : Hynek, 1994. ISBN 80-85906-04-X.
  • Hocking, P. Principles of Visual Anthropology.
  • Hudeček, Pavel. Možnosti vizuální antropologie při popisu lokální komunity. Plzeň : Západočeská univerzita. Fakulta humanitních studií, 2004.
  • Pink, Sarah. Doing visual ethnography : images, media, and representation in research. 2nd ed. Los Angeles : Sage Publications, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4129-2348-4.
  • Sztompka, P. Vizuální socilogie. SLON, 2008.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester