In this course we will explore the aesthetic debates and theoretical discourses that have shaped modern and contemporary visual culture. We will concentrate in particular on texts that address the readability of visual form, the mediation and mass circulation of images, and the role of representation in structuring identity and everyday life. As we do so, we will also examine the ways that different cultural practices—from art to film to architecture—have reinforced, disrupted, or otherwise responded to the defining political, economic, and ideological conditions of the past hundred years. As such, our aim will be to develop a comprehensive critical framework through which to think broadly and effectively about today’s socially and technologically complex visual world.

Recommended Preparation: FA-150 Visual Culture & Literacy I.