2009 Fall DOCST 146S-01
Bulletin Course Description Documentary photography used as a tool to see the world through a sociological lens. Photographs and the social construction of reality; generic components of social organization (codes of conduct, mechanisms of social control); power relations and social inequalities; and social identities (how they're formed in relation to structures, experiences, history and culture). Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Hyde
(Instructor named in bulletin description above may not be current. For current instructor, see listing below.)
Title SOCIOLOGY THRU PHOTOGRAPHY Department DOCST Course Number 2009 Fall 146S Section Number 01 Primary Instructor Hyde,Katherine Prerequisites
Synopsis of course content
The purpose of this course is to use documentary photography as a tool to help students see the world through a sociological lens. Each class will be devoted in large part to looking at and discussing visual images. Students will be guided through exercises and assignments in which they learn how to make photographs with a sociological eye, and how to communicate sociological ideas visually. They will also learn to read the sociological stories in each other's photographs.
The course readings emphasize how photographs both reflect and reinforce cultural norms, shaping the processes through which we develop and enact social identities, and shaping the ways we interpret, create and enforce cultural practices. One of the basic themes to be explored in the course's readings (as well as the photographic assignments) is the social construction of reality. This course highlights the questions that photography raises regarding the truthfulness of representations and accounts of the social world. Students examine how photographs are made, distributed, sensationalized and censored. They discuss how photographs are partial truths that embody political, cultural, and moral choices. Furthermore, we will address theoretical and methodological issues related to the use of photography in social science research. These readings and discussions will prepare students to conduct their own visual research.
Consent of instructor required.
Textbooks
Students will be assigned a selection of readings on documentary photography, visual sociology, ethical questions in photography, the politics of visual representation, as well as readings on general sociological themes.
Assignments
Four photography assignments that will each involve a written component. Weekly written reflections addressing course readings and themes.
Exams
None.
Term Papers
None.
Grade to be based on
Students' grades will be based on: four photography and
writing assignments; class participation; leading class discussion one time during the semester; and written reflections.
Additional Information
Students are not required to have a background in photography, but will need to have access to a camera.
Katie Hyde holds a Ph.D. in sociology from North Carolina State University. She has explored how social inequalities are constructed, perpetuated, and resisted through fieldwork and other research on recent Latino/a immigration in North Carolina, women's activism in Russia, and girls' education in rural Nepal. In her work with Literacy Through Photography at the Center for Documentary Studies, Hyde collaborates with undergraduate students, community volunteers, and teachers and students in the Durham Public Schools. On a regular basis, she travels in the US and abroad to teach LTP workshops for educators. Hyde also co-leads the DukeEngage program LTP Arusha, which is linked to an undergraduate course on Literacy Through Photography that deals with children's self-expression as well as race, gender and other social issues within education.
