The course deals with the analysis of images. It refers specifically to the social factors intervening in the construction of their meanings. The first part of the course will provide analytical and methodological tolls to the students in order to analyse the images and, more specifically, the photos. The second part of the course will focus on the social and public use of images, especially in relation to photos of controversial pasts (wars, natural disasters, violence, terroristic attacks).
Curriculum
teacher profile teaching materials
2) Roland Barthes (1964), Image-Music-Text. (Translation 1977), capitolo II, “The Rhetoric of the Image”. S. Heath, ed. London: Fontana, pp. 32-51.
3) Susan Sontag (1973), On Photography, Capitolo I, "In Plato's Cave”, Rosetta Books, New York, pp. 1- 19.
4) David Bate (2017), Il primo libro di fotografia, Capitolo 7 "Fotografia e Arte", Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi, Torino, pp. 193-211.
5) Barbie Zelizer (2004), “The Voice of the Visual in Memory”, in Phillips R. Kendall (ed.), Framing Public Memory, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, pp. 157-186.
6) Anna Lisa Tota (2013), “A Photo that Matter: The Memorial Clock in Bologna and its Invented Tradition”, in Olga Shevchenko (ed.), Double Exposure: Memory and Photography, Transaction Publishers, Piscaway, pp. 41-64.
7) Susie Linfield (2013), La luce crudele. Fotografia e violenza politica, Contrasto Edizioni, Roma, pp. 10-46.
8) Merskin, Debra (2004), “Reviving Lolita? A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising”. American Behavioral Scientist 48, pp. 119-128.
9) Supplementary materials will be provided by the professor during the course.
Mutuazione: 20710389 COMUNICAZIONE VISUALE in Cinema, televisione e produzione multimediale LM-65 R Stolfi Melissa
Programme
The course is grounded in the main theoretical assumptions of visual culture, understood not merely as a collection of images, but as a field of study that examines the social, cultural, and technological conditions of “seeing.” From this perspective, images are considered as both “devices” and “practices,” capable of producing meaning, shaping perception, and contributing to the construction of reality within an increasingly hybrid and shared ecosystem. While maintaining a focus on contemporary issues and debates, the course explores the shift from the image as a “representation of reality” to the image as a “performative event,” placing at its core the relationship between vision, the body, and technological dispositifs. Particular attention is devoted to the contemporary transformation of the visual, marked by digitalization, the spread of social media, and the development of artificial intelligence, all of which redefine the relationship between individuals and images—especially in terms of their production, circulation, and interpretation. The course also addresses the political and social dimensions of the visual, from activist practices to forms of self-representation on social media, as well as immersive and virtual environments. In addition, it examines the key implications of the democratization of images and the processes of visual literacy. The aim is to foster critical reflection on the non-neutrality of images and to provide theoretical and methodological tools for understanding how images contribute to the construction of meaning, identities, and shared realities in contemporary society.Core Documentation
1) Roland Barthes (1979), La camera chiara. Nota sulla fotografia, Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi, Torino.2) Roland Barthes (1964), Image-Music-Text. (Translation 1977), capitolo II, “The Rhetoric of the Image”. S. Heath, ed. London: Fontana, pp. 32-51.
3) Susan Sontag (1973), On Photography, Capitolo I, "In Plato's Cave”, Rosetta Books, New York, pp. 1- 19.
4) David Bate (2017), Il primo libro di fotografia, Capitolo 7 "Fotografia e Arte", Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi, Torino, pp. 193-211.
5) Barbie Zelizer (2004), “The Voice of the Visual in Memory”, in Phillips R. Kendall (ed.), Framing Public Memory, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, pp. 157-186.
6) Anna Lisa Tota (2013), “A Photo that Matter: The Memorial Clock in Bologna and its Invented Tradition”, in Olga Shevchenko (ed.), Double Exposure: Memory and Photography, Transaction Publishers, Piscaway, pp. 41-64.
7) Susie Linfield (2013), La luce crudele. Fotografia e violenza politica, Contrasto Edizioni, Roma, pp. 10-46.
8) Merskin, Debra (2004), “Reviving Lolita? A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising”. American Behavioral Scientist 48, pp. 119-128.
9) Supplementary materials will be provided by the professor during the course.
Attendance
Attendance is not compulsory, but it is always recommended.Type of evaluation
MODALITIES 1: project work on a topic addressed during the class or related (to be approved by the professor) and oral exam on the readings of the programme. The project work will be given a score of 0 to 3 points that will be added to the oral grade. MODALITIES 2: oral exam on the readings of the programme. teacher profile teaching materials
2) Roland Barthes (1964), Image-Music-Text. (Translation 1977), capitolo II, “The Rhetoric of the Image”. S. Heath, ed. London: Fontana, pp. 32-51.
3) Susan Sontag (1973), On Photography, Capitolo I, "In Plato's Cave”, Rosetta Books, New York, pp. 1- 19.
4) David Bate (2017), Il primo libro di fotografia, Capitolo 7 "Fotografia e Arte", Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi, Torino, pp. 193-211.
5) Barbie Zelizer (2004), “The Voice of the Visual in Memory”, in Phillips R. Kendall (ed.), Framing Public Memory, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, pp. 157-186.
6) Anna Lisa Tota (2013), “A Photo that Matter: The Memorial Clock in Bologna and its Invented Tradition”, in Olga Shevchenko (ed.), Double Exposure: Memory and Photography, Transaction Publishers, Piscaway, pp. 41-64.
7) Susie Linfield (2013), La luce crudele. Fotografia e violenza politica, Contrasto Edizioni, Roma, pp. 10-46.
8) Merskin, Debra (2004), “Reviving Lolita? A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising”. American Behavioral Scientist 48, pp. 119-128.
9) Supplementary materials will be provided by the professor during the course.
Programme
The course is grounded in the main theoretical assumptions of visual culture, understood not merely as a collection of images, but as a field of study that examines the social, cultural, and technological conditions of “seeing.” From this perspective, images are considered as both “devices” and “practices,” capable of producing meaning, shaping perception, and contributing to the construction of reality within an increasingly hybrid and shared ecosystem. While maintaining a focus on contemporary issues and debates, the course explores the shift from the image as a “representation of reality” to the image as a “performative event,” placing at its core the relationship between vision, the body, and technological dispositifs. Particular attention is devoted to the contemporary transformation of the visual, marked by digitalization, the spread of social media, and the development of artificial intelligence, all of which redefine the relationship between individuals and images—especially in terms of their production, circulation, and interpretation. The course also addresses the political and social dimensions of the visual, from activist practices to forms of self-representation on social media, as well as immersive and virtual environments. In addition, it examines the key implications of the democratization of images and the processes of visual literacy. The aim is to foster critical reflection on the non-neutrality of images and to provide theoretical and methodological tools for understanding how images contribute to the construction of meaning, identities, and shared realities in contemporary society.Core Documentation
1) Roland Barthes (1979), La camera chiara. Nota sulla fotografia, Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi, Torino.2) Roland Barthes (1964), Image-Music-Text. (Translation 1977), capitolo II, “The Rhetoric of the Image”. S. Heath, ed. London: Fontana, pp. 32-51.
3) Susan Sontag (1973), On Photography, Capitolo I, "In Plato's Cave”, Rosetta Books, New York, pp. 1- 19.
4) David Bate (2017), Il primo libro di fotografia, Capitolo 7 "Fotografia e Arte", Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi, Torino, pp. 193-211.
5) Barbie Zelizer (2004), “The Voice of the Visual in Memory”, in Phillips R. Kendall (ed.), Framing Public Memory, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, pp. 157-186.
6) Anna Lisa Tota (2013), “A Photo that Matter: The Memorial Clock in Bologna and its Invented Tradition”, in Olga Shevchenko (ed.), Double Exposure: Memory and Photography, Transaction Publishers, Piscaway, pp. 41-64.
7) Susie Linfield (2013), La luce crudele. Fotografia e violenza politica, Contrasto Edizioni, Roma, pp. 10-46.
8) Merskin, Debra (2004), “Reviving Lolita? A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising”. American Behavioral Scientist 48, pp. 119-128.
9) Supplementary materials will be provided by the professor during the course.
Attendance
Attendance is not compulsory, but it is always recommended.Type of evaluation
MODALITIES 1: project work on a topic addressed during the class or related (to be approved by the professor) and oral exam on the readings of the programme. The project work will be given a score of 0 to 3 points that will be added to the oral grade. MODALITIES 2: oral exam on the readings of the programme.