The Look of America (T7002E)
The Look of America
Module T7002E
Module details for 2022/23.
15 credits
FHEQ Level 4
Module Outline
'The Look of America' takes as its premise the notion that ever since the explosion of mass media and mass society in the industrial age, the United States has taken an increasingly dominant place in the global visual imagination. This process reached its peak at the beginning of the twentieth century, America henceforth generating for the world innumerable iconic and hegemonic visual representations of its own cultural narratives. The task of the module will thus be to "get behind" and deconstruct some of the products of this visual field, along with the ideologies and narratives that sustain and refract them. Hence we begin by introducting students to visual theory, especially as it applies to the American context, and provide students with the critical tools necessary for the module. We then locate the period under scrutiny (1860-2001) within a broader visual and cultural 'prehistory', illuminating the roots of the modern world and its visual scene. After this, the module concentrates more particularly on the culture of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Following a more or less thematic pattern, 'The Look of America' examines the issues that emerge over the course of the twentieth century, referring forwards and backwards in order to generate connections where appropriate (for example, linking the FSA projects to Matthew Brady's Civil War photographs). The intention here is to introduce students to aspects of visual culture and its criticism as well as to defamiliarise and explore some of the more familiar American iconography surrounding us.
Module learning outcomes
Demonstrate a knowledge of the ways in which a national identity is visually constructed and contested.
Make interdisciplinary links between the visual arts generally and literary, scientific, and historical discourses
Synthesize material from lectures and seminars in order to present coherent and structured arguments in essays.
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 50.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Essay | T2 Week 10 | 100.00% |
| Computer Based Exam | Semester 2 Assessment | 50.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Lecture | 1 hour | 11111111111 |
| Spring Semester | Seminar | 1 hour | 11111111111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr Charlie Jeffries
Convenor, Assess convenor
/profiles/580214
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