LAH 350 (30200)

Photography in Modern American Culture

Robert H. Abzug Professor of History and American Studies Class Meetings: TTH 2:00-3:30 PM @ RLP (CLA) 0.124 (and HRC on occasion) Office Hours: TTH 3:30-4:30 PM and by appointment [email protected] Professor’s Office: Garrison 3.310 (NW corner of 3rd floor)

We will investigate the importance of photography in the United States in relationship to changing currents in America society and culture. We will explore the history of the medium, from 19th century daguerreotypes and wet plate to digital imaging; the relationship between photography and American history, especially in relation to popular culture, social depiction, and war. We will be especially interested in photographic works that attempt to represent the nature of America and American life. A one semester seminar cannot hope to cover all the essential topics concerning American photography, let alone photography in general. That is why the papers you will be writing are essential not only to your own work but to the seminar. Each of you will have c. 20 minutes to introduce the photographer about whom you are writing in the last sessions of the class. These reports will not only be helpful in gleaning suggestions from other members of the class, but will add to the breadth of knowledge begun with the earlier class sessions and readings. In addition to considering how others have photographed American life, students will have the opportunity to make their own photographs. Any camera or cell phone with the capacity to take photographic images will do for equipment. The idea is to study photography as practiced by others and experience the challenge of photographic depiction by applying what you have learned and by creating an 8-10 image photographic exhibit on a theme, one that includes an “artist’s statement” about your methods and approach to the subject(s) you have chosen. Artists quite often begin their careers being inspired by the style of already productive creators. Therefore, for your own work, I would like you to explicitly apply aspects of a famous photographer to your own work (famous meaning anyone studied in class and others you might suggest). Finally, the medium of photography, whether as journalism, fine art, advertising, or other forms, has often involved the depiction of violence, nudity, forms of sexuality, historical distortion, racial, class, and gender stereotype and denigration—pictorial forms of attitudes that some or all of us will find offensive and some or all will find liberating. We are here to study photography as an important element of American culture, and it is in that spirit that we will be discussing even some of the most controversial of its uses.

Books Required for Purchase James Agee and Walker Evans, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography Robert Frank, The Americans Mary Warner Marien, 100 Ideas that Changed Photography 2

Susan Sontag, On Photography I will also post material on Canvas for class discussion and short written assignments.

Assignments and Grading:

One Page Reading Reactions to the readings: 10% (graded c/nc) Paper Proposal and Bibliography: 10% Final Paper: 30% Due May 7 Photographic Exhibit of 8 to 10 Photographs, with Artist Statement due on Last Day of Class Attendance, Class Exhibit/Artist Statement Project: 20% Class Participation and Oral Reports on Readings and Final Paper: 30% (Perfect Attendance Assumed)

The following scale will be used to determine your final grade in the course:

93-100 = A 83-86.99 = B 73-76.99 = C 63-66.99 = D 90-92.99 = A- 80-82.99 = B- 70-72.99 = C- 60-62.99 = D- 87-89.99 = B+ 77-79.99 = C+ 67-69.99 = D+ 0-59.99 = F

Class Meetings:

Tue., Jan. 22 Introduction-Looking At Your Favorite Photographs Thu., Jan. 24 Harry Ransom Center Meeting—Introduction to Photographic Collections Tue., Jan. 29 Harry Ransom Center Meeting—Varieties of Photographic Process Thu., Jan. 31 Then and Now: the Question of Digital Hegemony, Continuity, and Difference Tue., Feb. 5 Camera Lucida the Question of How Photography “works.” Thu., Feb. 7 On Photography, and the personal and social effects of photography. Tue., Feb. 12 The 19th Century Revolution: Art, Reality, and the challenge of photography Thu., Feb. 14 Photography and Modernism in America Art (Stieglitz, Strand, et. Al.) Tue., Feb. 19 The Kodak Moment: The Democratization of Photography Thu., Feb. 21 Fine Art Photography Beyond Stieglitz (Adams, Cunningham, Tue., Feb. 26. Photography As Documentary Expression Thu., Feb. 28 Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: Social Depiction and Social Distance Tue., Mar. 5 The Americans: The Watershed of the 1950s Thu., Mar. 7 Required Office Hours-Individual Meetings on Long Papers Tue., Mar. 12 Required Office Hours-Individual Meetings on Long Papers Thu., Mar. 14 Harry Ransom Center Meeting Tue., Mar. 19 Spring Break Thu., Mar. 21 Spring Break Tue., Mar. 26 Paper Research Thu., Mar. 28 Harry Ransom Center Meeting: Magnum and the Photo Agency (Hoelscher) Tue., Apr. 2 Recent Photography: Gender and Ethnicity Thu., Apr. 4 Harry Ransom Center: Examples of Gender and Ethnicity Tue., Apr. 9 Meyerowitz, Shore, and Winogrand: Evolutions of the 1960s-1990s and Beyond Thu., Apr. 11 The Long Papers Tue., Apr. 16 The Photographic Project and Artist’s Statement 3

Thu., Apr. 18 Harry Ransom Center (Class Reports) Tue., Apr. 23 Class Reports Thu., Apr. 25 Class Reports Tue., Apr. 30 Class Reports Thu., May 02 Class Reports Tue., May. 7 Class Reports Thu., May. 9 Exhibit and Reception at Liberal Arts Honors Office

Accommodations, Religious Holidays, Emergencies, Scholastic Honesty

• Please note that all graded work done inside or outside of class must be your own work. Writing that appears to be the work of someone else (e.g. a friend, a Web or print source) and may entail severe penalties beyond just a zero on the particular assignment. Students who violate University rules on academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the university. For more information, visit http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/. We strictly abide by the UT Honor Code on questions of scholastic dishonesty. • Please familiarize yourself with the policies concerning campus carry: https://campuscarry.utexas.edu/students • Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259 http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/. • Students seeking assistance with writing may wish to contact The Undergraduate Writing Center http://uwc.utexas.edu/handouts. • Medical assistance/ counseling services are available at http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/. • If you miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will have an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence • Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus must evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and assembling outside. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office. Information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found here. http://www.utexas.edu/emergency • Violence and harassment based on sex and gender are Civil Rights offenses subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, religion, etc. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted or sexually violated, you can find the appropriate resources here: http://catalog.utexas.edu/general-information/appendices/. 4

Possible Photographers for Paper Topics

• Berenice Abbott • Arnold Newman • Ansel Adams • Gordon Parks • Eddie Adams • Irving Penn • Diane Arbus • Man Ray • Richard Avedon • Eli Reed • Zaida Ben Yusuf • August Sander • Margaret Bourke-White • Cindy Sherman • Matthew Brady • Stephen Shore • Anne Brigman • W. Eugene Smith • Robert Capa • Alec Soth • Imogen Cunningham • Joel Sternfeld • Edward Curtis • Alfred Stieglitz • David Douglas Duncan • Paul Strand • Elliott Erwitt • James Van der Zee • Walker Evans (other than Let Us • Eudora Welty Now Praise Famous Men) • Edward Weston • Robert Frank (other than The • Gary Winogrand Americans) • Lee Friedlander • Nan Goldin • Philippe Halsman • Lewis Hine • Gertrude Käsebier • Dorothea Lange • Russell Lee • Annie Leibowitz • Helen Levitt • Any of the Magnum Photographers • Vivian Maier • Sally Mann • Robert Mapplethorpe • Susan Meiselas • Joel Meyerowitz • Duane Michals • Lee Miller • Richard Misrach 5