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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CMS 208"
COURSE NAME: "Visual Activism: Theory and Practice"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2024
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Anna Gorchakovskaya
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 11:30 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: COM 111 or permission of the instructor
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course aims to explore theories and practices of visual activism. In dialogue with different media forms, through diverse examples of visual activism (from a transnational perspective) it aims to establish the significance of the visual in activist practices and social movements. Through an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach, the course engages with different strategies and forms of countervisuality and protest in media from the early twentieth century up through contemporary examples. Drawing on cinema, TV, contemporary art, digital media, public spaces and popular culture, the course will address topics like social and racial justice, decolonization, gender equality, immigration, climate crisis, LGBTQIA+ visibility, inviting students to actively engage and participate in practices of visual activism.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course is site-specific and community-oriented and takes the form of an open workshop, a dialogue, based on the idea of horizontal learning and the collective creation of meaning. The students will have an opportunity to interact with and learn through the practices of activists, media theorists, artists and other practitioners. Throughout the course the students will engage with numerous projects that deal with socio-political themes. The course has a robust field component, including meetings and conversations with locally-based and international activists and practitioners.

 

The course consists of 2 sections. In Section 1 (Visual Activism: Theories and Genealogies) the students are encouraged to critically engage with the notion of visual activism, its history as well as theories, pertinent to the field of visual and media studies, which formed this phenomenon. The module will seek to introduce a reflection on the potential and purpose of visual activism in the contemporary societies, both through the analysis of historical examples of visual activism and through the exercises of radical imagination dedicated to possible future uses and re-interpretations of existing practices. The module includes the analysis of numerous case studies connected to such themes as curatorial activism, decolonization of visual culture, feminist aesthetics, the politics of representation, power and visibility, visual culture and environmental movement. Throughout this module the classroom becomes the space of opportunity for building a collective cartography, a conceptual map of ideas and strategies of visual activism, by taking into consideration a variety of case studies and practices from different regions of the world.

 

In Section 2 (Visual Activism: Strategies and Practices) students are expected to assume an even more active position and to apply their knowledge about the main theories and practices of visual activism gained throughout the first part of the course to their own projects. Throughout the module the students will be guided both by the instructor and by invited visual activists in the process of creating a collective and shared toolkit of practices and will eventually develop their own project meant to engage with a variety of different media and present their own theoretical and practical elaboration of the role and potential of visual activism. 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students will be able to: 

 

1.     Critically engage with the main theories and ideas that formed the phenomenon ‘visual activism’;

2.     identify some of the main qualities of visual activism;

3.     learn about the contemporary practices of visual activism in different regions of the world;

4.     gain a greater awareness of the social and political purposes of visual activism within different contexts;

5.     experiment with techniques of alternative education through group work, on-site assignments and workshops;

6.     develop their own conceptual map of ideas essential for a deeper understanding of visual activism;

7.     produce a toolkit of practical techniques and strategies of visual activism and learn how to apply them.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
ParticipationStudents should actively participate during all classes. Each student should demonstrate their concern, interest and knowledge on each subject matter dealt with in class. 15 %
Weekly AssignmentsStudents are required to complete individual and group assignments weekly and be ready to discuss them in class.15 %
EventsStudents are required to attend the events organized by Digital Delights and Disturbances program.10 %
Annotated BibliographyStudents are required to present an annotated bibliography with the resources they will use for their midterm assignment.10 %
Midterm AssignmentThe midterm assignment consists of a paper dedicated to a case study of your choice and exploring in more depth one of the aspects of the first Module of the course.25 %
Final Group Project and PresentationThroughout the second module of the course students will work on a project that would concentrate on practical aspects of visual activism. Each project will be presented during the last week of classes, followed by a collective discussion.25 %

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

PART 1 - Visual Activism: Theories and Genealogies 

 

Defining visual activism

 

Week 1 - Introduction to visual culture, protest aesthetic, countervisuality;

Visibility and invisibility in social and political movements. 

 

Week 2 – Social movements and visual media: what is the role of visual activism?

 

Week 3 – Genealogies of visual activism: case studies from the XXth century 

 

Week 4  – Visual activism and digital culture 

 

The conversation around digital activism, introduced here for the first time, re-imerges in all of the following lectures and seminars. As part of the course students are also invited (and required) to participate in the public program Digital Delights and Disturbances organized by Media and Communications Department.

 

Themes, directions and tactics

 

Week 5 - What, where and how of visual activism;

Subvertizing and culture jamming: from redefining public space to social media activism.

 

Week 6 – Visual activism and decolonial perspectives: practices of ‘visibilization’ in physical and digital spaces. Removal, restitution, recontextualization. 

 

Week 7  – Environmental activism in the digital age

 

Week 8 – Visual activism and contemporary feminisms

 

Week 9 – Queer resistance and LGBTQIA+ visual activism

 

Week 10 – Presentation of the case studies selected and analyzed by students.

 

PART 2 - Visual Activism: Strategies and Practices

 

Week 11 – On site exploration, guided by Rome-based activists, of dfferent examples of visual activism in public spaces: posters, murals, writing and graffiti in the neighboorhoods of Rome.

 

Week 12 – Toolkit: from universal to site-specific and context-oriented:

a round table and a group activity, guided by visual activists, aimed at the creation of a personalized toolkit of practices and strategies of visual activism.

 

Week 13 – A workshop guided by a Rome-based photographer and activist: using the materials gathered throughout the semester for their visual diaries students will collectively create a zine that will address the main topics of the course.

 

Week 14 – Presentation of the final group projects.