Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CMS 208"
COURSE NAME: "Visual Activism: Theory and Practice"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2025

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Anna Gorchakovskaya
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
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:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Participation	Students 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 Assignments	Students are required to complete individual and group assignments weekly and be ready to discuss them in class.	15 %
Events	Students are required to attend the events organized by Digital Delights and Disturbances program.	10 %
Annotated Bibliography	Students are required to present an annotated bibliography with the resources they will use for their midterm assignment.	10 %
Midterm Assignment	The 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 Presentation	Throughout 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.

Lesson 1.1: Tuesday 2 September

Lesson 1.2: Thursday 4 September

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

Lesson 2.1: Tuesday 9 September

Lesson 2.2: Thursday 11 September

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

Lesson 3.1: Tuesday 16 September

Lesson 3.2: Thursday 18 September

Week 4 – Visual activism and digital culture

Lesson 4.1: Tuesday 23 September

Lesson 4.2: Thursday 25 September

Lesson 4.3: Friday 26 September (make-up day for 27 November) - WORKSHOP (tbc)

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 and Directions

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

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

Lesson 5.1: Tuesday 30 September

Lesson 5.2: Thursday 2 October

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

Lesson 6.1: Tuesday 7 October

Lesson 6.2: Thursday 9 October

Week 7 - Radical ecologies and visual activism

Lesson 7.1: Tuesday 14 October

Lesson 7.2: Thursday 16 October

Week 8 – Visual activism and contemporary feminisms

Lesson 8.1: Tuesday 21 October

Lesson 8.2: Thursday 23 October

Week 9 – Queer resistance and LGBTQIA+ visual activism

Lesson 9.1: Tuesday 28 October

Lesson 9.1: Thursday 30 October

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

Lesson 10.1: Tuesday 4 November

Lesson 10.2: Thursday 6 November

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.

Lesson 11.1: Tuesday 11 November

Lesson 11.2: Thursday 13 November

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.

Lesson 12.1: Tuesday 18 November

Lesson 12.2: Thursday 20 November

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.

Lesson 13.1: Tuesday 25 November

Thursday 27 November - NO CLASS

Week 14 – Presentation of the final group projects.

Lesson 14.1: Tuesday 2 December

Lesson 14.2: Thursday 4 December