In Ways of Seeing (1972) John Berger declares: "A woman must continually watch herself. She is almost continually accompanied by her own image of herself" (46), and in so doing gave rise to a number of questions concerning the representations of women in visual culture: What do visual representations reveal about our assumption about women and their place in our society? Which power relations between the viewer and the image object do visual media entail? In which ways have women internalised the 'male gaze'? In which specific ways are women of different ethnicities and skin colours represented? Throughout the seminar, we will address such and similar questions. Students will read and discuss gender theory and theories on visual culture, and the intersections between these two. We will critically engage with representations of women in painting, advertising, film, and social media. The seminar will be online.
The seminar will be held online. We will have weekly meetings via Zoom. Secondary literature and some of the materials will be made available on Stud.IP. A detailed syllabus will be provided in the first session.
Students will write an end-of-term paper (Hausarbeit) on a seminar-related topic of their choice. In order to prepare for the final paper, students will be given small written assignments throughout the term (not on a weekly basis but regularly), which they will collect in a learning portfolio. Note: Students of Lehramt Grundschule will have to take an oral exam (for details see the Modulbeschreibung: "Grundlagen der anglistischen und amerikanistischen Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft für Lehramt an Grundschulen"). |
