CERTIFICATE COURSE IN DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Course Description

This course aims to introduce students to documentary photography. Students will become familiar with international documentary photography, both historical and contemporary. The course specializes in personal documentary projects, with the goal of practical application of theoretical knowledge. Students will gain hands-on experience by creating a documentary photography series and presenting their images on the web. We will use Flickr to present the work in progress and will showcase the development of the individual projects at www.aimcbangladesh.org  website

Those who complete the course will have significantly improved their understanding of photography as both a means of documenting events and as a form of fine art. By the end of the course, students will have improved their practical skills to the point of being able to pursue more advanced work in documentary photography covering a wider range of subjects.

Student Learning Outcomes

• ·       Students will gain a full understanding of what documentary photography represents

• ·       Students will gain a historical perspective on the development of documentary photography

• ·       Students will explore the connection between documentary and fine art photography

• ·  Students will have a good understanding of the various platforms that can be used to promote documentary photography

• ·       Students will have a good base in the fundamentals of telling a story through documentary photography

• ·  Students will learn to combine photography and writing to reinforce their documentary project and communication skills

• Students will learn and practice the steps involved in defining, preparing, and    presenting a documentary photography project through hands-on experience

Class Topics:

1.        Introduction to Documentary Photography

2.        Historical Roots of Documentary Photography

3.        Influential Documentary Photographers; Styles of Documentary

4.        Photo Essays

5.        Street Photography; Urban Landscape; Animated Landscape

6.        Documentary Photography; an Iterative Approach

7.        Language of Photography; Ideology

8.        Re the Pain of Others; How We See

9.       Documentary Project Portfolio

10.     Critiquing / Discussion - Documentary Project

11.    Ethics – Censorship & Power of the Image

12.    Subjective Documentary Photography

13.     Different ways to document

14.     Unpredictable: Documentary ideas

15.     Editing & Curation

16.    Writing for Documentary Photography

17.    Final Documentary Project Selection & Submission

18.    Final online exhibition & Final exam

Recommended Materials

•  A real camera (that has Manual functions), NO MOBILE PHONES with a camera, NO COM-PACT CAMERAS without Manual functions for this course.

•  A small flash drive to store and transfer images

•  Access to and use of a computer and internet outside of class

•  Manual for your camera (either printed or electronic format)

•  Journal for ideas, thoughts, gallery notes , etc.

Teaching methodology

Lectures, Readings, Discussions, Presentations, Exercises, and Workshop style instruction followed by fieldwork. The course is highly interactive with weekly assignments and ongoing project work. Assignments and classroom critiques will supplement the technical and theoretical instruction of the course. Through this course, the students will get the opportunity to develop their photographic techniques and critical thinking while getting continuous feedback from their instructor and classmates.

Each student is expected to attend all class sessions and participate in discussions and any group activities. Some material will only be available in class so it will be difficult to make up the material you miss when absent. Additional support is offered to students through prearranged meetings with the instructor. More than 2 absences during the course will negatively influence your final grade.

Late assignments are NOT accepted and will be just graded with a reasonable explanation such as illness or anything similar.

Participation Grade

Your participation grade is evaluated based on your participation in the discussion and submission of assignments.

Participation:

Playing an active role in discussions, exercises and critiques is essential to success in this class. The majority of online assignments are photo and reading/writing/research projects that occur under the guidance of the instructor and in tandem with your classmates.

Please practice civility (netiquette) when contributing to course discussions. Honor your classmates’ opinions and offer your own critique respectfully.

Preparedness:

It is your responsibility to refer to the syllabus to know what assignments and readings are due. It is your responsibility to obtain the reading and proper art materials for the class. It is expected that you will submit the completed projects required for each discussion. Unpreparedness and nonparticipation will lower your assignment/participation grades.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to participate each week and submit required assignments. A student who misses three consecutive weeks without contacting the instructor will be automatically dropped from the class with an AF grade. Attendance in Blackboard (Bb) is defined as participating, doing, and completing assigned coursework.

INSTRUCTOR’S DISCRETION TO MODIFY THE SYLLABUS

The instructor has the authority to modify the syllabus based on (her/his) determination that such changes would better meet the learning objectives of the course. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain awareness of those modifications and note them as necessary

Hotline: +88 01907 800 811, +88 01907 800 822

Email: edu.info.aimc@gmail.com 

Website: www.aimcbangladesh.org

Course Details: www.aimcbangladesh.org/courses 

Scholarship Details: www.aimcbangladesh.org/scholarships 

For registration: www.aimcbangladesh.org/registration