Engflm 0401 Nathan Scoll

W 6:00-9:50 PM Office Hrs: Wednesdays in conjunction with class or by

appointment, CL 501C

email: [email protected]

Images, Icons, and Ideas

Course Description: Since prehistoric times, humanity has been compelled to make sense of
observable reality and abstract thought by means of visual communication in the form of artistic
expressions, approximations, recordings, and signs. In this course, we will directly consider a
variety of visual media, both traditional and nontraditional. In addition to film, television, and
photography, we will consider graphic novels, fashion, graffiti, street art, museum installations,
gaming, advertising, etc., to understand how conceptions of visuality, gender, race, and politics
play a role in definitions of high/low art (and their concomitant questions of taste and value).

Texts and artifacts comprising visual culture foreground the notion that culture is the main site
we will be interrogating throughout the semester in the forms of specific images, icons, and
ideas, specifically their embodiment and reflection of ideologies and values of the cultures which
produce them. Namely: by considering the visual nature of historical-to-modern existence across
disciplines, we can ask how the naturalization of ideas occurs across all aspects of society, via
the reporting of the news, the regulation of public and private space, the competing notions of
subjectivity, and the role of the body in the virtual age. The philosophy behind the course seeks
to find nodes of intersection and points of convergence, implicitly challenging the borders
between fields of study and specializations. In other words, this course is interdisciplinary,
drawing from fields including art history, photography, cinema, and more recent and emergent
visual forms and forums.

Please Note: Cinematic media are uniquely situated to subsume and incorporate a variety of
visual arts so, while this course goes beyond the confines of cinema, we will be using cinematic
texts and examples to explore and apply the assorted facets of images, icons, and ideas.

And, finally, a note on visual culture relevant to our structure and purpose within this course--

W.J.J. Mitchell's Eight Counter-Theses on visual culture:

1. Visual culture encourages reflection on the differences between art and non-art, visual
and verbal signs, and ratios between different sensory and semiotic modes.
2. Visual culture entails a mediation on blindness, the invisible, the unseen, the unseeable,
and the overlooked; also on deafness and the visible language of gesture; it also compels
attention to the tactile, the auditory, the haptic, and the phenomenon of synesthesia
3. Visual culture is not limited to the study of images or media, but extends to the everyday
practices of seeing and showing, especially those that we take to be immediate or
unmediated. It is less concerned with the meaning of images than with their lives and
 loves.
4. There are no visual media. All media are mixed media, with varying ratios of senses and
sign-types.
5. The disembodied image and the embodied artifact are permanent elements in the
dialectics of visual culture. Images are to pictures and works of art as species are to
specimens in biology.
6. We do not live in a uniquely visual era. The 'visual' or 'pictorial turn' is a recurrent trope
that displaces moral and political panic onto images and so-called visual media. Images
are convenient scapegoats, and the offensive eye is ritually plucked out by ruthless
critique.
7. Visual culture is the visual construction of the social, not just the social constriction of
vision. The question of visual nature is therefore a central and unavoidable issue, along
with the role of animals as images and spectators.
8. The political task of visual culture is to perform critique without the comforts of
iconoclasm.

Required Text:
You will not need to purchase a textbook, all readings will be on Canvas. HOWEVER: You are
expected to do ALL READINGS. These will include select chapters from Mirzeoff, Nicholas An
Introduction to Visual Culture 2nd edition but the latter may be swapped out for other readings in
which case I will make an announcement of the expected reading for a given week, also via
Canvas.

Attendance Policy Attendance is required and will be checked each class. You are expected to
arrive on time, stay the whole class, and participate in discussions (just showing up and never
saying anything equates to a C for attendance and participation). You are allowed two absences
(more than two results in no points for attendance), though it is your responsibility to watch the
film and get notes from classmate as well as check Canvas for any assignments. UNDER NO
CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ASK ME TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU MISSED… it is
on YOU to get the notes from a fellow student. You may certainly ask me follow up questions to
clarify anything thereafter.

Please note, too, that I will communicate assignment reminders, upload the readings, and
otherwise communicate with you all en masse via Canvas’ ANNOUNCEMENTS section. Each
late arrival or early departure will be considered an absence. Missing even a single class will
adversely affect your ability to understand lectures, contextualize readings, participate in
discussions, and complete assignments. If you miss a significant portion of a class, you will be
considered absent. While one absence is not fatal to your grade, each successive absence will
(potentially and likely) negatively affect your attendance/participation grade, and if you miss 3
classes, you will be docked 10 points from the possible 15. Fourth absence means minus 2.5,
fifth means another 2.5 meaning you are down 15 out of 100 points, regardless of how well you
otherwise do. Certainly, if you have extenuating circumstances of the mental, physical, or
geographical variety, we can work out alternative means of participation such as extra work.
BUT that means you must communicate them clearly and, ideally, in advance to me, via email.
This may include documentation from a medical professional and / or official school
accommodation notice (see links embedded below). If you simply don’t show up very often it
will simply erode your participation grade. You will be evaluated on the quantity and quality of
your in-class participation (in other words and, again: just showing up will not garner you the
full points available).

Assigned Readings: Readings must be completed before the related class. Be sure to read
critically and actively. Come to each class prepared with questions and comments.
Note: You should be reading the texts and viewing the media critically and carefully. Take
notes.

Plagiarism: No plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind will be tolerated – any such
activity will result in automatic failure of the course and possible expulsion from the university.
Read the statement on plagiarism and Chat GPT affixed below.

Grading:
Short Paper 1 (video or paper advertisement analysis): 15%
Short Paper 2 (Music Video Analysis): 15%
Midterm 20%
Final Project: 25%
Attendance and Participation: 15%
Discussion Leader 10%

Discussion Leader
Each week, excepting the first and last of the term, the class will have three students who will
lead us in our group discussions. These groups will be randomly assigned during our first meet-
ing. The purpose of discussion leading is not for me to offload all of the responsibility to you;
however, it is important that as groups you are able to steer the ship as we discuss specific media
texts and assigned readings. I will clarify exactly what is required from group leaders before
these begin, and although you will need to generate handouts and/or visual presentations when it
is your turn to lead discussion, they will not need to be extremely detailed.

Short Paper 1
Do a 2-3 page paper analyzing a still advertisement. You may obtain such from print/magazine
or online sources including the Media History Digital Library’s Lantern search database. The ob-
jective of the assignment is to perform a deeper analytical reading of the logic and ostensible
aims of an ad that unpacks its ideological and capitalistic aims and psychological manipulations
as utilized in image selection and composition. Include coded and embedded concepts of race,
class, and gender as relevant.

Short Paper 2
Do a 3-4 page paper analyzing a music video among the selections I assign (although I am open
to you wanting to substitute one of your own choice). Again, the objective of the assignment is to
perform a deeper analytical reading of the logic and ostensible aims of an ad that unpacks its ide-
ological and capitalistic aims and psychological manipulations as utilized in shot selection and
composition... a more sophisticated and expansive assessment than the first paper and one in
which you will be expected to discuss class, gender, and race accordingly.

Final Project (Written and/or Visual)

Your final project will be a significant product of independent research and analysis. This can be:

1. A paper of 7-10 pages doing detailed and comparative analysis of 2-3 texts (texts in-
cluding still images, paintings, video games, films, etc) that we have NOT covered in
class, while implementing key terms, concepts, and readings that we HAVE covered
throughout the course with at least TWO additional sources beyond those readings.

2. A survey of a proposed production design of a NARRATIVE (meaning it must have a

story) movie, music video, book/comic/graphic novel, video game, or VR embodied
in the form of/ accompanied by a detailed “Look Book.” In other words, a photo al-
bum or extensive power point presentation of at least 15 images with DETAILED de-
scriptions and rationale of how the forms and images relate to the ideas and ideolo-
gies of the narrative.

3. A short film of 3 or so minutes following basic three act structure told entirely with-
out dialogue (sound is ok and yes, this means you can do a music video so long as the
story is told entirely through images and has NO DIALOGUE).

4. A video essay doing a deep dissection of a film, filmmaker, or sequence akin to an

Every Frame a Painting video essay (any of which you can watch on YouTube and at
least one of which we will have watched in class).

Practical Matters:
*Turn off your cell phone during class. No phone calls, no text messaging, no listening to
music on headphones. If you do any of these things, I will ask you to leave the class for the
day and you will not receive any credit for attendance on that day.*

 Writing Center: The Writing Center is an excellent resource for working on your writing
with an experienced consultant. Although you should not expect consultants to “correct”
your paper for you, they can assist you in learning to organize, edit, and revise your pa-
pers. Consultants can work with you on a one-time basis, or they can work with you
throughout the term. In some cases, I may require that you go to the Writing Center for
help on a particular problem; otherwise, you can decide on your own to seek assistance.
Their services are free, but you should check on-site or call ahead to make an appoint-
ment.
The Writing Center
317B O'Hara Student Center
4024 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
 412-624-6556

You can book an appt online at this website (as well as find out about satellite locations):
http://www.composition.pitt.edu/writingcenter/

Disability Resource Services

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are
encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Ser-
vices, 140 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890, as early as possible in the term. Disability Re-
sources and Services will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course. For more information, visit the Disability Resources and Services website.

Academic Integrity Policy

Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pitts-
burgh Policy on Academic Integrity, from the February 1974 Senate Committee on Ten-
ure and Academic Freedom reported to the Senate Council, will be required to participate in the
outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor. A minimum sanction of a zero score for
the quiz, paper or exam will be imposed. View the complete policy here.

E-mail Communication Policy

Each student is issued a University e-mail address ([email protected]) upon admittance. This
e-mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students. Stu-
dents are expected to read email sent to this account on a regular basis. Fail-
ure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the
student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications. The University
provides an e-mail forwarding service that allows students to read their email via other service
providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their email from
their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If email is lost as a result of
forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications
sent to their University e-mail address. To forward email sent to your University account,
go to http://accounts.pitt.edu, log into your account, click on Edit Forwarding Ad-
dresses, and follow the instructions on the page. Be sure to log out of your account when you
have finished. Click here for the full Email Communication Policy.

Note on ChatGPT and Generative AI*:

The use of generative AI writing tools (such as ChatGPT, GrammarlyGO, GPT-3, GPT-4, BERT, or others) is pro-
hibited in this class and counts as a form of plagiarism. Assignments for the course have been designed to help you
develop as a thinker and a writer without the use of these technologies. You will generate ideas, read, revise, and
write on your own and/or in consultation with peers, me, or Writing Center tutors and you will not use AI at any
stage of your writing process. You are the author of your work for the course and authorship means you take respon-
sibility for your words and claims. Any use of AI technologies in your work will be considered an academic in-
tegrity violation. This means it will be dealt with in the same way that other forms of plagiarism are dealt with as ex-
plained in the University's Academic Integrity
code: https://www.as.pitt.edu/faculty/policies-and-procedures/academic-integrity-code

* This policy was developed by Annette Vee (Pitt) and Tim Laquintano (Lafayette College).

Students experiencing food insecurity, please review available resources here

Non-discrimination policy
As an educational institution and as an employer, Pitt values equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial/eth-
nic and cultural diversity. Accordingly, the University prohibits and will not engage in discrimination or harassment
on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orienta-
tion, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability, or status as a veteran. Click here for the full
non-discrimination policy.
Sexual misconduct, required reporting, and Title IX

The University is committed to combatting sexual misconduct. As a result, you should know that University fac-
ulty and staff members are required to report any instances of sexual misconduct, including harassment and sexual
violence, to the University’s Title IX office so that the victim may be provided appropriate resources and support
options. What this means is that as your professor, I am required to report any incidents of sexual misconduct that
are directly reported to me, or of which I am somehow made aware.
There are two important exceptions to this requirement about which you should be aware:
 A list of the designated University employees who, as counselors and medical professionals, do not have
this reporting responsibility and can maintain confidentiality, can be found here.

 An important exception to the reporting requirement exists for academic work. Disclosures about sexual
misconduct that are shared as part of an academic project, classroom discussion, or course assignment, are
not required to be disclosed to the University’s Title IX office

If you are the victim of sexual misconduct, Pitt encourages you to reach out to these resources:
 Title IX Office: 412-648-7860

 The University Counseling Center: 412-648-7856

 If you have a safety concern, please contact the University of Pittsburgh Police:

o On-Campus Emergency: 412-624-2121

o Off-Campus Emergency: 412-624-2121

o Non-Emergency: 412-624-4040

Counseling/Mental Health Services

Pitt offers free personal and academic counseling at the University Counseling Center. Specialized counseling ser-
vices are available to victims of sexual assault. In a crisis situation, university police can also connect you with an
on-call counselor affiliated with the UCC.

 General Mental Health Crisis Response: 412-648-7930

 Sexual Assault Response: 412-648-7856

 Re:solve Crisis Network: A crisis can be anything from feeling lonely and needing to talk, to feeling over-
whelmed with life. Stress and problems — both large and small — fill each of our lives and we all have
 moments of crisis. No matter how big or small these problems seem, it helps to talk with someone. There's
no need to wait until a problem spirals out of control to reach out for help. Resolve offers 24-hour, 365-day
crisis service. It's free to all residents of Allegheny County, regardless of your ability to pay.

 24-hour hotline: Call us anytime to speak with a trained clinician at 1-888-796-8226).

 Mobile Crisis Team: Our mobile crisis teams can travel anywhere within Allegheny County to respond to a
crisis. They provide face-to-face support and will work to arrange further care and stabilization if needed.

 Walk-in center: You don't need to make an appointment at our walk-in center, located in the East End of
Pittsburgh. Walk in anytime to talk, get a break from daily stress, or have us connect you to more long-term
care and support. We also offer residential services for those who qualify.

Gender-inclusive language

Students may share their preferred pronouns and names, and these gender identities and gender expressions should
be honored by everyone in the class, whether via blog posts or group video discussions. Aspiring to create a learning
environment in which people of all identities are encouraged to contribute their perspectives to academic discourse,
the University of Pittsburgh Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program provides guidelines and resources re-
garding gender inclusive/non-sexist language. Following these guidelines fosters an inclusive and welcoming envi-
ronment, strengthens academic writing, enriches discussion, and reflects best professional practices. Language is
gender-inclusive and non-sexist when we use words that affirm and respect how people describe, express, and expe-
rience their gender. Gender-inclusive/non-sexist language acknowledges people of any gender (e.g. first-year versus
freshman, chair versus chairman, humankind versus mankind). It also affirms non-binary gender identifications and
recognizes the difference between biological sex and gender expression. These guidelines fulfill the best intentions
of the University of Pittsburgh’s Non-Discrimination Policy: https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/policies/policy/07/07-01-
03.html. For additional information please visit the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program:
http://www.gswstudies.pitt.edu/

“R” Rating Disclaimer

Some of the assigned media is rated ‘R’ or unrated: there may be violence, language, and sexuality that could be
considered objectionable or difficult for students. If a film poses a significant barrier to you, you’re free to discuss
with me options for different viewing, but be aware that “mature content” may become part of our discussions none-
theless. I also advise that you read-up on the film or media ahead of time and speak to me about your concerns so we
can discuss viewing options. I recognize that specific content can pose a safety and/or mental health risk for individ-
uals coping with symptoms of PTSD related to sexual, violent, or long-term trauma. I will do my best to announce
material that may be common triggers and you are under no obligation to disclose this to me unless you have chosen
to as part of a disability.

The ‘R’ Rating Many of the films that we view this semester are rated ‘R’ or unrated and contain what
may be considered objectionable violence, language, and sexuality. If you foresee an objection to viewing
any of the scheduled films, then I encourage you to see me immediately for alternate arrangements. We
will use this “objectionable” material as a platform to discuss the ‘R’ ratings and the changing rules of
acceptability in the American film industry and culture.

SCHEDULE

Week 1 Jan 8: Introduction to Visual Culture: Basic Analytical Tools and Discerning
Ideology, Art History Survey 1
Viewing: Killing Us Softly 3 (Kilbourne, 1999), clips from Mad Men

Week 2 Jan 15: Painting, POV, perspective, and policing: How to Get WAY More Out of
Visiting an Art Museum and Art History Survey 2
Readings: Berger from Ways of Seeing, Elsaesser from Rouge (Canvas)
Assorted Classical Paintings
Viewing: Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land (Misc/ “Disney,” 1959), Misc Clips (Art History
sequences from The Great Courses, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, etc)
Group 1:

Week 3 Jan 22: Photography and Questions of the Real: Studio/Punctum, Art History
Survey 3
Readings: Chapter 10, Barthes “Rhetoric of the Image” “On Photography”
Assorted Iconic Photos
Viewing: Blow-Up (Antonioni, 1966, 111 mins) DVD 3154
Group 2-

Week 4 Jan 29: Panopticon and Surveillance: Direct Cinema, Cinema Verite
Reading Chapter 4 or Barnouw chapter on Direct Cinema and Cinema Verite
Photorealist Painting
Viewing: 4 Months 3 Weeks Two Days (Mungiu, 2007) or The Lives of Others (Von
Donnersmarck, 2006) clips: Maysles Brothers and Fred Wiseman films, Minority Report
(Spielberg, 2002)
Group 3-

DUE: SHORT PAPER 1

Week 5 February 5: Body and Race

Readings: McClintock "Soft-Soaping Empire" (Chapter 44), Chapter 3 or selections from
Williams, Playing the Race Card
Viewing: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Fassbender, 94 mins, 1974)
Group 4-

Week 6 February 12: Colonization and Mapping the World, Eurocentrism

Readings: Passages from Shohat and Stam, Unthinking Eurocentrism, Chapter 7
Gauguin, Picasso, Van Gogh
Viewing: Clips of Pocahontas (Gabriel and Goldberg, 1995, 81 mins) and other cartoons,
Black Girl (Sembene, 1969), White Lotus clips
Group 5-

Week 7 February 19: The (Post)colonial Body

Reading Chapter 6, Richard Dyer excerpt White
Viewing Breakfast on Pluto (Jordan, 128 mins, 2005) DVD 7963, or District 9 (Blomkamp,
2009)
Group 6-
Midterm

Week 8 February 26: Public Space and the Citizen-Creator: Graffiti and Street Art
Reading: Neef "Killing Kool: The Graffiti Museum"
Viewing: Bomb It (Reiss, 2007, 93 mins) DVD 4909 or Style Wars (Silver, 1983, 69 mins)
Clips: Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy, 2010)
Group 7-

Week 9: SPRING BREAK

Week 10 March 12: Musicians, Class, Masculinity

Reading: “Rock Incorporated” and Chapter 11 or excerpts Marcus, Mystery Train
Viewing: The Harder They Come (Henzel, 1972), clips of concert docs and music videos
Group 8-

Week 11 March 19: Subculture and Hegemony

Reading: Hebdige “Hegemony”
Viewing: Decline of the Western Civilization (Spheeris,1981)
Group 9-

DUE: SHORT PAPER 2

Week 12 March 26: Fashion Meaning, Gender

Reading: Cohan “Queer Eye for the Straight Guise: Camp, postfeminism, and the Fab Five’s
makeovers of masculinity” and Roberts “The Fashion Police: Governing the Self in What Not to
Wear”
Viewing: Paris is Burning (Livingston, 1989), Clips: Bruno, Simpsons, Queer Eye for the
Straight Guy
Group 10-

Week 13 April 2: Comics, Graphic Novels, and the Nature of the Unseen
Reading: excerpt McCloud Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, excerpt Clowes, Ghost
World
Viewing: Ghost World (Zwigoff, 2001, 111 mins) DVD 5447 Clips: Hulk (Lee, 2003)
Group 11-

Week 14 April 9: Transmedia: Comic Books, Fandoms, and Video Games

Reading: Jenkins and read blog/watch video essay by Drew Morton “From the Panel to the
Frame” (http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/video-essay-from-the-panel-to-the-frame-style-
and-scott-pilgrim)
“Every Video Game Reference in Scott Pilgrim”
(http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2010/08/every_video_game_reference_in.php)
Viewing Scott Pilgrim (Wright, 2010, 112 mins) and various walk throughs and live play in class
Short paper 2 due: Spatial Analysis
Dana Ware guest zoom?
Group 12-

Week 15 4/16 New Media and …loving your OS?

Reading: Chapter 9 and Nakamura "Where do you want to go today" (Chapter 27)
Viewing: Her (Jonze, 2013, 126 mins) and parodies
Group 13-

Final Projects, Written, Visual, or Interactive, Due with In-Class Presentations of Look
Book/Music Video/Video Essay