Visual Culture

The Master of Letters consists of 50 per cent coursework (24 units of credit at 6 units of credit per course) and 50 per cent dissertation (24 units of credit). Coursework normally consists of 4 courses or equivalent, based on assessment for each of not fewer than 5,000 words or equivalent, in reading courses relevant to the discipline area. The word length of the dissertation will be no fewer than 15,000 words, and no more than 20,000 words.

The Visual Image

Credit: 6 Units of credit (12.5%)

Term: Terms 1 & 2

Contact: Dr Andrew Wallace

Description: This course explores modern culture from the perspective of the visual image. Visuality determines what counts as real and truthful, as well as the pleasures of seeing and looking. In particular, we look at the photographic image, its appropriation as a means of surveillance, as well as its use in voyeuristic display. We also examine the emergence of visual imagery in film and electronic media, as well as other art forms, considering the way they have shaped the way we see the world in terms of visual representation. This course will provide a solid framework for research in visual culture, its forms and technologies, in both the historical and contemporary sense.

Writing in Images: Comics and Cartoons in the 20th Century

Credit: 6 Units of credit (12.5%)

Term: Terms 1 & 2

Contact: Dr Andrew Wallace

Description: Printed cartoons and comics are an intriguing phenomenon, both socially and textually. They range from ‘highbrow' to ‘lowbrow'; are often subversive; and have interesting connections with other art forms and cultural practices including cinema, advertising, journalism and popular fiction. Having surveyed the topic in a general way, students can pursue any aspect of special interest. They can concentrate on textual analysis or on examination of the context in which cartoons and comics are produced and consumed.

The Body, Film and Visual Culture

Credit: 6 Units of credit (12.5%)

Term: Terms 1 & 2

Contact:

Description: This course looks closely at how, and what, the body visually signifies within mainstream cinema, exploring aspects including: how bodies tell stories; how bodies indicate gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity; what costume, hairstyles, and makeup contribute to a body's "readability"; violence and the disintegration of bodies; and how bodies move through space and place. No set textbook; readings will be set for each week.

Space, Place and the Built Environment

Credit: 6 Units of credit (12.5%)

Term: Terms 1 & 2

Contact: Dr Andrew Wallace

Description: This course develops an understanding of how cultural meanings and social relations are constructed through the representation and use of space and place. It provides a knowledge of the major theories and debates about the concepts and definitions of space and place from geographical and cultural perspectives, within both global and local contexts. For assessment purposes students will be encouraged to research an environment to which they have physical access.

Photography in the Twentieth Century

Credit: 6 Units of credit (12.5%)

Term: Terms 1 & 2

Contact: Dr Andrew Wallace

Description: After surveying some fundamental theoretical issues, students will concentrate on one particular branch of photographic practice (for instance art photography, commercial photography, photojournalism, domestic photography) and examine its relation to other kinds of photography as well as to cultural, social, political and technological changes through the twentieth century