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79367-01 - Course: A Short History of Feminist Photography and Theory (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Peter Burleigh (p.burleigh@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Our understanding of the world is often represented, digested and framed through visual mechanisms. This course will look at a wide range of photographic artefacts considered across the history of the medium, principally by women photographers and writers. We will start by developing tools and terminology particular to the description and analysis of images, thinking, too, about how we can understand what photography is as a medium and a practice. In a second phase, we will look at the development of different photographic approaches to culture, raising questions about photography's documentary, evidential, and affective status. Thus, we will touch on aspects of identity construction, self-representation and broader political discourse, yet always keep in frame actual culture. The interplay of private and public and the key articulator of memory will also have important consequences in the development of a framing of feminist photography. |
| Learning objectives | Students will learn key terminology in visual discourse, and in particular photography. Students will learn about major figures in feminist photography. Students will read central critical texts in photography and visual studies, with the view to integrating and positioning these thinkers into a general understanding of the cultural in general and of feminist discourses in particular. Students will engage in discussing and critiquing each other's ideas and presentations of small sets of images, thus arriving at a synthesis of critical positions through group work. |
| Bibliography | Selected readings will be collected into a course reader; a body of images will also be provided, which students must familiarize themselves with. |
| Course application | Please register on services.unibas.ch by 1st September. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 14.09.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 21.09.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 28.09.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 05.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 12.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 19.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 26.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 02.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 09.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 16.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 23.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 30.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 07.12.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 14.12.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Module: Introduction to Academic Communication in English (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |