Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen
Koninklijke Academie van Antwerpen
Photography: Historical research 29788/3580/2627/1/32
Study guide

Photography: Historical research 2

9788/3580/2627/1/32
Academic year 2026-27
Is found in:
  • Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts, programme stage 2
    Specialisation:
    • Photography
  • Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts
    Specialisation:
    • Photography
This is a single course unit.
Study load: 3 credits
Special admission is required to enrol in this course unit under
  • exam contract (to obtain a credit).
  • exam contract (to obtain a degree).
Co-ordinator: Henneman Inge (dut,eng)
Other teaching staff: Vanthuyne Stefan
Languages: Dutch, English
Scheduled for: Semester 2
This course unit is marked out of 20 (rounded to an integer).
Possible deadlines for learning account: 15.03.2027 ()
Re-sit exam: is possible.
Possibility of deliberation: You have to pass this course unit (will never be deliberated).
Total study time: 78,00 hours

Prerequisites

previously registered for Photo History I (part 2).

Short description

Postwar photography from the 1970s-1980s with focus on the photobook. Selected topics from contemporary photography.

Lectures alternate with student presentations (research assignments).

Learning outcomes (list)

BA5 - When developing his/her personal visual language the students starts from a searching and reflective attitude when developing one's own visual language.
The student is able to carry out systematic and focused photo-historical research and to link the acquired insights to the personal work.

Course content

Following a series of lectures, each student is given the assignment of creating a visual essay on a theme or topic linked to photography of the 1970-80s and communicating it in an oral presentation. Here the student takes on the role of curator and researcher.

From New Topographics to Conceptual photography, from Pop art to Pictures Generation and Appropriation. Through intensive research and group discussion, students delve into the work of key photographers of the postwar period and its connection to the cultural and social historical context.

Study material (list)

Photography. The Whole StoryMandatory
  • Author: Hacking, J.
Recommended
  • Author: Alan Trachtenberg
Recommended
  • Author: Andy Grundberg
Recommended
  • Author: David Campany
A Short History of PhotographyRecommended
  • Author: Walter Benjamin
Art Since 1900Recommended
  • Author: Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, Benjamin H.D. Buchloh, David Joselit
Library of Photography, 1, 2 & 3, Antwerp Photo Museum & Dutch Photo Museum, 2004-2007Recommended
On PhotographyRecommended
  • Author: Susan Sontag
Photography: A Cultural HistoryRecommended
  • Author: Mary Warner Marien
Regarding the Pain of OthersRecommended
  • Author: Susan Sontag
The Nature of PhotographsRecommended
  • Author: Stephen Shore
The Photograph as Contemporary ArtRecommended
  • Author: Charlotte Cotton
The Photography Reader (p 19-30) - Roland Barthes, ‘Extracts from Camera Lucida. Reflections on Photography’Recommended
  • Author: Liz Wells
The Photography Reader (p 42-52) - Walter Benjamin, Extracts from 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'Recommended
  • Author: Liz Wells
Ways of Seeing (www.ways-of-seeing.com)Recommended
  • Author: John Berger

Educational organisation (list)

Learning Activities
Lectures and / or tutorials26,00 hours
Work time outside of contact hours52,00 hours
  • Description: self-tuition - visit exhibitions - photohistorical research

Evaluation (list)

Evaluation(s) for first exam chance
MomentForm%Remark
1st examination periodReflection assignment permanently during class weeks (Permanent evaluation)30,00
1st examination periodResearch Assignment70,00• Students are expected to be present during classes. Absences can have a negative impact on your study results.
Evaluation(s) for re-sit exam
MomentForm%Remark
2nd examination periodResearch Assignment100,00

Evaluation (text)

Semester 2: Visual essay+ presentation