Course Outline of Record

Item	Value
Eff Term	Fall 2026
Curriculum Committee Approval Date	11/01/2022
Top Code	100200 - Art
Units	3 Total Units (Lecture Units 3)
Hours	54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours	108
Total Student Learning Hours	162
Course Credit Status	Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee	No
Basic Skills	Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable	No
Open Entry/Open Exit	No
Grading Policy	Standard Letter (S),  Pass/No Pass (B)
Local General Education (GE)	Area 3 Arts and Humanities (GC)
California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC)	Cal-GETC 3A Arts (3A)
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)	IGETC 3A Arts (3A)
California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth)	CSU C1 Arts (C1)

Course Description

This course is an overview of the history of photography from its invention to the present. Students will examine photography's social, historical, and political impact and look at how images were produced, circulated, and consumed in mass media as well as in public and private settings. Photography’s multiple roles in society as an artistic, scientific, commercial, and journalistic medium will also be explored. The work of key photographers, artistic styles, and technical innovations that have shaped both darkroom and digital photography will also be covered. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

1. Explain the historical development of photography.
2. Use art historical and photography specific terminology as it relates to the analysis and description of photographs.
3. Analyze key photographs and photographers for historical and conceptual significance.

Course Objectives

• Describe photography's historical shift from a utilitarian instrument to a fine arts tool.
• Identify the stylistic characteristics of major photographic movements and photographers.
• Analyze photographs for historical and conceptual significance in written and oral form.
• Describe photographs using art historical and photography specific vocabulary.
• Analyze formal attributes specific to the medium of photography.
• Evaluate the impact of technology on photography.

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Lecture Content

1. Beginnings of Photography
   1. Pre-photographic image making and tools
   2. Beginnings of photography around the world 
   3. The invention of photography
2. The Early Photographic Process and Printing Methods
   1. Daguerreotype
   2. Calotype
   3. Wet-Plate process
   4. Albumen process
   5. Ambrotype
   6. Tintype
   7. Carte de visite
   8. Portrait studios
   9. Stereoscope
3. Early War and Expeditionary Photography
   1. American Civil War and other global conflicts
   2. Topographical and travel photography 
4. Science and Photography 
   1. Motion studies
   2. Ethnographic photography
   3. Photography and medicine
   4. Photography and astronomy
   5. The X-Ray
5. Key photographers of the 19th century such as:
   1. Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
   2. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
   3. William Henry Fox Talbot
   4. Anna Atkins
   5. Augustus Washington
   6. Lady Clementina Hawarden
   7. Julia Margaret Cameron
   8. Roger Fenton
   9. Matthew B. Brady
   10. Timothy O'Sullivan
   11. Carleton E. Watkins
   12. Lang Jingshan
   13. Étienne-Jules Marey
   14. Eadweard Muybridge
   15. Jacob August Riis
   16. Lewis Hine
6. Mass Market Photography
   1. Hand-held cameras
   2. Snapshots
   3. Candid photographs
7. Photography as an Art Form 
   1. Influences on and debates with painting medium
   2. The Stieglitz Group
   3. Pictorialism
   4. Photo-Secession
   5. Tonalism
8. Photography as a Social Tool
   1. Social reform photographers
   2. FSA and WPA photographers
9. Art and Photography 
   1. Photomontage and photocollage
   2. Experimental art photography
   3. Modernism and photography
   4. Avant-garde photographers
10. Photography around the Globe Post-WWII
    1. The Americas
    2. Africa
    3. Asia
11. Cold War Era Photography 
    1. Color Photography
    2. Polaroids
    3. Photojournalism and war reporters 
    4. Street photographers
    5. Photography in and as art
12. Photography since 1970
    1. Innovations in technology
    2. Digital photography  
    3. Photography and social change
    4. Photography and science
    5. Environmentalism and photography 
    6. Fashion photography
    7. Photography and advertising 
    8. Avant-garde art and photography
    9. Digital manipulation and photography
13. Photography in the 21st Century
    1. Current trends in photography
14. Key photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries such as:
    1. Alfred Stieglitz
    2. Shigemi Uyeda
    3. Hannah Höch
    4. Lola Álvarez Bravo
    5. László Moholy-Nagy
    6. Henri Cartier-Bresson
    7. Dorothea Lange
    8. Walker Evans
    9. Esther Bubley
    10. Gordon Parks
    11. Robert Frank
    12. Garry Winogrand
    13. Richard Avedon
    14. Diane Arbus
    15. Cindy Sherman
    16. Barbara Kruger
    17. Sally Mann
    18. Carrie Mae Weems
    19. Joel Sternfeld
    20. Felix Gonzalez-Torres
    21. Santu Mofokeng
    22. Lorna Simpson
    23. Shirin Neshat
    24. An-My Lê
    25. Annie Leibovitz
    26. Graciela Iturbide
    27. Cao Fei
    28. Shahzia Sikander

Method(s) of Instruction

• Lecture (02)
• DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
• DE Online Lecture (02X)

Instructional Techniques

-

Reading Assignments

Textbook and supplementary articles, handouts, etc. provided by Instructor.

Writing Assignments

Essay exams. Written assignments based on assigned readings, class discussions, and analysis of photographs. Written assignments related to various aspects of the historical and artistic influences on photography's development.

Out-of-class Assignments

Additional assigned readings, articles, and handouts provided by Instructor.

Study Non-Contact Hours Recommended

108

Methods of Student Evaluation

• Midterm Exam
• Final Exam
• Short Quizzes
• Written Assignments
• Essay Examinations
• Objective Examinations
• Report
• Projects (Individual/Group)
• Problem Solving Exercises
• Oral Presentations

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Write responses to essay questions analyzing the history of photography. Discuss and analyze individual photographs, photographers, and photographic movements from historical and aesthetic perspectives.  Image identification and comparison.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Research various topics related to history of photography. Written assignments based on readings, class discussions or analysis of photographs, photographers, and photographic movements.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Marien, M. W. Photography: A Cultural History, 5th ed. Laurence King, 2021 2. Required Hirsch, R. Seizing the Light: A Social Aesthetic History of Photography, 3 ed. Taylor Francis, 2017 3. Required Kilroy-Ewbank, L., editor. Reframing Art History, 1st ed. Smarthistory.org OER, 2022

Resources Subscreen

• Textbook: M. W. Marien. Photography: A Cultural History. Laurence King (2021).
• Textbook: R. Hirsch. Seizing the Light: A Social & Aesthetic History of Photography. Routledge (2024).
• Open Education Resource: L. Kilroy-Ewbank, editor. Reframing Art History: History of Photography. (2022).

Eligible Discipline(s)

• Art history: Master’s degree in art history, history of art and architecture, or visual culture/visual studies OR bachelor’s degree in art history and master’s degree in history OR master’s degree in art with a recorded emphasis or concentration in art history OR the equivalent. Master's degree required.