CAPPL 3501 Visual Sociology and Action Through Arts and Design
Visual sociology has expanded analysis of the social world with its examination of what is seen, visually illustrated, photographed, and filmed rather than more traditional depictions represented by text and numbers. Visual sociology typically has two emphases: 1. Studying human behaviors through visual representations and 2. Employing visual methods to conduct sociological research. In this course, we will explore another possibility that visual sociology offers that is to reflect upon our identities and subjectivities as we “see” the social world through our own visual lens. “Seeing social inequity” requires us to dig deeper into the meaning of variant social positions and identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and abilities. This course, thus, is a collaborative approach towards envisioning social justice and action using sociological theories and concepts. This semester, we will focus on immigration issues. Faculty from the disciplines of the arts and design and the social sciences will collaborate with students to create a visual product that reflects the investigation into social inequity. No prerequisites are required.