Topic: Course introduction, academic expectations, critical reading Description: We will introduce the topics of this course along with the academic expectations. - Review of syllabus, an overview of the course structure, assignments, deadlines, and topics. Short introduction of the course topics + The first in-class practical project assignment hand out - Graded as part of the class activity grade. Reading: Prepare questions about the syllabus – available in the course on NEO before the course starts. Assignments/deadlines: NEO – Study the pdf lecture, practice the first terms, work on the practical project at home. - NEO discussion 1 due week 2 (Graded) – the total of 5 NEO discussions will be graded at the end of the course by 5%: - Read the article by Kandinski – accessible through the pdf lecture. Discuss the 5 lessons by Kandinski (see the description in NEO Forum for details).

Topic: Lecture: Design Elements and Principles Description: Introduction: The building blocks of visual communication. Analysis of selected images by teacher to evaluate the design elements and principles. + Short practical project assignment in class - Graded as part of the class activity grade. Reading: NEO – Study the pdf lecture. Assignments/deadlines: Discussion 1 is due to NEO. Finish the practical class project at home - submit a photo of the finished project to NEO in week 3. NEO discussion 2 due week 3: Image and Identity (Graded)

Topic: First meeting in class Written assignment 1 hand-out, After the Class Gallery visit 1 – Museum Kampa Reading: Visual methodologies: an introduction to the interpretation of visual materials, Gillian Rose, Chapter 2, "The good eye", pages 33 to 48 Apply the required reading in your written assignment. Assignments/deadlines: Discussion 2 is due to NEO. Practical project from weeks 1 + 2 is due to NEO dropbox. Written Analysis 1 – DUE week 5 to NEO (10%): Elements and principles of design (week 2). Select one image from the gallery visit 1. Take a photo of it. Describe it in writing to meet the requirements – detailed description hand-out. 4 academic sources are mandatory.

Topic: Lecture: Subject, form, content Description: Components present in every piece of art. Practical in-class project to practice the topics - Graded as part of the class activity grade. Reading: Study BEFORE week 5 – in NEO Resources: Rose, Gillian, Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials, chapter 4, Semiology, Introduction page + 74 – 78 – Graded as part of the class activity grade. Assignments/deadlines: Written Assignment 1 – DUE week 5 to NEO (10%)

Topic: Lecture: Semiotic meaning - Sign Systems of Visual Design As we continue to explore visual communication, the examples and reading for this module will suggest the meaning of an image as a sign. Reading: NEO – Study the pdf lecture Assignments/deadlines: Written assignment 1 is due. To do: Practice understanding of signs: Road signs, due week 6, (5%)

Topic: Lecture: Semiotic meaning, continued – Commercial Images. We will analyze images given by the teacher. Discuss how contextual relationships – gender, race, social relationships) and design elements and principles (like line, shape, scale, spatiality, perspective, balance, direction, lighting, proportion) affect the semiotic meaning of commercial images - Graded as part of the class activity grade. Reading: Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials, Rose, Gillian, chapter 4 - Semiology (pages 69 – 99 – find and read relevant topics as per this lecture). Review questions in class 8, part of class activity. Assignments/deadlines: Road signs assignment is due (5%). NEO discussion 3 due week 7: Review of this lecture (Graded) Midterm Topics to study - hand-out. Study the topics for Midterm test. NEO – Study the pdf lecture.

Topic: Midterm analysis (2 hours written evaluation) 20% Assignments/deadlines: To do BEFORE week 8 - Prepare images representing the studied terms to expand the in-class topics review (Place the images into a designated NEO drop box ahead of the lecture). Assignments/deadlines: NEO discussion is 3 due. (Graded)

Topic: Lecture: Metaphor – SYMBOL What role does symbol, metaphor, association, and analogy play in adverts or in fine art images? Do you detect any codes functioning? - We will analyze images related to the topic (students + teacher’s choice) – Students submit images as per the NEO description to a dropbox during in-class discussion activity: evaluation + discussion - Graded as part of the class activity grade. Reading: NEO – Study the pdf lecture. Review questions in class 9, part of class activity.

Topic: Lecture: Consumer object From a semiotic perspective, objects - such as things we buy or wear, are signs. We can analyze the signifying aspects of an object to see what they reflect about the culture in which they function. -Discuss the topic of the consumer object based on images provided by teacher in the pdf lecture - Graded as part of the class activity grade. Reading: Read before week 10! https://www.discoveranthropology.org.uk/about-anthropology/fieldwork.html + NEO – Study the pdf lecture. Review questions in class 10, part of class activity. Assignments/deadlines: NEO discussion 4 due week 10 (Graded) Practice the understanding of a consumer object and its semiotic meaning.

Topic: Lecture: Tourist and Anthropologist photographic observation + Practical hands-on project + written assignment, Hand-out. (20%) In-class description of the Hands-on Project. Reading: NEO – Study the pdf lecture. For week 11: The Handbook of Visual Culture, Chapter: Film and Visual Culture (AAU library hard copy + scanned chapter in NEO Resources). Assignments/deadlines: Discussion 4 is due. Graded practical Hands-on Assignment Tourist and Anthropologist photographic assignment. The assignment will be explained first in class. Due week 12: Written anthropologist assignment + PPT Presentation due to NEO. Prepare to present your anthropological project in a PPT (or Google Slides) format. Adjust and shorten the submitted written assignment to fit the PPT format. - Discussion 5 to NEO, (graded), due week 11 - Discuss with the classmates the Anthropologist project, apply critical visual analysis due in NEO.

Topic: Lecture: Typography / Graffiti / Commix. Description: Typography can take on a visual form in graphic design or fine art. What is the role of typography? Graffiti is an expression of culture and feelings through an art form on the walls. Commix is a unique form of visual storytelling. Structured ambiguity – In-class Hands-on project to practice the topics. Assignments/deadlines: Final paper and related hands-on project DUE to NEO by May 20, 20%

Topic: Anthropologist written assignment is due to NEO. Written assignment 2 hand out information + the Gallery visit 2 field trip (Gallery Rudolfinum, or other) Assignments/deadlines: Anthropological project is due. Written Assignment 2 to NEO DUE week 13 (10%): Evaluate selected piece of art by critical analysis allowing you to use maximum of the course terms + readings - Written analysis of a selected piece of art from the gallery visit. 3 academic sources are mandatory as the minimum. Reading: FOR week 13: Fundamentals of Creative Photography, Präkel, David, AVA Publishing, 2010, Chapter 2 (scanned to NEO Resources). Review questions in class 13, part of class activity. Assignments/deadlines: Written anthropologist assignment is due to NEO. Discussion 5 is due to NEO (Graded).

Topic: Lecture: Photography - how to understand the content? Film - how to understand the content? TBC Guest lecture (Mary Angiolillo or Anthony Marais) Apart from learning how to look at visual images, the analysis of images as signs and symbols in the semiotic analysis, we also need to understand the question of content - the "Why". Practical in-class project: Portrait - Graded as part of the class activity grade. Reading: BEFORE week 14 Mandatory: Baldwin, Jonathan, Visual Communication: From theory to practice, Neville Brody. Review questions in class 14, part of class activity. NEO – Study the pdf lecture. Assignments / deadlines: Written assignment 2 is DUE (10%) End of course NEO discussion 6 - due week 14 (Voluntary) – Evaluate the course.

We will take advantage of the last week to vist a reconstructed studio of a couple who worked together in their sculpture studio. The tour will complete our Visual Literacy course by consciously applying the learned ways of looking and describing images in practice.