Critical Thinking and Writing

Not scheduled

Code Completion Credits Range Language of instruction Semester
307DKMP credit 3 24 exercise hours (45 min) of instruction per semester, 57 to 72 hours of self-study English, Czech winter

Subject guarantor

Tomáš DVOŘÁK

Name of lecturer(s)

Tomáš DVOŘÁK

Department

The subject provides Department of Photography

Contents

The seminar introduces critical and essayistic writing as a way of developing, articulating and questioning ideas in and around photographic practice. It is intended for students who want to engage more deeply with theoretical and critical thinking and to develop an extended piece of writing related either to their own artistic work or to a broader problem in photography, visual culture, art or media. Rather than treating writing simply as a means of explaining artworks, the course approaches it as a form of inquiry in its own right: a way of discovering connections, testing arguments, describing images, working with concepts and positioning one's practice within wider artistic, historical, social and theoretical contexts. During the semester, students develop their essay through several stages: formulation of a topic and research question, preliminary bibliography, short abstract or proposal, outline, selected draft sections, peer discussion and revision of the complete text.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to:

–formulate a focused question or problem suitable for an extended critical essay;

–develop an argument and sustain it across a longer piece of writing;

–connect questions arising from photographic or artistic practice with wider theoretical, historical, cultural or political contexts;

–analyse and describe photographs and other visual material with precision;

–critically read theoretical and scholarly texts and identify their central arguments;

–revise and edit their own writing in response to discussion and feedback;

–produce an independently researched critical essay.

Prerequisites and other requirements

-

Literature

Shirley, R. - Simmons, M. Photographers and Research: The role of research in contemporary photographic practice. London: Taylor & Francis 2017.

Turabian, K. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Ninth Edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press 2018.

Turabian, K. Student’s Guide to Writing College Papers, Fifth Edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press 2019.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Regular attendance (min. 80%); submission of a written text, 20-25 pages.

Note

Individual consultations by appointment

Further information

No schedule has been prepared for this course

The subject is a part of the following study plans