| Unit name | The Illustrated Press |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART30055 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Mr. William Hamilton |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of History of Art (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
The Illustrated Press offers unique insight into some of the most urgent concerns in the history of art and visual culture. It takes a prescient look at how images in the press charged perceptions of reality and variously had the potential to: transgress cultural boundaries; warp ‘the other’; and amplify political divisions. It will look in detail at technological and commercial developments that established illustrated periodicals as important interlocutors in international discourse during the ‘long nineteenth century’ and beyond. It will also emphasise how the illustrated press fuelled division through the spread of propaganda, sensationalism, and fake news, while assessing how trends in journalism intersected with parallel developments in comics, cartoons and illustration as popular entertainment.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Special Subject seminars build on your previous units by allowing you to focus on a particular area in greater depth. You will further your understanding of specific geographical and temporal contexts; hone your critical skills, including visual analysis; and develop greater confidence with primary sources and complex concepts to support your independent research.
An overview of content
Material on this unit ranges from biting satirical cartoons about the French Revolution to nationalist superheroes mobilised in WWII. We will also discuss how newspaper illustrations had the power to entertain, shock and mislead, and dissect the iconography of heroism in youth magazines. We will debate how the illustrated press fractured political consensus or, alternatively, sought common ideological ground with an emphasis on fantasy escapism and shared humour. It foregrounds a range of key artists and publications, some very well known, others less so, that will allow us to explore complex intersections between lighthearted entertainment, serialised fantasy fiction, provocative satire, journalistic reportage, ‘lowbrow’ youth literature, and inflammatory propaganda. Publications could include: Fliegende Blätter, the Illustrated London News, New York World, and Le Petit Vingtième.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of this unit?
This unit will boost students’ ability to adapt art historical methods for material on the discipline’s periphery. It will develop skills around the treatment of primary sources as we tackle issues associated with the illustrated press (e.g. volume, ephemerality, etc.). This will enable students to develop sophisticated arguments using fresh visual material, while also drawing on relevant contexts, concepts, and secondary literature.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
2 hr weekly seminar.
1 hr weekly workshop.
Weekly teaching will consist of a two-hour interactive seminar, that will combine lecturer-led discussion with independent and group activities. The lecturer will introduce key examples, contexts, theories, and questions, designed to provide a framework for students to explore and share their own individual perspectives on the content. We will engage in activities, such as: debates; quizzes; micro-research activities; mini exhibits; collaborative criticisms (where teams critique short written responses by other groups); and theoretical pick n’mix (where each team analyses the same image using a different theory). The workshops will support student projects and introduce key skills specific to the illustrated press, such as: working with digital archives; managing and selecting material (which is especially important when working with large quantities of visual material in periodicals); and adapting art historical visual analysis for printed ephemera.
Tasks which count toward your unit mark (summative):
Digital presentation (25%) [ILOs 1-5]
Timed assessment (75%) [ILOs 1-5]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HART30055).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
