CSCH.3030 Photographs That Changed Our Lives
In the 21st century, we live in a world filled with photographic images. Most of us have a camera with us all the time, in the form of our smartphones. Statistics tend to show people are reading less and depending on images more as they gather information and make decisions. In addition, our sense of the past, at least of the past two centuries, is largely shaped by photographs. This seminar takes as its inspiration and point of departure Vicki Goldberg's celebrated 1991 book, The Power of Photography: How Photographs Changed our Lives (Abbeville) and Photos that Changed the World, Peter Stepan, ed. (Prestel 2000). We will look at the role photography has played in shaping attitudes, laws, and culture since its public announcement in 1839.