WGSS 66.08 Self, Subject, Photography

Before the oft-reproduced social-media mechanism of the selfie, there existed (and still does) the artistic self-portrait. Utilized in the creative realm to create a representation of the artist as both subject and object, self-portraits can be whimsical, grim, tantalizing, performative, or combative. In this course we will examine gendered constructions of self- portraiture as they exist in poetry, memoir, and photography. Specifically, our task will be to examine the registers of possibility present when women use their bodies and stories to claim authorial space. Our goal during the term will be to think through all of the mechanisms of the self that are deployed in the context of artistic practice. Students will produce their own photographic self- portraits and write an analytical paper on a contemporary writer or visual artist.

Cross Listed Courses

AAAS 67.09 ENGL 63.29

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:ART; WCult:CI

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.