LFU:online

1. Teaching of scientifically substantiated, practically orientated and historically comparative knowledge about the epistemic content of images and visual information.
2. Advanced understanding of image reception and image generation in the human sense of vision.
3. Facilitation of the professional handling with visual matter in work practice – of historic picture sources, media of arts to digital world of images, fine arts and culture.
4. Promotion of the sense of responsibility and the ethical framework in working with image.
5. Realization of intersubjective and intercultural factors, which influence the use, reception and impact of images.
6. Practice of different image analysis tools, which – in the sense of visual literacy - should lead to a better image reading and understanding of visual information (e.g. visual thinking strategies, image analysis according to Bohnsack, differentiation of iconological and iconic approaches).
7. Raising awareness for the manipulative aspect of visual material focusing especially press photography.
8. Sensitization for the interplay of image language and text language concerning their complementary relationship (e.g. infographics).

The following topics will be treated:

1. Introduction to semiotics (image as a sign, e.g. Peirce).
2. Iconolgy and Iconic - The Meaning of Images (e.g. Imdahl versus Panofsky).
3. Image epistemology and the different forms of knowledge (propositional knowledge, indexical knowledge, ikonological knowledge).
4. Visual perception (e.g. psychophysics, optical illusion) end visual sense (visual acuity, colour vision, spacial vision etc.).
5. Relation of text and images in sciences (Human Sciences natural sciences).
6. Application of different image analysis procedures and deduction of its potential for the reading and understanding of visual material.
7. Confrontation with ethical questions concerning the usage of images and the manipualtion of images in the area of press photography (reference to historcial examples from the NS era).

Introductory talks given by the lecturer, sample exercises, plenary discussion.

Attendance, written work (paper), paper presentation.

Liebsch, Dimitri & Nikola Mößner (Hrsg.). Visualisierung und Erkenntnis. Bildverstehen und Bildverwenden in Natur- und Geisteswissenschaften. Herbert von Halem Verlag: Köln.

 Herder, Benita (2017). Bild und Fiktion. Eine Untersuchung über die Funktion von Bildern in der Erkenntnistheorie. Herbert von Halem: Köln.

Thomas Eberle (Hrsg.). Fotografie und Gesellschaft. Phänomenologische und wissenssoziologische Perspektiven. transcript: Bielefeld.