FH1S52 - Documentary Contexts 01 Sep 2020 - 31 Aug 2026 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: FH1S52
Module Title: Documentary Contexts
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Fashion, Marketing and Photography
Faculty Sub Group: Photography
Module Leader: David Barnes, Eileen Little
Module Team: Paul Reas, Steven Wright, Karin Bareman
First Intended Intake: SEP 2020 Final Year of Intake: 2025
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100632 - visual communication
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2020
Valid To 31 Aug 2026

Module Aims

  • Explore the relationship of photographic history to contemporary practice and discourse by extending awareness of the critical and contextual dimensions of documentary practice
  • Develop confidence in the application of key transferable skills, including the presentation of ideas and information clearly, in both oral and written forms

Content Summary

This module considers the ways in which documentary practices have been shaped by a series of historical developments (of technology, publication, and distribution) and how these connect to the introductory elements taught in the previous module.

Students will continue to develop the skills of research and critical analysis and are supported to continue developing the articulation of ideas and information in the context of the seminar and through the presentation of research.

There is a growing familiarisation with library and electronic database research, and an emphasis upon the processes of careful reading and interrogation of a range of recommended texts. Throughout the module, students are expected to adopt a critical approach to the medium itself and to the material to which they are exposed in lectures, seminars and independent study.

Students are encouraged to become more articulate in the expression of their ideas during small group discussions and to critically reflect upon their own work and that of other practitioners. They begin to develop an understanding of locating their work within a sound theoretical framework, and within the broader context of contemporary photographic practice.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 12
Seminar 25
Tutorial 3
External visits 6
Independent Study 103
Directed Study 49
Groupwork 2
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Develop a range of strategies, to identify the major theoretical and historical issues raised during the module and to demonstrate an awareness of their broader cultural significance.
LO2 Reflect on and locate their own work within the broader context of historical and contemporary documentary practice.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Essay 1 Students are required to research and write about an historical or contemporary example of photographic practice. The topic should be agreed with the module tutor. 0 4000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Essay 1

Reading List

Bate, D. (2019) Photography: The Key Concepts. London: Bloomsbury.

Emerling, J. (2012) Photography History and Theory London: Routledge

Marien,M.W. 2017. Photography: a Cultural History. 4th edn. London: Laurence King.

Wells L. (2015) Photography: A critical introduction. 5th edn. London: Routledge

Badger J. 2011, The Genius of Photography, 2nd edn. Quadrille publishing, London

Hodkinson, P. (2017). Media, culture and society: An introduction. Los Angeles, CA: Sage

Batchen, G. (1999). Burning With Desire: The Conception of Photography. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT.

Bolton, R. (1992). The Contest of Meaning: Critical Histories of Photography. Cambridge, Mass. & London: MIT.

Frizot, M, (1998) A new history of photography, London: Konemann

Harrison, M. (1998) Young Meteors: British Photojournalism 1957 – 1965. London: Cape.

Jeffrey, I, (1999). Revisions: an Alternative History of Photography. Bradford: National Museum of Photography, Film and Television

Squiers, C. (1999). Overexposed: Essays on Contemporary Photography. New York: New Press.