IMAGE THEORIES (VJ.250) / Yanai Toister (PhD), Associate Professor of Visual Information
MA Prog. in Visual Journalism and Visual Studies / Spring 2025 (Periods 3+4, Eight meetings).
Main building D12 (15.1, 22.1, 5.2, 12.2 - starting 14:30) and Pinni B4033 (5.3, 19.3, 9.4, 23.4 – starting 14:00).
This course is an MA-level seminar in image theories. Please note that all class presentations, discussions, and written assignments will be conducted and submitted in English and that all required readings are in English (with occasional optional sources in German).
To successfully complete the seminar, you are expected to: A. Attend all classes in person. You may miss one session without penalty, but you must inform the instructor in advance (or as soon as possible) and briefly explain the reason. B. Prepare the assigned questions for each session. Come ready to use them actively in discussion. C. Deliver one seminar presentation in a small group (with 1–2 peers). Present it for 50-60 minutes (including time for discussion), with a clear structure and engagement with the week’s theoretical materials. D. Write a final essay on the topic of your presentation (approx. 3,000–4,000 words), in academic style and with proper references. The essay is due by the end of May 2025.
After the course, you will have a solid working understanding of a selected set of key image theories, and you will be able to situate them within the broader intellectual and institutional contexts in which they emerged and circulate. You will understand not only what these theories claim about images and visuality, but also why they were formulated when they were, what problems they sought to address, how they relate to neighbouring fields (such as media theory, aesthetics, semiotics, and science and technology studies), and how they continue to inform contemporary research and critical practice.
Class schedule:
15.01.2026, 15-17: 1. Introduction: What is an Image?
22.01.2026, 15-17: 2. Vision from Antiquity to Modern Science
05.02.2026, 15-17: 3. Technical Images
12.02.2026, 15-17: 4. An ecological approach to images
05.03.2026, 15-17: 5. Anthropology of the image
19.03.2026, 15-17: 6. Affectiveness of images
09.04.2026, 15-17: 7. Navigational images (and more)
23.04.2026, 15-17: 8. Mental images (with notes on AI)
- Teacher
Yanai Toister