Ethics in Documentary Photography

This course explores the use of documentary photography to ethically document the subjects and communities who are involved in social justice movements, activism and social change efforts. Students examine concepts such as visibility, gaze, and storytelling to develop stories that empower subjects, elevate unheard voices, and offer counter-narratives about communities to bring attention to important issues and causes. This course helps students to understand how to use documentary photography to integrate these important themes while producing visually compelling images that accurately represent topics, causes and movements. The course is organized as a series of essays, lectures, and presentations that offer important historical and literary insights and critique to our current discourse of major social justice movements around the world. Students will have the opportunity to pursue an independent research project to assist them in developing an ethical framework for documenting social causes that matter to them and their work.

Course Level / Prerequisite: Open to all skill levels. Students ranging from beginner to experienced will be successful in classes that are Open to All Skill Levels.

Courses are subject to minimum enrollment. Please register early, within five days of the start-date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation and to ensure you receive all course-related materials in time to prepare for class.

Fee Breakdown