Visual Rhetoric: Photojournalism and Public Culture

summer institute for graduate students and faculty

June 22-26, 2009

Pennsylvania State University

Directed by Robert Hariman (Northwestern University) and John Lucaites (Indiana University)

Using photojournalism as our leading example, this seminar will explore basic questions regarding the analysis of visual images as artifacts for experience, advocacy, deliberation, and reflection in democratic societies. Images will be drawn from historical and contemporary news media and trade publications as well as alternative media, cultural forums, and vernacular practices. The seminar also will address concerns regarding the objectives, methods, and rigor of scholarship regarding visual culture. Participation in the seminar will include writing for possible publication online at nocaptionneeded.com or other blogs.

The workshop is part of the biennial summer institute sponsored by the Rhetoric Society of America. The fee is $400 ($450 for nonmembers, which includes a one-year membership in RSA) and includes lodging and some meals.

For additional information, including scholarship opportunities, click here. The application form is here.