In today’s world, global cultures are visual cultures. Social relations, political events, entertainment, and entire new fields of individual and collective creativity and expression all take distinctly visual forms and rely upon the production, circulation and reception of images. The program in Visual Culture equips students with the analytical methods and critical tools necessary to take an active and informed role not only in studying but also in shaping 21st-century visual culture. By bringing historical and theoretical study from multidisciplinary perspectives to bear upon real-world practices and debates, including the expansion of digital technology into all aspects of our daily lives, the visual culture minor prepares students to meet the challenges and potentials of contemporary global visual cultures.
- Degree options: minor.
- Degree requirements: visit the UTM Course Calendar.
- What courses should I take? Students are required to take 4.0 credits to complete the Minor. There is one mandatory course, VCC101H5: Introduction to Visual Culture. For the other 3.5 credits, students complete at least 1.0 other credit at the 200 level and at least 1.0 credit at the 300 or 400 level; they are free to select these from any of the Department’s VCC courses and from the approved, cross-listed courses.
Possibilities with a Visual Culture Studies Minor
A Minor in Visual Culture trains students in current approaches to a range of visual materials and issues, covers the history of the discipline, and gives students a grounding in the wide range of areas of visual cultural study (including different media, genres, cultures, historical periods and theories). It will be an important asset for students who wish to pursue graduate studies in this area, as well as those seeking employment in a variety of media and digitally based professions and industries. It may also serve as a valuable complement to other programs of study at UTM, such as Anthropology and Drama, in which the visual plays a prominent role.
Cross-listed Courses
In addition to Department of Visual Studies VCC courses, students may count any of the following cross-listed courses towards their Visual Culture minor: