Methods in Visual/Interpretive Research: Art-based

This proseminar is designed for the study of visual works by the encounter between professional "theory" and "practice", and for formulating research ways through writing. The course is based on methodologies that combine the history of art with the humanities and social sciences. Contemporary methodologies assume that visual works not only reflect processes and socio-cultural, economic and political forces, but also participate in the cultural and social discourse. Therefore, the theoretical issues relate not only to the aesthetic aspects of art works, but also to their historical, political, social, cultural, communicative, and economic roles. During the first semester we will discuss the work from the three focal points: (1) the "contemplating eye", which deciphers the work; (2) the work as a research tool that interprets its topics; and (3) the research text, belonging to cultural fields such as sociology, philosophy, and psychology, that discusses the same topics. In accordance with this approach, we will learn in the course of the proseminar the basics of analytical and research writing. The second semester will be devoted to the preparation for the writing of the proseminar under personal guidance. In the course we will learn how "theory" becomes an active tool in professional practice, and how the processes and stages in professional "practice" serve as a basis for constructing theory and research.