The document provides guidance on choosing a topic and approach for an assignment involving images and culture. It outlines three main approaches: [1] The Photoessay, which involves documenting a topic through original photographs and discussing the challenges of using images to represent reality; [2] Image and Culture, which examines how topics like gender, race, and technology are informed by cultural images; and [3] Why We Look, which analyzes a famous iconic image by researching its history and significance. For each approach, it provides examples of potential topics and guidance on choosing a specific, researchable focus.

1. From Researching to Writing 1:
Choosing a Topic

2. Three main assignment
approaches:
✤ The Photoessay: document your topic with your own photographs. Then,
talk about the problems and challenges of using images to get to the “truth”
of your topic.
✤ Image and Culture: advertising, celebrity, views of war, technology,
fantasy, religion, family, race, gender, childhood. All are informed through
images that we receive from culture. Talk about how this happens, using
some images that seem to influence us.
✤ Why We Look: Start with an “iconic” or famous image and learn about it--
not only the photo, but the situation the photo represents. Then write about
what you find. What “job” has the image performed, and why is it iconic?

3. The Photoessay:
✤ Don’t choose it if you don’t want to do some work “in the field”
taking your own images.
✤ Should be a topic of local significance—something you can easily track
down and photograph.
✤ Examples: Recent news issues (such as the “Occupy Seattle” protests),
visible social problems or issues (homelessness in Seattle, the “Bikini
Barista” explosion, the lives of military families, etc.
✤ What’s your argument? Your photographs will have all of the problems
and complications that Berger, Sontag, and Barthes discussed. How do they
represent the challenges of “quoting” reality?

4. Images and Culture:
✤ Choose topics dear to you: gender, body awareness, tattoos, youth
culture, race and nationality, sexuality, childhood and parenting, etc.
Consider the intersections of these: gender and body. Parenting and
tattoos. Race and sexuality.
✤ Move from vague to specific as quickly as possible. Try to track down
images—from advertisements, films, celebrity culture, television, et
cetera—that have influenced our culture to hold certain beliefs about
your topic.
✤ Examples: The Ralph Lauren photoshopping controversy, coverage of
the “It Gets Better” anti-bullying campaign, portrayals of the “Arab
Spring” freedom fighters on American television

5. Why We Look:
✤ Brainstorm a list of famous “iconic images”
✤ Choose one (or two related ones) that you’d like to learn more about
✤ Research its history: what does it show? Who took it? How has it been
used?
✤ Compare its history to the ideas presented by Berger, Sontag, and
Barthes
✤ Believe it or not, this is probably one of the easiest papers to write.

6. Examples (feel free to steal these):

7. Examples (feel free to steal these):

8. Remember:
✤ The more specific, the better.
✤ Make sure it relates to images and visuals.
✤ Choose something you don’t know much about, but would like to
learn more of. It’s OK if you know little to nothing about your topic.
✤ You don’t need an argument yet.
✤ The more specific, the better. Really.