Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

This paper proposes an innovative pedagogy that incorporates epistemology in teaching college-level digital photography. Specifically, students explore their views of reality, introspect about how they see the world, and infuse their contemplation into the production of assigned photographic projects. I will first explain the relationship between one’s knowing and creating; that is, how different worldviews generate different approaches toward art-making. Next, to better articulate one’s knowing, I will introduce epistemology, which can be roughly categorized into subjectivist and objectivist, based on the subject (mind)/object (world) relationship. Through reading and class discussions on various views of major philosophers who address epistemology, students learn how they situate their views within the philosophical spectrum with the objectivist view on one end, and subjectivist view on the other. A more approachable way to investigate one’s epistemology is to explore one’s view of reality (Alston, 2006; Gelernter, 1995; Pojman, 1991), the notions of which may include sensory perceptions, emotions, imagination, or the subconscious. In addition, students will learn four theories in aesthetics, including realism, expressionism, formalism, and postmodernism, all of which reflect various epistemologies in artwork, to philosophically understand digital composite photographs of contemporary famed artists, such as Kelli Connell, Thomas Kellner, and Maggie Taylor. In turn, the connection between worldviews and artwork of these artists also verifies students’ exploration of their own views in creating manipulated photographs. Lastly, the proposed presentation suggests a number of photographic projects based on various schools of epistemology and aesthetics to be assigned to students.