Visualizing Race: A Photo Essay of Race in Everyday Life

Instructions

Instructions; It should not be google search and no actress or google photos . CONTEXT In this assignment you will create a photo essay of race in everyday life from a “performative” and social constructionist perspective. The photo essay should focus on yourself or other people “doing race,” or potentially challenging or “undoing” race. I want you to consider how you do race and how your experiences of race intersect with other identities. This photo essay is a “meaning making process” done by you, where you create your own story of race and what it means to you through the use of images and course concepts and ideas. What have you learned about race, identity, and the doing of race through this course? Choose images that best represent your own personal experiences (or those of others in relation to you) of race in society, include personal anecdotes and reflections and use course material to analyse your photos and experiences. The images are a starting point for examining race, racism, and racial politics and power by drawing on your own lived experiences in connection to the course material. You may think about intersections of race with your other unique identities and issues regarding gender, age, socio- economic class, sexuality, skin colour, mixed race, religion, etc. – but do not focus only on those factors, they must intersect with race. In other words, how is your experience of race unique considering your intersections of gender, age, etc? Refer to the “How do YOU perform your race?” handout and your identity chart to get ideas flowing. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS A photo story or a photo essay is a collection of images that tell a story over multiple images. Your essay will include 8 photos. Your eight photos should be unified in some way by a story, theme, or idea. Maybe you will take eight photos in a day, at an event, at different places with the same actor, at the same place but with different actors, etc. Think about the type of shots that will work best to tell your story. The order of your photos should tell a story in an interesting and logical sequence. Each shot works like a paragraph in an essay and will be accompanied by 1-2 paragraphs explaining and analysing the photo using course material. Your photo essay should include an introduction and conclusion (included in the 8 photos). Submit a digital copy via Moodle (Due July 23 at midnight) to both the Assignment (for instructor review) and to the Discussion/Workshop Forum (for peer review). You will be required to provide feedback to two of your peers (if you do not do this, you will lose 10% of your grade). According to Hall there are three mechanisms for “couterstorytelling, including images that reverse stereotypes..., images that substitute positive representations for negative ones, and finally acts that call into question the limits of visual representation in general” (Hall qtd. in Smith, p. 181). 1 Your photo essay involves: (1) Taking photographs that illustrate “doing race” (2) Writing a 1-2 paragraph response for each photograph that includes a clear explanation and analysis of the photo (that is part of a larger essay/story). There are usually 100 to 200 words in a paragraph, just make sure you are saying enough to show your understanding of the course readings. (3) Providing feedback to your fellow students Photo essays should include: • An original title for your essay • An introduction and conclusion • Eight photos and a title for each photo, including the date and time the photo was taken • What you intended to capture in each frame • What the photo means to you – your interpretation using course material • Whether you had any impression at the time that you were unable to capture visually • Connections to course material – you will need to cite your work using in-text citations and provide a reference section (APA format) with a minimum of six course readings. • A reference section (APA format) TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: How Many Shots? • The length is 8 photographs. Photos should be well-shot (not blurry, not too dark, etc.). You must make and use your own original photographs and unique ideas. Who May I Photograph? • You may take photographs of yourself, your friends, and/or your family. You should have their permission to take the pictures and to use the pictures for your class assignment. If you want to take pictures of strangers, you should get their permission or take the photographs at a distance sufficient that subjects cannot be identified. Who Will Have Access to My Photographs? • Your audience includes your classmates and your instructor. The assignment upload function on the Moodle is designed to protect the privacy of student assignments and makes them viewable only by the student who uploaded them and the course instructor and fellow students. Since we will be sharing photo essays with the class, you should have permission (from photo subjects) to show your photos in class. Where Do I Upload/Present My Photo Essay and Provide Feedback to my peers? • You will upload this assignment into the Term Project “Visualizing Race” Assignment July 23, 2020 at midnight as well as to a discussion/workshop forum for the class to view. • You will provide feedback in the discussion/workshop forum on Moodle by July 27 @ midnight. 2 How Should I Format this Assignment? • Online submissions: Microsoft PowerPoint (can be converted to PDF). Insert a copy of a photo followed by your paragraph response to that photo, followed by the next, etc. • NOTE: You may need to save your photo files at a lower resolution than they were taken to ensure your final file is not too large to upload to Moodle How Will My Assignment Be Graded? • Your assignment will be graded based on the criteria of a well-done photo essay below. Your peers will also provide you with informal feedback. • You will be expected to have your work prepared to share in class and you will be asked to engage with your fellow students’ work and provide feedback. This part is worth 10% of the total grade of the assignment and will happen online. A WELL-DONE Photo Essay Photos: - Present an insight, often a surprise or “twist,” on race in everyday life, making familiar objects or actions unfamiliar. - Creatively focus on a specific aspect of race in everyday life that demonstrates (a) the “ordinariness” of race reproduction and/or (b) new patterns/challenges to racial norms. Descriptions: - Address the intentions of the photographer and reflect on the meanings of the images captured. - Are thoughtful, examining the details of the image and connecting them to a larger theme across photographs. - Draws on concepts from the readings and course material to situate the photographs and text. Overall the essay: - Goes beyond noting surface stereotypes to offer a creative insight into how race relates to an everyday object or practice. - Demonstrates that race is socially constructed in interaction and is an ongoing process. - Includes an intersectional analysis - Shows the dynamic between reproduction of racial norms and changes in racial norms. - Demonstrates an awareness of power/privilege as a dimension of race - Is reflexive about how the student interprets race 3 Visualizing Race Grading Rubric An UNSUCCESSFUL Photo Essay (D to F Grade) Fails to meet the following competent photo essay requirements. For example: - Photos contain images that offer little to no insight into “doing race.” - Descriptions do not add analytical insight to photos. - Essay fails to draw on concepts from the reading. - Essay fails to meet technical requirements. A COMPETENT Photo Essay (C to B– Grade) A competent photo essay meets the basic requirements of the assignment, including: - Ten well-shot photos that capture people “doing race.” - Clear descriptive text for each photo that details both your intentions and what was captured. - Draws on concepts from the reading to situate the photographs and text. - Essay also meets technical requirements. A WELL-DONE Photo Essay (B to A– grade) A well-done photo essay meets the requirements of the competent photo essay criteria. In addition, it meets the majority of the following requirements: Photos: - Present an insight, often a surprise or “twist,” on race in everyday life, making familiar objects or actions unfamiliar. - Creatively focus on a specific aspect of race in everyday life that demonstrates (a) the “ordinariness” of race reproduction and/or (b) new patterns/challenges to racial norms. Descriptions: - Address the intentions of the photographer and reflect on the meanings of the images captured. - Are thoughtful, examining the details of the image and connecting them to a larger theme across photographs. - Draws on concepts from the readings and course material to situate the photographs and text. Overall the essay: - Goes beyond noting surface stereotypes to offer a creative insight into how race relates to an everyday object or practice. - Demonstrates that race is socially constructed in interaction and is an ongoing process. - Includes an intersectional analysis - Shows the dynamic between reproduction of racial norms and changes in racial norms. - Demonstrates an awareness of power/privilege as a dimension of race - Is reflexive about how the student interprets race An EXCELLENT Photo Essay (A to A+ Grade) An excellent photo essay meets all of the requirements of a well-done photo essay and also adds at least one of the following: - Connects “doing race” to additional class topics or themes in the photographs and descriptions. - Demonstrates a heightened theoretical, technical, or aesthetic sophistication. 4