Time Schedule:
Hossein Estiri
URBDP 598
Seattle Campus
Systematic study of specialized subject matter. Topics vary for each quarter, depending upon current interest and needs, and are announced in the preceding quarter. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
Class description
This course is intended to deepen the understanding of urban spaces, and to enhance methodological skills in capturing different aspects of urban scenes. Photography will be used by students to focus on topics and details related to everyday life in urban spaces according to their own interests. Toward this end, the course will build upon two parallel paths encompassing: 1) Subjects from urban spaces; and 2) Topics from photography techniques. Urban spaces subjects will be: conscious/unconscious spaces, space users (people/non-human animals), static/dynamic spaces, urban landscape and activities in space, urban form and architecture, urbanscape at night. Students will gain hands on experience in expressing urban spaces through photography and put together a final portfolio. Topics in photography will be discussed in 4 categories of color, motion, light, and photography for practitioners. This course will follow a non-traditional class structure; limited lectures will be given and the class will progress through group discussions on the subjects/topics using the photos taken by students or from elsewhere. A minimum number of three field trips are expected to Seattle Downtown for photography and space discussions and practices.
Student learning goals
To deepen the understanding of urban spaces.
To develop technical photography and photo editing skills for planners and other professionals in urban studies.
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
Starting from week 4, students will work individually on “Photo assignments”. Assignments need to be submitted to the class Flickr by Sunday midnights. Weekly-photo assignments include 1-3 photos taken by the student on the Subject/Topic of the week plus a 1 line description of the photos. These assignments will be discussed in weekly discussion both on addressing urban space subjects and photography technique topics. As the final product of the quarter, students work on an individual photography project that will be designed around their selected subjects. The final project is due during the last week of the class in a digital photo album format to be announced.
