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How to Teach Visual Interpretation Ideas

Interpreting visual mediums is a cornerstone of literacy in higher education today. There are various schools of though on how to do this, such as hermeneutics, psychoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, post-structuralism, post-modernism and new materialism. All theories of interpretation emphasize the importance of contextualizing images. As W. J. T. Mitchell, professor of English and art history, writes, "Tensions between visual and verbal representations are inseparable from struggles in cultural politics and political culture." Teaching ideas about visual representation entails drawing on theories to identify the political, social, cultural and economic stakes involved in the production, reproduction and circulation of a given image.

White board or electronic presentation
Example images

Instructions

- 1
  Use a library or electronic academic database to collect background information on the theory or theories you intend to teach.
- 2
  Write out the main points of each theory that relate to doing visual interpretation, include academic citations in a paper or electronic handout.
- 3
  Prepare a document or electronic presentation of the main concepts; using visuals makes theories easier for students to conceptualize.
- 4
  Gather example images from popular culture and traditional texts to use as additional teaching tools.
- 5
  Present the main ideas and theories of visual interpretation in the classroom to students using the whiteboard and/or an electronic presentation.
- 6
  Open the floor for questions to deepen student understanding of ideas on interpreting images.
- 7
  Break students into smaller groups so they can practice doing visual interpretation themselves using the additional visual aids.
- 8
  Assess comprehension of the theories and applications with assigned written homework.

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