Session I: July 13-15, 2010

13. Visual Literacy: What Interculturalists Should Know About the Meaning of Images in a       Multicultural World John Condon and Miguel Gandert The most influential language today is the lexicon of images in print, broadcast media, and the Internet. Photographs serve as a window, a mirror, a shaper of perceptions—and misperceptions—of cultures and intercultural relations. And yet our understanding of the use and abuse of visual images lags far behind our understanding of spoken and written language. This interactive workshop focuses on developing skills in the critical analysis of the images we see and on how to use cameras (and audio) to create responsible presentations in teaching and training.

Designed for Objectives Learning Activities John Condon Miguel Gandert Educators, trainers, consultants, and others whose work in diversity and international intercultural relations involves visual images. Participants will have the opportunity to: Deepen their critical appreciation of how contexts, values, and assumptions affect what we perceive and how we make meaning Sharpen their creative, evaluative, and analytical thinking capacities required for visual literacy Learn to “read” cultural and intercultural photographs with a more critical eye Recognize the impact of photography as it affects intercultural relations today and its increasing significance in a digital era Explore the role of photos in each person’s visual memory and outlook on intercultural relations and cultural identity Improve skills in using photographs in teaching and training presentations, including PowerPoint and other computer-aided means These will include: Developing hands-on skills in using 16 elements of seeing, composition, and design in order to recognize the influence of these in the pictures we seek and make Exploring the use of photographic images in ethnography and in auto-ethnography Participating in a variety of exercises that heighten appreciation of the role of images that express cultural and personal values and identity Sharing and discussing the significance of personal and public images Learning effective ways to develop and disseminate visual stories on the Internet Expanding our awareness of resources, in print and online, for continued learning (As part of the learning activities, participants should bring one or two photographs that hold particular significance for them, a digital camera, and an iPod; for those who do not have these, some will be available.)   Dr. John (Jack) Condon is a founding faculty member of the Summer Institute and is regarded as one of the founders of the intercultural field. Educated in the U.S. and abroad, Jack has conducted research and taught for 20 years outside of the U.S. He is the author of 18 books and serves on the International Advisory Board for Asia Pacific World. A revised and expanded version of With Respect to the Japanese, co-authored with Tomoko Masumoto, was published in 2010. For the past two decades Jack has conducted site-specific field seminars in New Mexico on intercultural communication. An award-winning author and teacher, Jack was named Regents’ Professor at the University of New Mexico, the institution’s highest honor, where he is also Professor Emeritus in the Department of Communication and Journalism.   Miguel Gandert, a documentary and fine-art photographer, is a professor of communication and journalism at the University of New Mexico where for many years he taught, with John Condon, the university’s advanced graduate seminar in intercultural communication. Formerly a network news cameraman and documentary filmmaker, Miguel regularly teaches courses in photojournalism, film, media, and visual communication. He has taught for the American Folk Life Center of the Library of Congress, and at institutes in Europe, the U.S., and Latin America; his work is archived at Yale University. Miguel’s documentation of cultural identities and intercultural relations is found in museums and galleries throughout the world, including the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian, and through his public presentations and publications, including his award-winning Nuevo Mexico Profundo.