In the Photography BFA program you explore and examine the social, cultural and historical contexts in which you work, in order to better understand the discipline and medium. Through close observation and guided discussions, you learn to read images and develop the visual literacy you need to articulate ideas and make meaningful work. Following the first-year program in Experimental and Foundation Studies, in your sophomore year you begin the Photography BFA program by exploring analog and digital processes and techniques via various camera formats, traditional darkroom print production and digital workflows. Through close examination of photographs, you engage in deep critical thinking to develop a visual literacy informed by the history of photography, as well as seminars focused on the impact of photography in visualizing difference in class, race, gender and identity.<br><br>During junior year you expand on this knowledge, focusing on experimentation within the photographic medium and others, as well as materials, subjects and approaches to making. At this time you begin to produce self-directed projects, areas of inquiry, methods of research and articulation of conceptual and abstract ideas through group critiques, writing assignments and public presentations. <br><br>Your senior year is focused on developing work that will map a trajectory for an artistic practice that sustains itself beyond the bounds of the BFA and into a professional practice. The capstone degree project is a written thesis composed of critical reflection, influence and a definition of the scope and evolution of your own work, complemented by self-designed solo and two-person exhibitions in the Red Eye Gallery, the department’s dedicated exhibition space.