Singapore University of Social Sciences

Artists and art teachers often think of the discipline of art as primarily “visual”. Yet art constitutes only a small percentage of the total number of visual images created and used in the classroom. Other academic disciplines, including the social and physical sciences, use significant numbers of visual images, and consider them to be integral to the dissemination of knowledge. Some of these images, such as certain illustrations in biology textbooks, are clearly derived from the conventions of fine arts. Others, like charts and graphs, have a more complex relation with art history. BAE203 introduces students to the links between art and images that are not considered art. It aims to expand the students’ perception of the limits of their discipline, and to apply the skills of visual analysis associated with art to studying non-art images. The kinds of images examined in the module include those in the life sciences, social sciences, physical and mathematical sciences. Students will also examine images in popular culture, particularly the ones found on the Internet. At the same time, they will be familiarised with the various ways in which words relate to visual images.