More than three decades before the invention of Instagram, Susan Sontag famously called for “an ecology of images.” Even then, the bombardment of images in advertising, popular culture, magazines, newspapers, and television was overwhelming. Sontag found the rapid proliferation of photographic images central to American culture in the late 20th century, and considered photography vitally important, possibly the most important art form of her day. Although she could not anticipate the internet or its viral dissemination of images, she wrote presciently in the 1970s about where the “image-world” was heading: more and more images all the time, everywhere. It is sometimes hard to remember that Sontag wrote in an era in which photography was not always taken seriously as art. At the time she wrote, photography was more accepted as journalism.

Today, photography and thinking about it have evolved well beyond where they were in the 1970s, but looking through Sontag’s eyes remains relevant. Why should we care about photography? This unit encourages students to view photographs with Sontag’s ideas in mind—about the truth and mistruths of photography, how it is used and misused, and how it documents our own lives—and to propose their own theories, essays, exhibits and photographs in response.

1. Watch Regarding Susan Sontag and reflect on its relevance to your students and subject area. For extracurricular organizations, community groups, and book clubs, consult our guide on adapting the curriculum.
2. Review our curriculum units and lessons below, then choose the individual lesson(s) most aligned to your needs. See our interdisciplinary diagram for more help choosing an appropriate lesson and unit.
3. Select the handout(s) and student activity you will use with each lesson.
   • Begin the lesson by watching and discussing the lesson video module with Handout 1
   • Continue the lesson with Handouts 2-4 to deepen learning (optional)
   • Complete the lesson with a student activity: options include writing, presentation, and creative assignments as well as class projects or debates
4. Download or print all related resources for your lesson at our resource center (video module, handouts, worksheets, teaching plans), and prepare for classroom use. Preview the lesson video module, familiarizing yourself with the content and any potential areas of sensitivity for your students (see viewing and discussing sensitive materials).