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Lesson 2: On Photography

Guiding Questions

  • Why do we take photographs?
  • What are the roles and responsibilities of a photographer?
  • What is the unique or essential nature of photography?
  • How does Susan Sontag challenge our understanding of photography?
  • How does photography relate to other forms of art?
  • How can students use photography, writing, and art to deepen understanding?

Learning Objectives

  • Understand Susan Sontag’s arguments about the unique powers of photography
  • Consider the contemporary roles and responsibilities of photographers
  • Compare Sontag’s arguments on photography to those of other theorists
  • Reflect on the legacy of On Photography and its relevance today
  • Articulate the power of photography in contemporary life
  • Use photography, art and curated displays to represent complex ideas creatively

Time Required

1-8 Class Periods + written or visual assignment (optional)

Subject Areas

  • Art and Culture

Medium > Visual Arts
Subject Matter > Art History
Subject Matter > Philosophy

  • History and Social Studies

Themes > Culture
Themes > Globalization
World > The Modern World

  • Literature and Language Arts

Genre > Essay
Place > American
Place > Modern World

Student Skills

  • Analysis
  • Compare and contrast
  • Creative writing
  • Critical analysis
  • Critical thinking
  • Cultural analysis
  • Debate skills
  • Discussion
  • Evaluating arguments
  • Expository writing
  • Gathering, classifying and interpreting written and visual information
  • Historical analysis
  • Internet skills
  • Interpretation
  • Literary analysis
  • Media analysis
  • Making inferences and drawing conclusions
  • Online research
  • Oral presentation skills
  • Persuasive writing and speaking
  • Photography
  • Representing ideas and information orally, graphically and in writing
  • Research
  • Summarizing
  • Synthesis
  • Technology
  • Textual analysis
  • Using primary sources
  • Using secondary sources
  • Visual analysis
  • Visual art skills
  • Visual art analysis
  • Visual presentation skills
  • Writing skills

Common Core Standards

  • ELA Reading: 1-7, 10
  • ELA Writing: 1-2, 4-10
  • ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-2, 4-6
  • HSS Reading: 1-2, 4, 6-10
  • HSS Writing: 2, 4-8, 10

About This Lesson

This lesson investigates Susan Sontag’s book On Photography using quotations from the book, a brief look at the central photographers Sontag mentions, and writings by other theorists on similar themes. It is hard to remember this today, but the book caused a huge ruckus in the photography world when it appeared in 1977, angering many readers, including those who dismissed Sontag as an outsider. She was not a photographer, they reasoned, so why should anyone listen to her thoughts about photography? Students will think critically about her ideas, the legacy of the book, and its relevance today in debates, essays, presentations, and works of art.

LESSON 2 HANDOUTS
LESSON 2 STUDENT ACTIVITY OPTIONS

How to Teach This Lesson

  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. Select the handout(s) and student activity you will use with this 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
  3. Download or print all related resources for this lesson at our resource center (video module, handouts, worksheets, teaching plans), and prepare for classroom use. Preview the video module, familiarizing yourself with the content and any potential areas of sensitivity for your students (see Information for Teachers).

Extending The Lesson

    • Photographers featured by Sontag
    • Online photography resources
    • Photography reference texts (unit citations and recommendations)
  • Allow additional time for discussion, group work, peer-review, editing, revision, or student evaluations and critiques of finished work.
  • Coordinate presentations of student activities outside the classroom, such as a class blog, podcast or online gallery posts, school newspaper or literary/art journal publications, student radio or video broadcasts, or all-school exhibits, panel discussions, and screenings.
  • Teach this lesson with additional content from the curriculum guide. See our interdisciplinary diagram for help choosing related units and lessons.