ABSTRACT
This photograph may seem to represent the traditional divide between an academic leader and a receptive student body. Such a literal reading of the image misleads since photography teaching and learning at college and university level is commonly interactive and socially informal. Courses at many institutions are often intellectually ambitious and yet the traditional boundary between theory and practice is challenged by courses, such as this one, which combine technical workshop teaching with contextual studies. The scholarly ambiance captured in this image is in keeping with key aspects of progressive photography education. On the other hand as a single image without further contextualization it fails to denote the wider aims of courses that allow for artistic invention and the acquisition of photographic skills. The woman facing the student group is a sign language interpreter translating for a deaf student.
