ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a pedagogical approach to engaging visual communication that combines analytical methods developed for art history, media literacy, medium theory, and environmental communication. It describes how iconology, an analytical technique developed in art history, can be combined with environmental communication for a system of analysis. The chapter explains a three-stage process that incorporates an assortment of analytical approaches, including semiotics, environmental ideology, discourses, media literacy, and medium studies. The first stage involves examining images according to form and developing "active viewing". The second stage examines the cultural aspects of image construction by discussing how semiotic elements and visual grammar are used to construct meaning in images. The last stage focuses on how images are cultural maps that reflect environmental ideologies, and how to read them. The chapter provides a framework for doing a methodical and detailed image analysis. It suggests practical classroom activities that can be used to teach various concepts and theories.
