Photography: a "soft" subject?
Is photography a soft subject? That's what the Russell Group, which represents the UK's 20 largest universities, seems to think. But, photography lecturers have hit back at the assumption
Author: Olivier Laurent
07 Feb 2011 Tags: Education
Top UK universities have issued new guidance [PDF] to high-school students looking to join their ranks. The guide, issued by the Russell Group, which represents the UK's 20 best universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, confirms "rumours that have circulated for years that they favour those subjects over newer ones such as business studies or photography," writes The Guardian.
In the guide, at the question "Do universities prefer certain advanced level subjects over others?", top universities answer that "there are many rumours about subjects being regarded as 'hard' or 'soft' and different people will have differing opinions on the matter. In general, subjects referred to as being 'hard' are more traditional and theoretical subjects, for example: English, History, Physics and Chemistry. 'Soft' subjects are usually subjects with a vocational or practical bias, for example: Media Studies, Art and Design, Photography and Business Studies. However, there is no set definition of a ‘hard' and ‘soft' subject. Generally speaking, students who take one ‘soft' subject as part of a wider portfolio of subjects do not experience any problems applying to a Russell Group university."
The Russell Group adds a warning. "If you plan to take more than one perceived ‘soft' subject, some caution may be needed. Critical Thinking and/or General Studies are usually better taken only as an 'extra', rather than as one of the advanced level subjects on which your university application will be relying."
But photography lecturers have hit back against the Group's "short-sightedness, arrogance and intellectual snobbery."
Speaking to BJP, John Kippin, a professor in photography at the University of Sunderland and chair of the Association of Photography in Higher Education, comments: "The idea of any subject being 'soft' is ludicrous. Subjects such as Art, Design and Photography teach students, when taught properly, to think creatively and to act independently."
Kippin adds: "More than ever we are in dire need of people who can link their imagination and creativity to make practical contributions to our culture and future. The answers we need to build a successful society are not all scientific as many believe. Conventional so called 'progressive' thinking around 'traditional' subjects overlooks the contribution of creative subjects to the quality of our lives, to our thinking and philosophy and to the fastest growing industrial sector which is our creative industries."
"Creative subjects are under direct attack by the current government who have effectively withdrawn all support for these subjects in privatising the University system," Kippin tells BJP. "This is madness, but one might expect Universities to adopt a broader and more balanced view. The word 'University' is based on the latin word 'Universitas' meaning 'the whole' and it is this holistic view of education that we are in need of to provide proper progression for the students of the future. In the case of photography it is incredible simply how unaware some of these so called 'redbrick' universities are of any kind of visual culture. Their short-sightedness, arrogance and intellectual snobbery is breathtaking. Photography is something that is a part of all of our lives. It is part of an ecology of the visual world and it influences everything we do. How can that not be worthy of study?"
Conrad Tracy, course leader at the Arts University College in Bournemouth, adds that the definition of a "soft subject" is open to interpretation. "I think the notion of a 'soft subject' is an interesting one, as is the idea of a generically good or 'best university'," Tracy tells BJP. "I find the assumption demeaning and patronising to young students to discuss education in those terms. How does one define 'soft option', is this a subject one finds easy? Then perhaps an individual who has natural numeric ability will find an A Level in mathematics easy, therefore a 'soft option', so therefore should they avoid this subject, and conversely a student who has natural artistic and creative ability avoid art/media related subjects? Of course they shouldn't.
He adds: "As any good teacher will tell you, education is about the individual and getting the best from them, so naturally playing to their strengths. With regard to 'best universities' surely we should be looking at the best university for the chosen degree subjects, and indeed the best universities for the individual students."
Sian Bonnell of the University College Falmouth agrees. "Studying any of the disciplines of art, design or photography equips students and graduates with far more than just a basic subject knowledge. They learn how to problem solve, think creatively and they learn how to be adaptable and business minded."
She continues: "The subject area might be considered by some as 'soft' but it is a myth to think that these subjects are easy to pass. I would argue that students studying art design and photography have to work just as hard if not harder than non 'soft' students in other disciplines - art students still have to write dissertations and produce practical work to achieve the standards and in doing so employers often find that it is they who are infinitely more employable because they have learnt creative thinking skills."
Tracy concludes: "Using the Russell group as the predominant standard for English and UK education is unhelpful, and merely continues to support an outdated attitude to education in this country, accepting the hierarchical status quo, while undermining the importance to the economy - creative industries - and British culture that arts education provides through the talent that it generates."
Comments
This is absolutely ridiculous! I wonder how the amazing Chemists these Universities are producing would manage without the equipment DESIGNED by trained designers, or perhaps the Doctors would manage without medical photographers?
Total lack of forsight.
So Cambridge and Oxford deem the arts to be a 'soft' subject do they?
I see that they both teach History, yet fail to realise that without the arts there would be a distinct lack of proof to which we base History on and learn from!!
The problem with some of the older universities is that they are steeped in tradition which may eventually hamper them from being relevant in the modern world.
There is plenty of original thinking required in photography both in terms of art and of science.
With the increase in the numbers of students who now attend university it is inevitable that a broader range of subjects need to be studied and it should also be investigated what subjects can be combined with others in a more constructive way.
Im an A-Level photography teacher from London. One of my students has moved on to study archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge thanks to Photography.
He was offered the place on the condition that he gathered the necessary Alevels, and an A* in photography. Cambridge wanted to see that a student was able to aply themselves to a different subject and show dedication.
Im very proud to know that photography is a subject that enables huge opportunities to all students, looking at all subjects.
Since I decided at secondary school that I wanted to study Photography at both college and university I have come across scores of people who have put me down, 'Photography isn't a real subject', 'Photography is just a hobby', 'wow you can do a degree in photography, who knew it was that complex'.
While at college the ND course I was on closed after one year as the funding was being given to a 'proper' subject - child care. My 5 years of Photographic education and 4 before that as an assistant were by no means 'soft' and I worked incredibly hard, as did my fellow students, to attain a high level degree. Sian Bonnell was my 3rd year lecturer at University College Falmouth and was and is fantastic at what she does. I worked just as hard as my housemates at Uni who were studying Geography, a proper degree I suppose many would say. I am really proud of my photography degree, I worked damn hard for it and I feel angry and upset that anyone would say it was an easy subject or even a worthless degree.
The information given here is no surprise – there are 'facilitating' subjects that will help with admission to Russell Group universities. If you want to get a place you know what the score is.
If you want to study science my guess is you will have a really good chance with good grades in two from physics, chemistry and maths.
If you want to study photography the subjects above may not increase your chances over someone with photography, art and psychology A levels together with a good portfolio to demonstrate your ability.
I studied a science subject at one of the old universities and photography much more recently at a new one. Both were interesting and challenging. If you want to get a descent grade in a photography degree it is far from easy. There is a lot of academic as well as practical content – as with a science degree.
If I could have taken photography rather than physics at A level to get on the course I wanted to do after school then I would have. I hated Physics – my maths was never strong enough. I think I could have coped as chemistry was the really important thing to have a handle on for biochemistry. I would have then been studying three subjects I was interested in, and able at, rather than two. I would probably have done better overall. I think Physics A level is harder than Photography A level.
Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
Watch the Video on TED.com - Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
Of course photography is an easy subject to study
There surely can be no doubt, photography is an easy subject to study compared with many such as chemistry, physics, maths, engineering, etc and sadly it still is assumed to be a 'glamour' and 'with it profession'. Of course it's a useful and worthwhile profession but compared with mankind's need for science and technolgy it will always take a back seat and so it should when the countries educational needs are being planned
The idea that photography is a ‘soft subject’ assumes naively that it is one subject and that the activities of all photographers are more-or-less defined by one set of criteria and intention. It is clear that photography reflects the full spectrum and complexity of human experience and anyone with even the slightest insight in to the subject will be aware of the rich and diverse theoretical and philosophical framework which exists around it.
Photographers around the world continue to record, reflect and inform, which is both a critique in itself, worthy of any thesis, but also more raw material for academics in many fields. The only ‘soft’ thing about photography is the occasional use of soft focus to avoid revealing the full detail and complexity of the subject. Sound familiar anyone?
I'm not surprised at this attitude, given this country's increasing unhealthy obsession with all things empirical; if it can't be crunched and rehashed in a spreadsheet, it's of no value to anyone. Photography, like any other subject that does not deal in absolute values/right or wrong, is problematic to those who can only describe any benefit/loss in terms of numbers, as it is beyond their narrow little comfort zone. Given the low value generally placed on science by the business world, it would seem we are destined to become a nation of accountants.
I find the notion of "soft" ludicrous in any case. While I studied photography, a friend studied Physics + Astronomy. Both of us wroked extremely hard, but found our respective subjects "soft" insofar as we had a passion for them, and took to them naturally, thus finding them comparatively easy, although we worked hard to make the most of what we had. Had we swapped courses, neither of us would have found the others subject in any way "soft". Horses for courses.
The situation has evidently got worse. When I studied 25 years ago, not a soul ever made the remarks mentioned by others above, such as 'Photography is just a hobby', if anything quite the reverse. However, in a age where the worship of wealth and the means of acquiring it have replaced culture, what else can we expect.
I studied photography for 4 years over 20 years ago. It was never considered a "soft" subject. Quite the opposite. Many people thought "Wow, that's different". I have been working in photography since leaving college. I work in retinal and ophthalmic photography. Photography is all around us. It is part of our cultural society. Studying Photography makes you see things in a different way both creatively and visually. Without it the world would be a different place.
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