I do not believe I could have chosen a better course to end my university career with. Being in MIT, I have learned to be aware of the construction of meaning and the associations that people attach to texts. Despite this, Visual Analysis has taken my critical awareness in a new direction. For one, choosing my own images of interest has made the course very enjoyable and geared toward my future ambitions. The blog has been a positive addition to my online portfolio, which seeks to display my skills to advertising sales and marketing professionals. I was able to keep this project in mind when I selected images that reflect my interests and personality. I have not taken any other courses that have allowed me to choose the assignment that I prefer to complete. The visual articulation project was especially significant to me, because it allowed me to spend time searching for images of my family and to represent my understanding of the era in which my parents grew up.
I have not taken any MIT courses this term, since my requirements have been completed. Taking solely writing courses has been a definite change of pace, and I loved that this course incorporates both my passion for writing, and creative studies in an academic format. The class has challenged me to a great extent. At times I found that I was not effectively conveying the meaning I wished to dissect in a very clear manner. Writing about visuals can be a difficult task.
I realize now that there is always additional meaning behind an image, no matter how much you might think you have a certain message or argument figured out. In discussion I was often surprised at the meanings my classmates uncovered. In my larger MIT classes I have not had the opportunity to analyze so many images in a group. I took notice to the progression that the class made in better understanding the argument that images represent. The class as a whole became increasingly critical and aware of manipulation.
Instead of an image that strategically constructs an argument, I wanted to include in my final post an animated image that best summarizes my learnings in this class.
Here, George Clooney shows an awareness of the nature of the media industry as a realm of constructed meaning, in which he is merely a device to help form an argument for a product. This representation urges its viewers to have a more critical eye and question even those things they find appealing.
