如果我們已經確定，攝影已經是當代藝術裡頭的一個十分成熟的次領域，那麼本課程的目的在於去探究，攝影究竟是一種什麼樣的藝術？社會學家Pierre Bourdieu說，攝影是一種中等藝術(a middle-brow art, un art moyen)，是一種既非上流，也非平庸的藝術：根據Bourdieu的調查，上流階級認為攝影是一種較次級的藝術，下層階級則認為攝影的主要功能並非藝術，而是在於記錄。本課程將探討攝影活動在技術史和藝術史之外的社會意義，並透過實作來探索攝影美學的社會評判。

If we have determined that photography is a very mature sub-field in contemporary art, then the purpose of this course is to explore what kind of art is photography? Socialist Pierre Bourdieu said that photography is a middle-brow art (a middle-brow art, un art moyen), an art that is neither upper-class nor mediocre: according to Bourdieu's survey, photography is considered a lower-class art, and the lower-level level believes that the main function of photography is not art, but recording. This course will explore the social implications of photography activities beyond technical and artistic history, and explore the social evaluation of photography aesthetics through its work.

Barthes, Roland，1995，許綺玲譯，《明室：攝影札記》，台北：台灣攝影工作室。
Benjamin, Walter，1998，許綺玲譯，〈攝影小史〉〈機械複製時代的藝術作品〉，《迎向靈光消逝的年代》，台北：台灣攝影工作室。
Bourdieu, Pierre, 1996, Photography: A Middle-Brow Art, Stanford University Press.
Freund, Gisele，1990，攝影與社會，攝影家出版社。
Struken, Marita and Cartwright, Lisa，2009，陳品秀譯，《觀看的實踐：給所有
影像世代的視覺文化導論》，台北：臉譜。
Susan Sontag，2004，黃翰荻譯，《旁觀他人之痛苦》，台北：麥田。
林志明，《複多與張力》，台北：田園城市。

Barthes, Roland, 1995, translated by Xu Ling, "Ming Room: Photo Notes", Taipei: Taiwan Photography Studio.
Benjamin, Walter, 1998, translated by Xu Ling, "Artworks from the Age of Mechanical Copying", "Emergency to the Era of the Descent of Spirit", Taipei: Taiwan Photography Studio.
Bourdieu, Pierre, 1996, Photography: A Middle-Brow Art, Stanford University Press.
Freund, Gisele, 1990, Photography and Society, Photographer Publishing House.
Struken, Marita and Cartwright, Lisa, 2009, Chen Pinxiu, "The Reality of Viewing: For All
An Introduction to Visual Culture of the Image Generation", Taipei: Face.
Susan Sontag, 2004, Huang Handi, "The Pain of Observing Others", Taipei: Maitian.
Lin Zhiming, "Complex and Zhang Li", Taipei: A garden city.