99
Åbo Akademi University 2014/2015
ÅBO CAMPUS
Image Perception and Cognition
130000.0
5 credits
Basic level, no prerequisites
Lectured course
Offered: Autumn 2014
Lecturer: Tarja Peromaa
Contact: Fred Andersson,
Aim: The aim of the course is to familiarize the students with
the basic issues in the structure and function of the human
visual system. Special emphasis is put on current research
findings in visual neuroscience.
Contents: Following the completion of course, the students
are expected to be able to:
.
describe the basic neural structure and function of the
human visual system from retina to the visual cortex
.
understand the active nature of human vision and how
incoming visual information is compressed in the system
.
describe major behavioral phenomena in spatial and
color vision, movement perception, object recognition,
and visual attention
.
describe some major higher-order visual deficits that
have informed us about the structure and function of
visual perception
Mode of study: Lectures (16h), online tests (10 h) reading (99 h)
Prerequisites: ---
Target audience:
1.
Students registered for the study module Visual studies
at Åbo Akademi University or for the Master´s Degree
Program in Biomedical Imaging jointly organized by Åbo
Akademi University and the University of Turku.
2.
Other students and exchange students of Åbo Akademi
University.
Form of assessment: Final written exam based on the course
book.
Course literature: Snowden, Robert et al., "Basic Vision: An
introduction to Visual Perception", Oxford University Press
2006, Chapters 0-11.
Cultural Imagology: An Introduction
130024.1
5 credits
Intermediate level (see prerequisites)
Lectured course
Offered: Autumn 2014
Lecturer: Anthony Johnson
Contact: Fred Andersson,
Aim: Because the study of images (and an understanding
of ways in which images are constructed) is an essential
component in all Humanities Research, the field of Cultural
Imagology has been developed as an interdisciplinary service
discipline to help researchers deepen their understanding of
the issues behind image studies within their own discipline
and to develop a working knowledge of selected theoretical
approaches that may be of use to them in the pursuit of their
own special research interests. By the end of the course, the
student will have developed a working knowledge of the
differences between verbal, mental, perceptual, optical and
graphic images as well as a number of their social, spatial and
temporal applications, and be able to write about them in
an academic way. General skills developed within the course
include: critical thinking, problem-solving ability, the ability
towork in amultimodal or multidisciplinaryway, the ability to
sift out essential information, writing skills, presentation skills.
Contents: Topics coveredwill include Cultural Imagology - An
Overview; National Imagology - The Social Level; Historical
Imagology - The Temporal Level; Geographical Imagology
- The Spatial Level; The Soundscape; Retrospective: What is
an Image?
Mode of study: 16 h of lectures plus literature studies
Prerequisites for MA-students of English: 60 credits (ECTS) of
English at university level. Prerequisites for BA-students of
English: 25 credits (ECTS) of English at university level.
Prerequisites for other students: 25 credits (ECTS) of the basic
Visual Studies module at Åbo Akademi University, or equiva-
lent credits from other universities
Target audience: Masters, Licentiate and Doctoral level stu-
dents within the Faculty of Humanities.
Form of assessment: One fifteen-page essay (6000 words)
Adequate preparation (readings and tasks) for and active
participation in seminars.
Course literature: Manfred Beller and Joep Leerssen (eds.),
Imagology: TheCultural ConstructionandLiterary Representa-
tion of National Characters - A Critical Survey. Series: Studia
Imagologica, vol. 13; series editors: Hugo Dyserinck and Joep
Leerssen (Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2007). ISBN
978-90-420-2318-5 + selected literary texts and handouts.
Visuality and Visualization of Information
130023.1
5 credits
Basic level, see prerequisites
Lectured course
Offered: Spring 2015
Lecturer: Patrick Sibelius et. al.
Contact: Fred Andersson,
Aim: The course aims at an historical and interdisciplinary
understanding of the emerging field of data visualization,
especially as regards medicine and the natural sciences. The
student will acquire knowledge of how certain findings of
modern psychology and vision science can be practically
applied in order to improve the efficiency and accessibility
of information visualization. The examination is connected to
activities in which students from various disciplines can test
their ability to visualize data with which they are familiar. In
addition, the student also acquires background knowledge
of the historical development of techniques for visualization
in the West.
Contents: In the course it is demonstrated how data is trans-
mitted with the aid of different techniques and devices of
visualization. It is also shown how certain findings of modern
psychology and vision science can be practically applied in
order to improve the efficiency and accessibility of visualiza-
tion. Concepts and notions such as visuality, information,
cognition, object recognition and text/image interaction
are defined and discussed. The course also includes a basic
historical orientation in the history of the scientific image in
the West from the Middle ages and onwards.
Mode of study: Lectures (12h), workshop exercises (6h), essay
(37h), reading (70h)
Prerequisites: ---
Target audience:
1.
Students registered for the study module Visual studies
at Åbo Akademi University or for the Master´s Degree
Program in Biomedical Imaging jointly organized by Åbo
Akademi University and the University of Turku, who
have passed the course Image Perception and Cognition
(130000.0) at Åbo Akademi University.
2.
Other students and exchange students of Åbo Akademi
University.
Form of assessment: Learning portfolio
Course literature: Ware, Colin, "Visual Thinking in Design",
Morgan Kaufmann 2008, ISBN/ISSN: 0123708966. Selected
scientific papers and handouts byWare, Wooding and others.
