This lecture introduces the use of visual methods in social science research, exploring how images, visual artefacts and visual environments can be employed as tools for data collection, analysis and interpretation. Visual materials such as photographs, videos, digital media and visual narratives increasingly play a central role in understanding contemporary social practices and cultural meanings.

The lecture will present the main theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches related to visual research, discussing how visual data can be used to investigate social phenomena, everyday practices and mediated experiences. Particular attention will be given to the role of visuality in digital environments and to the ways in which visual methods can complement qualitative and ethnographic research strategies.

Through selected examples and case studies, the session will illustrate how visual methods can support the analysis of social representations, identities and cultural processes in contemporary societies.

About the speaker

Alessandra Micalizzi is Associate Professor in Communication and Cultural Processes at Pegaso University, where she is the director of the Centre of Research in Digital Humanities and coordinates the related doctoral program. She also serves as Departmental Delegate for Communication within the Department of Psychology and Health Sciences and she is part of the Erasmus Committee. She is currently lecturer at SAE Institute, where she coordinates the international Master’s program in Creative Media Practices, awarded by the University of Hertfordshire.

She is series editor of Communication Processes and Cultural Practices (WriteUp Books) and serves on the editorial boards of several national and international journals in the field. Her research focuses on gender studies applied to the cultural industries, the appropriation of AI within creative processes, and methodological and social research innovations.

Practical info

• Thursday 30th of April 2026, 11 AM - 1 PM
• Location: Stadscampus, M-building, S.M.104

Participation is free, but do please register online for this workshop!