O uso da imagem fotográfica no campo da sociologia da saúde: uma experiência na forma？？o de alunos do curso de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

this paper discusses the use of photographic images inside the classroom as an information source for interpreting the sociocultural context from where it was taken, and it reflects on the comprehension of their meaning for education. the experience that served as the argument for this discussion was obtained in a classroom with 30 nursing students at the federal university of rio grande do norte, within the subject of healthcare sociology, provided by social science department in the year 2006. the data were collected through observation of the photographs in the classroom, through seminars and evaluations, using the images as a mediator for learning within higher education for healthcare.