Doc Film History & Criticism (313-1-20)
Topic
Art of the Real: A History of Documentary
Instructors
Edgar D Jorge Baralt
Meeting Info
Block Pick-Laudati Auditorium: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
This course tracks a (limited and imperfect) history of documentary cinema that explores nonfiction film as an art form which emerges from the imbrication of science, technology, modernism, colonialism, ethnography, lyricism, the avant-garde, and more. Throughout the course, we will bring so-called seminal films from around the globe in dialogue - and in fruitful collision - with contemporary and/or lesser-known works that challenge the so-called "canon" and resonate with related themes, philosophies, formal strategies, geographies, cultures, agendas, atmospheres, etc. We will place an emphasis on exploring the diverse possibilities of nonfiction films as well as on the politics and ethics of representation, particularly as they pertain to race, class, gender, sexuality, etc. Screenings and readings will be intensive and rewarding for both graduate students and motivated undergrads, and we will invite several filmmakers to join us in discussion of their work. Students will be asked to write short response papers and produce either a final research paper or a final media arts project in conversation with films viewed in class. For Doc Media MFA students, this is a highly recommended class to fulfill the 1 credit history requirement. Learning objectives for all include: to strengthen your understanding of a major strand in the weave of film history; to develop your strength and stamina as a film viewer; and to expand your awareness of the wide variety of social, political, cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical issues nonfiction filmmaking has wrestled with throughout its development.
Registration Requirements
Interested undergraduates should contact the instructor, Edgar Jorge-Baralt, at edgardanieljorge@gmail.com, to request a permission number for the course.
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area