Documentary Film - History, Theory, and Production of Documentary

Catalog description

The course will first examine the modes of the documentary genre, often described as expository, observational, interactive, and reflexive. For each mode we will read relevant history and theory, and watch representative documentaries. Students will then make a series of short documentaries as a means of understanding how these modes affect both the production and reception of a documentary. We also consider more specific sub-genres of documentary such as science/nature, politics/protest, biography, and mockumentary. Satisfies a requirement in the Communication Studies interdisciplinary major and minor. Satisfies a requirement in the Film & Media Studies interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies the Visual and Performing Arts requirement.