FILM 260 - Documentary: History and Aesthetics

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

This course explores the history, theory, and aesthetics of documentary cinema from its emergence to the present day. We examine the ways that cultural, political and technological factors have shaped the development of non-fiction film. In addition, the interrelationships between documentary and narrative cinema as well as other media including photography, comic books, and television are considered. The class places documentary in its broader contexts to include forms such as sponsored, experimental, scientific, and amateur films. Throughout the semester, students read primary historical sources along with scholarly approaches to the development, uses, and meanings of documentary cinema. Screenings include films by Michael Moore, George Stoney, Robert Drew, Agnes Varda, Chick Strand, Errol Morris, and many others. Alexander Kupfer.

Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 209, and permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.

Course Format: CLS