LIT 329 Documentary Film and Media

(Formerly DRA 346) 

3 hours 

This course provides an introduction to the history of documentary film and the role it plays in shaping our understanding of the world around us. Through the study of documentary film and TV, docudramas and fictional mockumentaries, students will explore the role non-fiction media plays in establishing truths and shaping social realities. This course will explore how forms of documentary media present viewers with an argument about the nature of the world around them; examine the role of documentary images as evidence; explore the creative processes that underlie all nonfiction media making; and examine the ethics of documentary making. To deepen their media literacy and understanding of truth and fiction in the media, students will view documentary films and videos and read popular and scholarly texts exploring the historical and theoretical aspects of documentary film and non-fiction media.