This is a resource page for the History and Issues of Documentary Film class I am currently teaching. As the semester progresses, you will find additional materials posted to these pages.

LALW214: History and Issues of Documentary Film
Fall 2011, 3 Credits, meets in Tower 513, Tuesday, September 13 through Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 6:40 – 9:40 P.M. Instructor: David Tamés, Professional and Continuing Education, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

For more information, contact me, or to register, call MassArt Professional and Continuing Education at 617.879.7200 or visit their web site.

Description
Documentary, as defined by John Grierson, is the creative treatment of actuality. He coined the term in a review of Robert Flaherty’s Moana (1926). Contemporary culture expands on classical rhetorical and observational forms with docusoaps, agitprop, advocacy, animation, sensory ethnography, mockumentary, first-person, and more. In this course we will explore the origins of documentary, discuss the central issues of the field, examine historical and contemporary trends, and identify the aesthetic strategies and techniques used by documentary makers along with their rhetorical effects.

Objectives
Students will be introduced to key milestones in documentary history and become aware of the issues facing contemporary practitioners. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. describe and explain the significance of major historical trends in documentary, 2. describe the observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative modes of documentary and cite examples of each, 3. relate techniques of representation with political and cultural perspectives, and 4. explain how new media and internet distribution is changing the way documentaries are produced, viewed, and distributed.