The Social Documentary

Course Description

What are the moral and philosophical tensions that arise when doing documentary work?  What are the responsibilities of the filmmaker/photographer to the subject? Whose reality is being documented? The last century witnessed a substantial increase in social documentary photographs, films, and literature—work that described and attempted to transform conditions that perpetuated social inequality. In the process of doing documentary work that intends to “do good” however, many questions persist related to ethics, representation, and responsibility. The seminar explores these controversies and issues using examples from classic documentary works of the 1930s as well as contemporary documentaries on social issues. Each week in the seminar’s readings, discussions, screenings and written work we examine important underlying theoretical and philosophical questions that are at stake for documentary work. At the end of the seminar, students are asked to apply some of these concepts and issues to the preparation of their own documentary proposal.