Documenting International Affairs
- NINT 5241 - Documenting International Affairs (Spring 2008)
“In feature films, the director is God; in documentary films, God is the director.” - Alfred Hitchcock
“The pleasure and appeal of documentary film lies in its ability to
make us see timely issues in need of attention, literally. We see views of the
world and what they put before us are social issues and cultural values current
problems and possible solutions, actual situations and specific ways of
representing them… Documentary film contributes to the formation of popular
memory” – Bill Nichols
More than ever, independent documentaries are being considered the source of knowledge and information about what happens in the world. Documenting International Affairs examines the power of documentaries in exposing facts around the world while challenging students to question assumptions such as “the camera never lies”; or “believe me I am of the world” or “what you are seeing is the truth”. How much does a documentarian manipulate? How much do viewers question what is being presented to them? Should they see documentaries as “the raw material of actuality”? (John Grierson) Could a documentary be considered on equal footing with a written essay or book, a scientific survey or report? Is non-fiction film practice the site of contestation and change? Does it address those questions that remain unsettled from the past and those posed by the present? (Bill Nichols) This course seeks to familiarize practitioners with the basics of documentary film theory (still itself in the making) and its practices and controversies in order to enable students to develop critical thinking regarding the documentaries they are going to watch. Documenting International Affairs also opens the possibility for students to think about creating a short documentary which would serve as their final project for the course.
(Note: Depending on the documentaries seen within the class itself, some sessions may last until 10 pm.)
Concentration:Media and Culture