Documentary Studies - Spring 2022 Courses
Index:
DS 251B - Intro to Documentary Studies (2 cr)
DS 351B - Explorations in Doc Photography (3 cr)
DS 251D - Documentary Film Editing (4 cr)
DS 351D - Doc Film Prod: Form/Content (4 cr)
AAMF 323 - Law and Ethics for Media (4 cr)
PHDS 217 - Film Truth (4 cr)
NOTE: All courses listed as DS count towards Skidmore College's Media and Film Studies Minor.
Course Descriptions
DS 251B - Introduction to Documentary Studies
Nicole Van Slyke
Mon, 4-5:50pm, (2 cr)
History and Practice. This course introduces students to the historical, theoretical, practical and ethical traditions of creative non-fiction storytelling. Through a variety of mediums -- photography, sound, performance, film, etc. -- we will study how makers and scholars have approached the representation of reality on a global level. We will: interrogate extractive and colonialist practices in documentary; think about the ever blurring line between fact and fiction; and consider personal, collaborative and collective methodologies of storytelling.
DS 251C - Explorations in Documentary Photography
Emily Vallee
Tu/Th, 2:10-3:30pm, (3 cr)
This course will introduce students to the practice of documentary photography. The history, theory and politics of non-fiction storytelling will be examined and discussed through readings, lectures, the work of past and present photographers and class field trips. Students will experiment with a variety of different documentary styles and begin to develop their own personal documentary practice. By the end of the semester, students will produce a coherent documentary body of work, considering both the use of imagery and text. In addition, students will also learn to question how the contemporary documentary photograph can often create alternative ways of seeing, recording and understanding events that shape the world in which we live.
DS 251D - Documentary Film Editing
Nicole Van Slyke
Mon, 6:10-9pm; Wed, 6:10-7:10pm (4 cr)
In many ways, documentary stories aren’t so much written as discovered. Our world is already full of stories waiting to be told, but what makes a story worth telling, and how one should tell it, are two of the most crucial questions any documentarian must answer. From initial concept through to the final edit, this course will ask students to grapple with this process of documentary discovery, in order to develop a robust set of practices from which to tell the stories of the world around us. Major topics include: • How to develop, nurture and test a story idea: when to know it has ‘legs’ • The value of Loglines, Treatments and Pitches for conceptualizing story • Form and Methodology: is this story best told as a short? Podcast? Feature? Interactive project? Does it require archival research? Interviews? • How to ethically obtain access to a story • Finding the story in the footage—the importance of the editing room This course requires no pre-existing knowledge or experience of documentary practice or technical expertise, and will be of interest to anyone curious about telling documentary stories in a multitude of forms. Students will work with an archive of previously shot footage to craft a short documentary film, learning basic editing techniques with Adobe Premiere.
DS 351D - Documentary Film Production: Form and Content
Sarah Friedland
Tu/Th, 9:10-11am, (4 cr)
An introduction to the tools, skills and practices used in documentary film production. Through the frameworks of documentary aesthetics and ethics, students will learn about style and craft in non-fiction film and apply this knowledge to their own documentary production work. Over the course of the semester, students will work in groups and individually to create multiple short documentary films in varying styles. All skill levels are welcome. Central to this course is the close observation and understanding of the world around us. Students will learn how to be respectful and acute observers in order to focus their lenses on the immediate and personal stories surrounding them.
AAMF 323 - Law and Ethics for Media
Scott Mulligan
Tu/Th, 3:40-5:30pm, (4 cr)
The study of how filmmakers and documentarians, authors and artists, musicians, makers, marketers and storytellers protect their ideas, expressive works, and creative endeavors from being copied or stolen by others, especially in the digital age. Students will consider the legal and ethical issues these individuals confront as they produce their creative projects, particularly creations which incorporate other media content. Employing interdisciplinary methods and approaches, students will explore the legal, ethical, and practical issues involved in varying media production forms (video/film, photography, music/audio, documentary, web and exhibit-based narratives, etc.) for fiction and non-fiction storytelling. Students will develop approaches which synthesize underlying policies and best practices in order to challenge assumptions at the intersection of storytelling, business, art, law and creative expression.
PHDS 217 - Film Truth
William Lewis
Tu/Th, 2:10-3:30pm (4 cr)
An interdisciplinary investigation of the possibility of truth and objectivity in documentary film. Students will examine the history of documentary practice and theory, including topics such as mimetic theory, narrative realism, scientific truth, juridical truth, institutional truth, film truth, direct cinema, self-reflexive cinema, and constructivism. The course will integrate methods from philosophy, aesthetics, and film studies. Fulfills humanities requirement.
DS 399 - MDOCS Internship Credit
Please write to Director Sarah Friedland for more information
1-4 credits
