BLS 347 (LN 7852)

History of American Documentary Films

Spring 2003

Tuesday/Thursday, 5:45-7:50 p.m., Rm. UW1-051

David Goldstein-Shirley, Ph.D.

Nonfiction films have been enlightening, entertaining, teaching, and challenging us for nearly a century. In this course, we will explore the history of this expressive form of culture, noting its most important technological and cinematic innovations. More significantly, we will discuss the cultural contexts for the films (why they were made and what they tell us about the social concerns of the period) and the theoretical questions they raise, including the blurry line between fiction and nonfiction and the problematic assumption of unbiased presentation.

By the end of the course, you can expect to be able to define documentary films and identify their major components, speak and write critically about a few of the most important American documentaries ever made, understand the historical development of documentary films in terms of their technology and content, develop skills in the critical evaluation of documentaries, and understand the historical and social forces out of which filmmakers have created documentaries and upon which the films comment.

Please note that students in this course will be required to view one film outside of class, on their own time, no later than May 26:

Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West at Seattle Center's Pacific Science Center. For showtimes and ticket prices, visit <http://www.pacsci.org/imax/default.html#sacajawea>. For directions to the Pacific Science Center and other information, visit: <http://www.pacsci.org/gen_info/>.

Some documentary films deal with mature subject matter that might make some students uncomfortable. Students who are not easily offended or who feel able to deal with emotional discomfort for the purpose of learning are welcome in this course.

Students interested in pursuing other courses in cinema studies at UWB can visit the Cinema Studies Pathways page at <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/pathways/cinema_studies.html>.

 Texts (available in the UWB Bookstore [save your receipts for a patronage refund] and in library reserve). Note: Click here <http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/> and click on the "UW Bothell" link to order books online. Enter the course line number (shown at the top of this page) for "UW SLN Code" (leave other spaces blank) and hit 'enter.' All items have been ordered; contact the bookstore if some materials are not listed.

• Required: Barsam, Richard M. Nonfiction Film: A Critical History, rev. and exp. ed. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1992. (ISBN 0253207061)
• Optional*: Beaver, Frank. Dictionary of Film Terms: The Aesthetic Companion to Film Analysis. New York: Twayne-McMillan, 1994. (ISBN 0805793348)
• Optional*: Monaco, James. How to Read a Film: Movies, Media, Multimedia, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2000. (ISBN 019503869X)

  *I will not assign reading from the "optional" texts, but students who are especially interested in film might want to invest in one or both of these titles.

Grading: Your grade will be based on these assignments, which are described on separate pages online (links will be activated when ready):

Scene analysis (750 words; due May 8)	35 pts.
Documentary film proposal (due May 22)	55 pts.
Learning portfolio (due June 3)	10 pts.
Final examination (in class, June 10)	45 pts.
In-class and online participation	55 pts.
TOTAL	200 pts.

 

A note about grades: I know that students often need to juggle school, work, family, and other obligations. I never second-guess students' priorities, and I never think less of students who choose to devote more time and effort to one of these other obligations rather than to an assignment or the course as a whole. I respect the maturity of students who establish their priorities, make difficult choices, and accept the consequences of those decisions. Also, remember that your grade is based solely on my professional assessment of the quantity and quality of your work, not on your effort or on my opinion of you as an individual.

Final Course Grade Scale:

195-200: 4.0	181-182: 3.3	167-168: 2.6	153-154: 1.9	139-140: 1.2
193-194: 3.9	179-180: 3.2	165-166: 2.5	151-152: 1.8	137-138: 1.1
191-192: 3.8	177-178: 3.1	163-164: 2.4	149-150: 1.7	135-136: 1.0
189-190: 3.7	175-176: 3.0	161-162: 2.3	147-148: 1.6	133-134: 0.9
187-188: 3.6	173-174: 2.9	159-160: 2.2	145-146: 1.5	131-132: 0.8
185-186: 3.5	171-172: 2.8	157-158: 2.1	143-144: 1.4	129-130: 0.7
183-184: 3.4	169-170: 2.7	155-156: 2.0	141-142: 1.3	0-128: 0.0

For an explanation of the University of Washington grading system, see <http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html>.

Schedule (readings listed by author; "Barsam" refers to text listed above; author names followed by an asterisk are listed below under "Reserves List"):

*Additional readings list:

• Associated Students of U of Washington, Bothell. "Avoiding Academic Misconduct." Online <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>. NOT AVAILABLE IN LIBRARY RESERVES.
• Goldberg, Michael. "How to Read a Film." 14 Sept. 2000. Online <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/faculty/mgoldberg/students/readafilm.htm>. NOT AVAILABLE IN LIBRARY RESERVES.
• Kopple, Barbara. Interview. 2000. Online <http://inview.kqed.org/interviews/36/interview.html>. (Click on "view the full transcript" link.) NOT AVAILABLE IN LIBRARY RESERVES.
• Renov, Michael. "Toward a Poetics of Documentary." Theorizing Documentary. New York: Routledge, 1993. 12-36. In electronic reserves at <http://eres.bothell.washington.edu/courseindex.asp>; password required [announced in class: ____________]) and in copy-ready hardcopy at library reserves desk.

Media List (only UWB-owned films will be on reserve at the Media Center <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/media/>):

• Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien. Dir. Jessica Yu. 1996. 35 min. Educational Media Center. View in class on Apr. 8.
• Dont Look Back. Dir. D. A. Pennebaker. 1967. 96 min. BOT-1764. View in class on May 1.
• Harlan County, U. S. A. Dir. Barbara Kopple. 1967. 103 min. BOT-178. View in class on May 13.
• Harvest of Shame. Prod. Bernard Birnbaum. 1960. 55 min. BOT-1246 vol. 4. View in class on Apr. 29.
• Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West. Dir. Bruce Neibaur. 2002. 42 min. View on your own no later than May 27.
• Nanook of the North. Dir. Robert J. Flaherty. 1922. 79 min. DVD BOT-19. View in class on Apr. 15.
• The Plow that Broke the Plains. Dir. Pare Lorenz. 1936. 25 min. BOT-1774. View in class on Apr.22.
• Startup.com. Dir. Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujaim. 2001. 107 min. DVD. BORES BOT-102. View on your own no later than Jun. 3.
• Streetwise. Dir. Martin Bell. 1984. 92 min. BOT-26. View in class on May 20.
• The Titicut Follies. Dir. Frederick Wiseman. 1967. 84 min. BORES BOT-120. View in class on May 6.
• Tongues Untied. Dir. Marlon Riggs. 1991. 55 min. BOT-1098. View in class on May 27.
• War Comes to America. Dir. Frank Capra and Anatole Litvak. Why We Fight Series. 1945. 65 min. BOT-1846. View in class on Apr. 24.

 

 

This schedule is subject to change. The most current schedule will always be posted here <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/DocFilm03Syl.html> for your reference, and changes will be announced in class, by e-mail, or both. The final examination will be an in-class essay on Tuesday, June 10, which cannot be made up if missed.

Keep a copy of all submitted work. No extra credit or paper re-writes will be permitted except as noted, but I will gladly assist you with your work. In-class exercises cannot be made up for any reason because the group interaction is irreproducible. (See below for information on participation.) Late assignments will be accepted only in extenuating circumstances that could not have been anticipated, and only as specified; penalties will apply as specified. Keep all graded materials; IAS and IS majors will need them for their graduation portfolios.

In accordance with University policy, I give Incompletes only if you are passing the course and attending class to within two weeks of the end of the quarter, and then only in extenuating circumstances that can be proven.

I will do my best to accommodate all documented disabilities (physical, learning, cognitive, or other). See <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/students/dss/index.html> for information. Accommodations are not "extra help"; they are steps to provide students with disabilities with an educational environment equivalent to that of students without disabilities.

I am very strict about deadlines, for two reasons: (1) I have very limited grading time, and late papers make it hard for me to return graded papers in a timely manner; and (2) I want everyone to have exactly the same amount of work time for the sake of fairness. Please do not put me in the position of trying to decide arbitrarily how late is "late." Take responsibility for getting work to me at the beginning of class when it is due, not ten minutes, two hours, or a day later. Rest assured that everyone is being treated equally.

IMPORTANT: I insist on academic integrity. You are responsible for understanding all aspects of University regulations regarding academic integrity. Breaches of academic integrity, including but not limited to cheating (e.g., copying another person's work or obtaining examination answers in a dishonest manner) and plagiarism (i.e., using another person's words or ideas without proper acknowledgment), whether intentional or accidental, will result in a zero for the assignment or examination; additional sanctions may be imposed by the University administration. Note that American rules regarding plagiarism might differ markedly from those in other countries. You can find more information in the University Handbook and in the document, "Avoiding Academic Misconduct" <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>. I will help you any way I can so you can succeed while maintaining academic integrity. I truly want you to do well. Visit my office hours often!

About class communication:

Please carefully read the "Class Communication" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Communication.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

About participation:

Please carefully read the "Class Participation" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

Be considerate of your instructors and classmates. Please turn off cellular telephones, pagers, and watch alarms before entering a classroom. Also, be aware that entering a classroom after class has started distracts your instructor and your classmates. If you must do it, please try to enter through a back door, if possible. That probably will distract your instructor (for which you should later apologize), but at least it will reduce the disruption you cause your classmates.

If you need to drop: You and I both invest a significant amount of time and effort having you in this course, so it is unfortunate when students do not complete a course that they began, especially when other students were unable to register for it. Sometimes, however, students need to drop a course for good reasons. If that should become the case, I ask, as a favor, that you send me an e-mail message notifying me. Of course, I hope everyone who starts the course can complete it, so your work and time and mine are put to good use!

Welcome to the course!

This page last updated May 5, 2003.

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