ENGL 376(S) Documentary Technologies (Same as ArtS 384)

This course will investigate the paradoxical ways new media technologies are at once used to ground and to undermine notions of "the real" in contemporary culture. Combining critical reading and viewing with workshops in image production, we'll examine how examples from photographic history, documentary film, medical imaging, and home video inflect our understanding and narration of the world. Topics include: media recycling and culture jamming; the loss of referentiality; changing thresholds of evidence and proof; and strategies for responding to the global media archive now emerging. Experience with photography, film history, or web design is helpful but not necessary. Requirements: several short essays, single and group exercises in image manipulation, and a final essay that will combine visual and textual materials. Prerequisite: English 101 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20. (Criticism)

Hour: ROSENHEIM