ENGL 376(S) Documentary Technologies (Same as ArtS 384)
This course will investigate the paradoxical ways new media technologies are used to ground notions of the real in contemporary culture. Through a series of readings and workshops we will explore the ways that different documentary modes (such as digital photography, news footage, 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: a 100-level English course, except 150 (formerly 103), or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 25. (Criticism)