POL-4050: Political Documentary: Challenging the Official Story

Over the past decade documentary films have entered a new golden age: more popular, more seen and appreciated, more in number, and more important than ever. This course considers the history and politics of recent documentaries; their challenge to the official stories of government and media; their presentation of an alternative reading of our times. The films of Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Errol Morris, Robert Geenwald and others will be examined in an effort to come to a critically informed understanding of the work of contemporary political documentary, its methods, techniques and strategies. Writing in 1969, urban sociologist Martin Oppenheimer described the city as the most vulnerable social structure ever conceived by humans. Nearly forty years later, when close to half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, Oppenheimer’s statement takes on special meaning as city dwellers face both enormous challenges and unique opportunities that will shape the future of the global community. Drawing upon examples from cities as diverse as Beijing, New Delhi, London, Sao Paolo and our own Los Angeles, this course exposes students to the diverse environments, people, systems and cultural expressions that breathe life into urban experiences. What do these cities have in common? What do their differences tell us about the competing values of those who live in them? In what ways are they unique? How do cities in the twenty-first century compare with those that came before? What lessons can developing nations take away from their post-industrial counterparts? What is the source of local, national, and trans-national identities? These are but a few of the questions that frame the goals of the class. Students meet the city in which they live by interacting with people and organizations that influence Los Angeles on a daily basis. The course encourages students to utilize interdisciplinary methods to identify and engage in the social, cultural and political landscape of the city.
Min. Credits: 3.0 Max Credits: 4.0
Credit Basis: Quarter credit
Location(s): Antioch Univ Los Angeles
Method(s): Classroom
Faculty Consent Required: N
Program Approval Required: N
Course Type Liberal Arts, Science & Social Science

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POL-4050: Political Documentary: Challenging the Official Story