Media and film studies
Debates in Screen Documentary
Module code: P4125
Level 5
30 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Not yet finalised
Assessment modes: Coursework
Documentary Studies is a burgeoning sub-field of Film Studies. You’ll explore some of the major questions in the study of documentary film as a way of introducing non-fiction forms in the cinema and beyond.
Topics include:
- documentary realisms
- authorship and documentary authority
- objectivity and subjectivity
- documentary re-enactment
- essayistic and experimental documentary modes
- documentary and the internet.
You’ll explore key documentary movements and trends, including:
- the mockumentary
- the interactive documentary
- documentary’s move into the art gallery.
Case studies will be international and may include:
- Citizenfour
- The Gleaners and I
- Behemoth
- Fahrenheit 911
- The Act of Killing
- Close-Up.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an appropriate understanding of the key themes, issues, and debates in documentary studies.
- Identify major films that have influenced the field and their contribution.
- Identify the key historical movements in documentary practice
- Demonstrate the ability to integrate critical sources in their construction and development of written analysis and argument.