FM 38201  Documentary Film and American Society
FM38201 Syllabus

A film can serve as a socio-political witness to the time and culture in which it
is produced. Where feature films reenact a certain historical moment,
documentary film brings a fresh understanding of a situation through
interviews and archival footage. Course covers key documentary filmmakers
from the 1930’s to the present including depression-era Pare Lorenz
(The River and The Plow that Broke the Plains), WW II director Frank Capra
(Why We Fight series), Fred Wiseman (Titicut Follies and High School), as
well as contemporary documentarians such as Ken Burns (Civil War, Baseball,
and Jazz), Michael Moore (Roger and Me, Sicko and Fahrenheit 9/11), and
Errol Morris (Thin Blue Line, Fog of War, and Standard Operation Procedure). <?Readings in American literature supplement screenings.

Spring, Tues 6:30–9, Jan 19-May 4
Professor John Michalczyk