Outline

Overview

In the age of reality television and instantaneous sharing of social media, why do documentary's truth claims, and modes of representing reality, continue to be so compelling? This unit introduces students to the history and poetics of documentary cinema, its codes of realism and its reality effects. It focuses in particular on transformations since the 1960s, including the impacts of new film technologies, television, new media, computerisation and the Internet.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Film Studies
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in Film Studies
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	ARHT2673
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Wyatt Moss-Wellington, wyatt.moss-wellington@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Essay A research essay	40%	- Due date: 04 Jun 2023 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Film Program Note (short essay) A film festival program note (short essay) on a documentary film	25%	Week 06 Due date: 02 Apr 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	The Pitch Pitch your group's proposed documentary	15%	Week 13 Due date: 22 May 2023 at 17:00	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Documentary Proposal Synopsis, outline and treatment for an original documentary	20%	Week 13 Due date: 22 May 2023 at 17:00	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

See Canvas for further information.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	INTRODUCTION Screening reality	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	INTRODUCTION Screening reality	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	ETHICS Representing people and their worlds	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	ETHICS Representing people and their worlds	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	VOICES Now and then	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	VOICES Now and then	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	PERSUASION What is documentary good for	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	PERSUASION What is documentary good for	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	DOCUMENTARY Modes and models	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	DOCUMENTARY Modes and models	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	THE ARCHIVE Then and now	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	THE ARCHIVE Then and now	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	RE-ENACTMENT Representing the past, documenting the present	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	RE-ENACTMENT Representing the past, documenting the present	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	THE PAST IS IN US Archiving feelings	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	THE PAST IS IN US Archiving feelings	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	THE RETURN TO OBSERVATION Technological mediation and contemporary life	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	COLLECTIVE REALITIES Activist documentary	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	THE RETURN TO OBSERVATION Technological mediation and contemporary life	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	COLLECTIVE REALITIES Activist documentary	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	CO-CREATION Production, exhibition, impact	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	CO-CREATION Production, exhibition, impact	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	WORKSHOP The proposal and pitch	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	WORKSHOP The proposal and pitch	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	THE PITCH!	Lecture (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students must attend class as per University policy, including online classes.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

MAIN REQUIRED TEXTS

Kahana, Jonathan, ed. 2015. The Documentary Film Reader : History, Theory, Criticism New York: Oxford University Press. [TDFR]

Nichols, Bill. 2017. Introduction to Documentary. 3rd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

1 Introduction: screening reality

No film this week

Nichols, Chapter1 “How can we define documentary film”?

2 Ethics: representing people and their worlds

Chronicle of a Summer. Dirs. Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin. France, 1961.

Nichols, Chapter 2 “Why are ethical issues central to documentary filmmaking?”

3 Voices: now and then

Portrait of Jason. Dir. Shirley Clarke. US, 1967.

Nichols, Chapter 3 “What gives documentaries a voice of their own?”

Gustafson, Irene. “Putting Things to the Test: Reconsidering Portrait of Jason.” Camera Obscura XXVI, no. 77 (2011): 1–31.

4 Persuasion: what is documentary good for

Bus 174. Dirs. José Padilha and Felipe Lacerda. Brazil, 2003.

Nichols, Chapter 4 “What makes documentaries engaging and persuasive?”

Villarejo, Amy. “Bus 174 and the Living Present.” In TDFR #113 p.984ff.

5 Documentary modes and models

The Gleaners and I. Dir. Agnes Varda. France, 2000.

Nichols, Chapters 6 and 7

6 The archive: then and now

The Atomic Café. Dirs. Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader, Pierce Rafferty. US, 1982.

Bruzzi, Stella. New Documentary: A Critical Introduction. 2nd ed. N.Y: Routledge, 2006. Chapter 1 “The Event: Archive and Newsreel,” 15-46.

7 Re-enactment: representing the past, documenting the present

[NOTE screening starts an hour earlier than usual]

The Act of Killing. Dirs. Joshua Oppenheimer, co-dir. Christine Cynn and Anonymous. Denmark/Norway/UK, 2012) 2h46m.

Film Quarterly Special Dossier on The Act of Killing (see eReserve folder):

Rich, B. Ruby. “Special dossier on The Act of Killing: Introduction.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 8-9.

Simpson, B. “The Act of Killing and the dilemmas of history.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 10-13.

Walker, Janet. “Referred pain: The Act of Killing and the production of a crime scene.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 14-20.

Fraser, Nick. “We love impunity: The case of The Act of Killing.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 21-24.

Nichols, Bill. “Irony, cruelty, evil (and a wink) in The Act of Killing.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 25-29.

King, H. “Born free? Repetition and fantasy in The Act of Killing.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 30-36.

Crichlow, Warren. “‘It's all about finding the right excuse’ in Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 37-43.

Paramaditha, Intan. “Tracing frictions in The Act of Killing.” Film Quarterly 67, no. 2 (2013): 44-9.

8 The past is in us: archiving feelings

No Home Movie. Dir. Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France, 2016.

Hirsch, Marianne. “The Generation of Postmemory,” Poetics Today 29, no. 1 (2008): 103-128.

Margulies, Ivone. “Elemental Akerman: Inside and Outside No Home Movie.” Film Quarterly 70, no. 1 (2016): 61–69.

9 Collective realities: activist documentary

Far From Vietnam. France, 1967.

Gaines, Jane. “Political Mimesis.” In Collecting Visible Evidence, ed. Jane Gaines and Michael Renov. Minneapolis, MN: UMN Press, 1999, 84-102.

Waugh, Thomas. “Loin Du Vietnam (1967), Joris Ivens and Left Bank Documentary.” Jump Cut, no. 53 (Summer 2011).

10 Co-creation: production, exhibition, impact

Kanymarda Yuwa / Two Laws. Dirs. The Borroloola Community, Alessandro Cavadini, Carolyn Strachan. Australia, 1981.

Ginsburg, Faye. “Breaking the Law with Two Laws: Reflections on a Paradigm Shift.” Studies in Documentary Film 2, no. 2 (December 8, 2008): 169–74.

Kahana, Jonathan. “Re-Staging Two Laws: An Interview with Alessandro Cavadini and Carolyn Strachan.” Framework 50, no. 1/2 (2009): 61–81.

Santolo, Jason De. “Two Laws Still: Notes on Resonance.” Studies in Documentary Film 2, no. 2 (2008): 185–89.

11 The return to observation: mediation and contemporary life

Leviathan. Dirs. Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel. US, 2012.

Pavsek, Christopher. “Leviathan and the Experience of Sensory Ethnography.” Visual Anthropology Review 31, no. 1 (2015): 4–11.

Thain, Alanna. “A Bird’s Eye View of Leviathan.” Visual Anthropology Review 31, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 41–48.

12 Workshop

No film this week

Nichols, Chapter 10 “I want to make a documentary: where do I start?”

Rabiger, Michael. Chapter 8 “Developing and Pitching a Short Documentary.” Directing the Documentary. 6th ed. Burlington, MA: Focal Press, 2015.

13 The Pitch!

No film this week.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an advanced understanding of the history of documentary film in the context of the history of film more generally;
LO2. identify and analyse the modes, genres and representational strategies of documentary film, and their production and reception contexts;
LO3. critically reflect on documentary film as socio-political text, art practice, industry, and film/media commodity, and key debates in documentary studies concerning (among others) re-enactment, performance, production ethics, and the use of archival materials;
LO4. draw on the concepts and issues explored in the unit, as well as further independent research, to construct arguments and perspectives on documentary film.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The unit has been revised to take account of film availability, minor revisions to assessments and due dates across the semester.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

FILM3003: Screening Reality Since the 1960s

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect