Postgraduate Course: Constructing Reality 1: Documentary filmmaking and culture (CLLC11090)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
Common Courses (School of Lit, Lang and Cult) |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None |
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| Course description |
The course adopts a comparative methodology to examine how both social theorists and documentary filmmakers use their chosen mediums to construct reality;. Concentrating on cultural themes; such as exile, gender, belief and imagination, the course seeks to understand the visual, structural and emotional strategies employed by filmmakers and writers in their attempts to represent reality to an audience.
By approaching visual truth as the result of careful construction students will be introduced to the creative art of documentary filmmaking and will be empowered to critically engage with the truth claims of factual films. Furthermore the course intends to introduce students to the basic tenets of practice-based research by undertaking a short video project.
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Entry Requirements
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites |
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| Prohibited Combinations |
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Other requirements |
None
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| Additional Costs |
None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, the students will:
- have an understanding of the divergent strategies employed in the construction of visual truth claims
- be able to understand the role of documentary films and factual television in contemporary culture
- be able to conduct an analysis of documentary films, critically engaging with visual strategies for constructing reality, and be able to communicate such an analysis
- be able to contrast and compare written strategies with visual strategies
- have an insight into the skills necessary to conduct practice-based research in the study of culture.
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Assessment Information
| The course will be assessed through student presentations and a 4,000 word essay utilising the texts and methodologies introduced in the class. The video project will be marked on a pass/fail basis. |
Special Arrangements
| Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Nick Higgins
Tel: (0131 6)51 3775
Email: Nick.Higgins@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Ms Heather Elliott
Tel: (0131 6)50 3030
Email: Heather.Elliott@ed.ac.uk |
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copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 5:44 am
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