Doc Mode Activities

Documentary Mode Activities (3 X 40 pts. = 120 pts.):

On the dates listed below, each student will complete a small-ish work of documentar y media that utilizes one of the documentar y modes ad- dressed in that unit. Works may utilize text, images, audio, video or multi- media and may take the form of a ‘thick description,’ photo essay, journal- istic comic, audio doc, short film or interactive web doc.The works should be posted online. Students will write a 300-500 word ‘documentarian’s statement’ that addresses how the work engages with the documentary mode (including related films, other works, and concepts from the text and class discussion).These statements (which should include a URL for the work) will be submitted online via Learning Suite by 8am on the due dates below.

Doc Mode Activity 1 (due Mon. Oct. 13th)

- Expository/Observational/Poetic mode

Doc Mode Activity 2 (due Mon Nov. 3rd)

- Participatory/Reflexive/Performative mode

Doc Mode Activity 3 (due Mon. Dec 1st)

- Autobiographical/Essayistic/Multimedia mode 

In order to give you some idea of the scope of the Documentary Mode Activities, I've included just a few examples. Remember that you're encouraged to experiment with new media, so I don't anticipate that your first attempt at journalistic comics or audio documentary or whatever will be as polished as some of the following examples. I do expect that these activities will demonstrate your sincere efforts to engage with the documentary modes that we'll address in readings, viewings and class discussions, to practice creating documentary media using a variety of approaches, and to contextualize these efforts within your developing understanding of 'The Documentary Idea.'

So, here's an excerpt from an autobiographical comic, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

 

Here's a reflexive piece of 'urban journalism' called 'Life in a New York Market' by Walt Whitman.

This is a short performative video doc 'Yawns' from the Mercandantes.

Yawns from Everynone on Vimeo.