This course surveys the history and aesthetics of non-fiction filmmaking from the birth of cinema to the digital age. It will examine epistemological and ethical questions raised by documentary's encounter with reality and its attempt to present “the truth.” Films screened are drawn from an array of nations and range from the personal to the political as well as more experimental and avant-garde works. The course includes a film production component as students apply what they have learned in class by producing a short non-fiction film as a final project.

NOTE: Students can obtain credit for only one of FILM 3075 and MAAC 3075.