Film and Media Studies 242 - Pop Docs: Documentary Influence in Popular Media

Pop Docs examines how documentary techniques that originated in art house and experimental film have migrated into mainstream entertainment media. We’ll study popular forms of non-fiction media: true crime streaming series and podcasts, reality TV, YouTube vlogs, and other social media content. In doing so, we’ll ask: what core tenets of documentary work do these forms discard and retain? How do these evolutions impact the ethics of recording real people and their lives? Why are audiences drawn to “reality” content, and how savvy are they about the distance between what appears on screen and the lived experience of those recorded? Prerequisites: FMS 150 or 237.

[CE] FMS 150 or FMS 237