DRAFT SYLLABUS 6/29/11
JMC 116 Online
Jeff Smith
Summer 2011
July 25 to August 20
JOURNALISM, DOCUMENTARY, AND DEMOCRACY
Documentary work can take various forms in the media, but often tries to
contribute to the debates on contentious issues that democracies try to resolve. The
production process often involves investigative skills and narrative techniques that can be
controversial. Documentary content may be monitorial (supplier of information),
facilitative (supporter of process), radical (voice of criticism), and collaborative (provider
of cooperation). This course uses context, ethical standards, media studies concepts, and
knowledge of narrative techniques to analyze selected documentaries on the needs,
liberties, and political engagements of American citizens.
The course is online at its D2L site found at: http://uwm.courses.wisconsin.edu.
Students examine, discuss, and write about photography, television programs, and films
intended to inform, persuade, and entertain the public in visually compelling and
sometimes deceptive ways. The purpose is to sharpen skills in analytical reasoning,
critical thought, problem solving, and written communication.
Required reading and viewing: Lectures, videos, readings, and all other parts of
the course content are available on D2L. No purchases are required.
Grading: The course grade will be based on the highest five scores (20% each)
from six grades: five mini-essays and a final essay examination. The main criteria for
grading will be the soundness and depth of the knowledge used, the appropriate
application of course material, and the logic and sophistication of the analysis. Clear and
careful writing will improve scores. Essay, examination, and course average grades
(which are not rounded up) are: 95-100 A, 92-94 A-, 89-91 B+, 86-88 B, 83-85 B-, 80-82
C+, 77-79 C, 74-76 C-, 71-73 D+, 68-70 D, 65-67 D-, below 65 F.
Extra credit of 1 to 5 points in the course average grade can be obtained by
informative and insightful participation in optional online discussion. The topics are on
the course D2L site under “Discussions.” Each post should be a discerning reflection
based on sources beyond course material. Posts should relate a course topic to additional
facts or perspectives and offer a fresh insight or critique. The extra credit points are
assigned on the basis of quality and quantity (up to a total of 750 words).
My office hours in 135 Johnston Hall (414-229-6851) are 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on
Tuesdays during the course. Appointments can be made for other times. E-mail:
jsmith@uwm.edu. Consider me readily available for consultation and questions.
Course Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Journalism-Documentary-andDemocracy/141430719261204
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Schedule
Monday, July 25
Introduction.
Rabiger, Michael. Directing the Documentary. 5th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Focal
Press, 2009. Pages 631-46.
Scheuer, Jeffrey. The Big Picture: Why Democracies Need Journalistic
Excellence. New York: Routledge, 2008. Pages 1-21.
Documentary: Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary.
Tuesday, July 26-Sunday, July 31
Part I: Evaluating Documentary Work: Norms, Narratives, and Techniques
Aufderheide, Patricia. Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Pages 1-25.
Baker, Nicholson. “Why I’m a Pacifist.” Harper’s Magazine. May 2011.
[Example of the essay form.]
Rabiger, Michael. Directing the Documentary. 5th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Focal
Press, 2009. Pages 7-26, 351-360.
Saunders, Dave. Documentary. New York: Routledge, 2010. Pages 11-32.
Documentaries: Peepshow Pioneers, A Film Unfinished, America and the
Holocaust, An American Family, Are Nature Documentaries Fake?
Sunday, July 31. Part I mini-essay due in D2L drop box at 10 p.m. Topic:
Reflecting on the Part I readings, lecture material, and documentaries listed above, write
a 750-word statement of principles on the documentary maker’s primary obligations to
the audience. List, describe (with examples if you wish), and logically justify what you
consider the five most important standards that should be met. At least half of the essay
should be devoted to specific justifications (such as ethical, moral, philosophical,
professional, prudential, and structural rationales) supporting your selection of standards.
Monday, August 1-Friday, August 5
Part II: Photography: Witnessing and Identifying
Alinder, Jasmine. Moving Images: Photography and the Japanese American
Incarceration. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2009. Pages 1-21.
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Linfield, Susie. The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. Pages 32-62. [WARNING: graphic words.]
Smith, Greg. What Media Classes Really Want to Discuss: A Student Guide.
New York, Routledge, 2011. Pages 35-51.
Documentary: Documenting the Face of America.
Friday, August 5: Part II mini-essay due in D2L drop box at 10 p.m. Topic:
Scholarly analyses of photographs of suffering people have varied from charges of
voyeurism to accolades for bearing witness and prodding the conscience. Some contend
that a kind of moving beauty can be found in images of human pain. The aestheticization
of suffering is a subject of debate, but presumably few doubt that photographs such as
those of the Japanese American internment (see the Jasmine Alinder reading) can conceal
problems while other kinds of images incline the viewer to identify with a victim.
Considering the points made in the Greg Smith and Susie Linfield readings and citing
specific images you choose, discuss in a 750-word mini-essay what factors work (or fail
to work) toward your identification with the subjects of three to six examples from one or
more of the following collections of photographs:
http://withoutsanctuary.org/ [lynchings] WARNING: graphic images
www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor/ [child labor]
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html [Depression, WWII, Race]
http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/ [recent wars]
Saturday, August 6 to Wednesday, August 10
Part III: Human Rights and Needs: Learning and Taking Action
Sefcovic, Enid M. “Cultural Memory and the Cultural Legacy of Individualism
and Community in Two Classic Films about Labor Unions.” Critical Studies in Media
Communication 19 (September 2002): 329-51. [On the Waterfront and Salt of the Earth]
Smith, Jeffery A. “Paradigm Stretching: The Milwaukee Journal’s
Responses to James Groppi’s Civil Rights Protests.” Paper presented at the Media and
Civil Rights History Symposium, University of South Carolina, Columbia SC, March 1819, 2011.
Documentaries: Triangle Fire, Salt of the Earth, Freedom Riders, Freedom
Walkers, Stonewall Uprising.
Wednesday, August 10: Part III mini-essay due in D2L drop box at 10 p.m.
Topic: Using the ethics code of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) at
http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp, discuss in a 750-word mini-essay how the SPJ
standards are being met or not met in up to three of the Part III documentaries listed
above.
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Thursday, August 11-Monday, August 15
Part IV: Civil Liberties and National Security: Investigating and Questioning
Smith, Jeffery A. “Prior Restraint: Original Intentions and Modern
Interpretations.” William and Mary Law Review 28 (Spring 1987): 439-72.
Documentaries: The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg,
Fahrenheit 9/11, Wikirebels, Wikisecrets, and Wikileaks.
Monday, August 15: Part IV mini-essay due in D2L drop box at 10 p.m.
Topic: Using specific examples and the Media Studies Concepts list provided, analyze in
a 750-word mini-essay how at least five of the concepts you select can be used to
understand the content of up to three of the Part IV documentaries listed above.
Tuesday, August 16-Friday, August 19
Part V: American Politics: Looking Right and Left
Gilpatrick, Breanne. “Removing Corporate Campaign Restrictions in Citizens
United v. Federal Election Commission, 130 S. CT. 876 (2010),” Harvard Journal of
Law and Public Policy 34 (Winter 2011): 405-20.
Rubin, Jennifer. “A Triumph for Corporate Speech.” Commentary, May 2010.
Documentaries: Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton, Boogieman, Reagan,
Hillary: The Movie.
Friday, August 19: Part V mini-essay due in D2L drop box at 10 p.m. Topic:
Using specific examples and the standards at http://www.pbs.org/about/editorialstandards/ and http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages//frontline/us/guidelines.html , analyze in a
750-word mini-essay how up to three of the Part V documentaries meets or fails to meet
basic principles of “fairness.” Include at least one mention of the issues involved in the
Citizens United case discussed in the Part V articles by Breanne Gilpatrick and Jennifer
Rubin.
Saturday, August 20: Final exam essay due in D2L drop box at 10 p.m.
Using the guidelines provided by Michael Rabinger on the pages listed below and
keeping course content in mind, prepare a 750-word “working hypothesis” and set of
“pitch statements” for a short documentary you would like to make if you had the
necessary skills and resources. The documentary should have a connection to the concept
of “democracy,” present largely fresh subject matter, and offer some valuable insights.
Rabiger, Michael. Directing the Documentary. 5th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Focal
Press, 2009. Pages 51-58. [See pages 58-64 and 361-69 if you are interested in what a
detailed proposal would include. See also http://www.pbs.org/producing/proposal/ ]
For examples of documentary efforts dealing with democracy, see:
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http://www.videochallenge.america.gov/
Videos: “Democracy is….”
http://www.whydemocracy.net/home
Videos: Why Democracy?
http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/citizen-usa-a-50-state-road-trip/video/thebuzz-citizen-usa-on-location.html
Citizen USA, an HBO documentary
Tuesday, August 23: Course grades posted by evening on PAWS.
D2L Discussion
Thinking and learning about course topics need not be limited to the course
content presented by the instructor. You may post additional information and ideas on
one of the course’s D2L discussion forums for extra credit. Your posts should be
discerning reflections based on some cited primary (documents and media coverage) or
secondary (scholarly) source research. In other words, you can do some digging and
discussing to share with others. Posts should connect a general course topic to additional
facts or perspectives while offering a fresh insight or critique.
Course Policies
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Some students may have sensitivities about disturbing images. Any concerns or desired
alternatives should be discussed with the instructor at the beginning of the course.
Due dates may be negotiated in advance with the instructor when necessary.
Work turned in late (without an extension) will receive a 20-point penalty for each 24
hours.
The instructor has many responsibilities including understanding students’ needs and
encouraging them to develop their abilities. Any concerns about the course can be
brought up with the instructor or taken to the department chair.
Incidents of academic misconduct, such as cheating, handing in a paper to more than one
course without permission, and plagiarism (directly quoting the words of others without
using quotation marks or indented format to identify them, using sources of information
without identifying them, or paraphrasing materials or ideas of others without identifying
the sources) will be handled with UWM procedures and can result in penalties such as a
grade of F for the course. For explanations of UWM policies and examples of
plagiarism, go to: http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm and
http://www4.uwm.edu/libraries/guides/style/plagiarism.cfm
For information on campus policies on disabilities, religious observances, military duty,
incompletes, discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment), academic misconduct,
complaints, grade appeals, and final examinations, go to:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf
In the event of disruption of normal academic activities, the format for this course may be
modified to enable completion of the course. In that event, you will be provided an
addendum to this syllabus that will supersede this version.