SPAN 319 | Documentary Film, Social Movements and Human Rights

This course explores the relationship between documentary film and social movements in Latin America and Spain. Students analyze a series of 20th and 21st century social documentaries in their respective historical and political contexts, paying special attention to the techniques utilized by filmmakers and audiences to intervene in the public sphere. In the process, they become familiar with the conventions of different schools of documentary filmmaking in Spain and Latin America as well as the rationale behind the use of specific film techniques. This course fosters community-engaged learning and it satisfies the experiential learning graduation requirement. It combines film theory with hands-on experience in documentary filmmaking. Students expand on the concepts discussed in class by learning how to produce short documentary films that explore a social issue that affects Tacoma. As such this course requires significant out-of-class engagement with our local communities.