Films & Events

Class Days:  Mon & Wed, February 17, 19, 24, & 26
Location:  Nickelodeon Theater
Class Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Course Summary
Documentaries have surged in popularity across theaters, television, and online platforms, shaping how we understand and engage with the world around us.  This course critically examines the social function of documentaries, focusing on those that challenge, in subtle and not so subtle ways, the dominant ideology.

We will be exploring a broad range of documentary styles and subjects, assessing the subversive potential of both form and content.  The four class meetings will include viewing and discussing experimental documentaries, historical documentaries, essay documentaries, and activist documentaries.  By the end of the course, we will have a better understanding of the range of documentaries and their potential impact on political socialization, public policy, and political organizations and activists.

Instructor
David Whiteman is a retired USC professor of political science and film studies where he taught courses on The Politics of Subversive Documentary Film, and Green Politics.  His primary research area was political communication, particularly the political impact of documentary film, and his research and publications have been funded in part by the MacArthur Foundation and the National Science Foundation.  Whiteman is the Past President of The Nickelodeon Board and a recipient of The Nickelodeon’s “Lifetime Member” award for outstanding contributions.

Nick members will automatically receive $10 off the ticket price (you must be logged in before adding tickets to your cart).

180 min.