Dorothy Fadiman, Award winning filmmaker to visit Theatre Class

Dorothy Fadiman, award-winning documentary filmmaker, will be visiting the OSU Columbus campus on Tuesday, September 30th, for a screening of portions of her newest film, “Stealing America: Vote By Vote.” The film is being shown at the Landmark Gateway Theatre, 9/26 through 10/2.

The on campus visit, showing excerpts, will be in Theatre 777, Studies in Documentary, 2038 Drake Performance and Event Center, 1:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to join the class. She is available that morning for other classes or visits. Please contact Alan Woods, Department of Theatre (woods.1@osu.edu, 292-6614) for more information. A brief bio is attached, and the film’s website is
http://www.stealingamericathemovie.org/

Dorothy Fadiman, Producer/Director
Dorothy Fadiman has been producing media with a focus on social justice and human rights since 1976. Her film subjects have ranged from progressive education in WHY DO THESE KIDS LOVE SCHOOL? (produced with KTEH-TV) and progressive change for women in some of the least developed villages of India in WOMAN by WOMAN: New Hope for the Villages of India (produced with KQED-TV); to a three-film series on reproductive issues and a five-film series on AIDS in Ethiopia including From RISK to ACTION: Women and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. Fadiman has won more than 50 major awards, including an Emmy for her 1995 production FROM DANGER to DIGNITY: The Fight for Safe Abortion, and an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject, as well as the Gold Medal from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for her 1992 production WHEN ABORTION WAS ILLEGAL: Untold Stories. Her films have been broadcast on PBS, and have been screened in many international venues. Fadiman’s new book, PRODUCING with PASSION: Making Films That Make a Difference was released in June, 2008.

The syllabus for the course is below:

Theatre 777: Studies in the Documentary
3 cr hrs. U/G. Autumn 2008 TR 1:30-3:18 p.m. DR 2039
Instruc Instructor: Dr. Alan Woods 1433 Lincoln Tower 292-6614 woods.1@osu.edu Office hours: MW 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., T 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and by appointment
Course Description:
Conceptual, aesthetic, critical, social, ethical, practical issues in the practice of documentary and docudrama production of cinema and video works. The course will examine relatively contemporary documentary films which deal with political issues, exploring the role of the citizen in shaping a democratic society.
Course Objectives:
1. To examine the history of the political documentary film in the American cinema, and the cinematic languages developed as the visual conventions of the documentary have shifted and changed over time
2. To explore, both practically and theoretically, the perception that documentaries are fact-driven and essentially neutral, and the reaction when some viewers become convinced of bias on the part of a filmmaker
3. To survey the subject matter of recent political documentaries, and how they reflect areas of societal concern
4. To study the ways in which the manipulation of the ostensibly neutral form of the documentary film influences viewer perceptions and may shape the national agenda
5. To explore how critical theorists organize the discussion of the documentary form, and the extent to which formal analysis how different contemporary societies perceive the role of government in controlling what information citizens can freely access .
Course Requirements:
Each student will examine a single documentary film, taken from the list below, and will give a research presentation to the class on the film and its creative staff, focusing on the topics above. In addition, presentations should also cover a consideration of the filmmakers’ careers, the critical and economic reception the film received, how and where the film became available to audiences, and a critical assessment how well the film succeeded in fulfilling the filmmakers’ purpose. The research presentation in class will be preceded by a preliminary outline, submitted in written form on Tuesday, October 14th, and will be the basis for a formal research document due at the end of the quarter. The format of the final research document may take whatever shape the researcher feels is most appropriate; the format must be approved in advance, and a format proposal is due on Thursday, November 20th.
Bibliography:
Background texts are on reserve in the Ackerman Library, as are copies of the texts from which readings are required,
Aitken, Ian, ed. Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film. New York: Routledge, 2006.
Barnouw, Erik. Documentary : a history of the non-fiction film, rev. ed. Oxford [Oxfordshire] ; New York : Oxford U. P., 1983.
Bullert, B. J. Public Television: politics and the battle over documentary film. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers U. P., 1997.
Chanan, Michael. The Politics of Documentary. London: British Film Institute, 2007.
Girgus, Sam B. America on film : modernism, documentary, and a changing America. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge U. P., 2002.
Juhasz, Alexandra, and Jesse Lerner, eds. F is for Phony: fake documentary and truth's undoing. Minneapolis : U. of Minnesota P., 2006.
Nichols, Bill. Blurred Boundaries : questions of meaning in contemporary culture. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 1994.
-----. Introduction to documentary. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 2001.
Renov, Michael. The Subject of Documentary. Minneapolis: U. of Minnesota P., 2004.
Rhodes, Gary D., and John Parris Springer, eds. Docufictions : essays on the intersection of documentary and fictional filmmaking. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2006.
Ward, Paul. Documentary : the margins of reality. London: Wallflower, 2005.
Warren, Charles, ed. Beyond Document : essays on nonfiction film. Hanover, NH: U. P. of New England, 1996.
Zimmermann, Patricia Rodden. States of Emergency: documentaries, wars, democracies. Minneapolis: U. of Minnesota P., 2000.
Additional Credit:
Theatre 777 is available for a total of 5 credits, with two additional hours of Theatre 693 or 893 (directed research); there will be an additional assignment, either written or practical, to be determined through consultation between the instructor and student.
Films
from http://www.documentary-film.net
Bagdad ER
Fallujah White Phosphorus
A Few Inconvenient Facts
The Great Global Warming Swindle
Iraq For Sale
Loose Change
Oil, Smoke & Mirrors
In OSU library:
Fahrenheit 9/11
Iraq For Sale: The Profiteers
Michael Moore Hates America
72 hours to victory: Behind the scenes with Bill Clinton
Uncovered: the whole truth about the Iraq War
War in Iraq : road to Baghdad
The War Room
At Grandview Heights:
Journeys With George: A Home Movie
The War Room
Through Ohio Link:
Point of Order
At TRI:
Senator Obama Goes to Africa
Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections
Grading:
Preliminary research outline: 15%
Research presentation: 40%
Final research report: 45%:
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss specific needs. Please contact the Office of Disability Services at 292-3307, room 150 Pomerene Hall, www.ods.ohio-state.edu/welcome.htm to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternative formats upon request.
USG ESCORT SERVICE: 292-3322.
Class Schedule:
R 9/25: introduction; course requirements and expectations; backgrounds
T 9/30: Traditional definitions; “Stealing America: Vote By Vote” with visit by filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman..
R 10/2: History: origins of the documentary.

T 10/7: History: early development
R 10/9: History: the recent past

T 10/14: Realism/objectivity/subjectivity . Research project preliminary outline due.
R 10/16: Visual conventions, past and present
.
T 10/21: Business concerns: distribution, festivals
R 10/23: Audiences: who goes to see these films?

T 10/28: Research Presentation
R 10/30: Research Presentation

T 11/4: No class; Election Day
R 11/6: Research Presentation

T 11/11: No class; Veterans’ Day
R 11/13: Research Presentation

T 11/18: Research Presentation
R 11/20: Research Presentation Research Report Format proposals due

T 11/25: Research Presentation
R 11/27: Thanksgiving Day; No Class

T 12/2: Summary: state of the documentary
R 12/4: Conclusions: can we predict the future of the form?

T 12/9: Final Research Reports Due