General information

Course type AMUPIE
Module title Film In Anthropology
Language English
Module lecturer Dr Jan Lorenz
Lecturer's email janlor@amu.edu.pl
Lecturer position Assistant Professor
Faculty Faculty of Anthropology and Cultural Studies
Semester 2022/2023 (summer)
Duration 30
ECTS 5
USOS code 21-FAH-f-12-EtnC

Timetable

"Film in anthropology" has a different schedule, because it combines lectures with discussions and film screenings. Classes will take place on Tuesdays, once every two weeks, from 14:15 to 17:30, with a 15-minute break in the middle. The first class meeting will be on March 7, the next on March 21, then on April 7 and so on.

Class meetings will be in room 2.4 in Collegium Historicum of AMU (first floor). 

https://goo.gl/maps/NRJtefFPeBJX5gds5

Should you have any questions please contact the course convenor, Dr Jan Lorenz

 

Module aim (aims)

1. introduce students to ethnographic film, its history, epistemological and methodological paradigms and ethical challenges
2. allow students to acquire hands-on familiarity with the specificity of ethnographic film as a form of anthropological research and representation
3. to introduce students to most important ethnographic film as well as documentary films and genres that shaped the contemporary consensus, as well as future challenges and opportunities involved in using visual media in anthropological research.

Students will gain thorough understanding of ethnographic film, its origins, development and contemporary challenges from its earliest inspirations and experiments to the most contemporary and innovative works. The course will consist of screenings of documentary films which shaped or formed the core of visual anthropology, paired with an introduction into the respective theoretical debates about the place and practice of ethnographic filmmaking in the discipline of anthropology. The course will also give students an opportunity to engage in critical debates on screened masterworks and consider the place of audio-visual media in the discipline of ethnology/cultural anthropology. The course is aimed to construe a theoretical introduction into film as a research method, a form of intersubjective engagement and a medium of representation in anthropology. The course will be of particular interest to students of Social Sciences and Humanities, particularly in the fields of cultural anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, film studies and history.

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Ability to communicate in written and spoken English

Syllabus

LEARNING MODULE DESCRIPTION (SYLLABUS)

I.General information
1. Module title: Ethnographic cinema
2. Module code EC
3. Module type – compulsory or optional optional
4. Programme title: AMU-PIE, Erasmus+, CREOLE
5. Cycle of studies (1st or 2nd cycle of studies or full master’s programme) 1st and 2nd
6. Year of studies (where relevant)2nd and 3rd (1st cycle) / 1st and 2nd (2nd cycle)
7. Terms in which taught (summer/winter term) winter
8. Type of classes and the number of contact hours (e.g. lectures: 15 hours; practical classes: 30 hours)30h (lectures 15h, seminars 15h)
9. Number of ECTS credits: 5
10.Name, surname, academic degree/title of the module lecturer/other teaching staff/ e-mail: Dr Jan Lorenz, jan.lorenz@amu.edu.pl
11.Language of classes: English

Detailed information
1. Module aim (aims)
C1. introduce students to ethnographic film, its history, epistemological and methodological paradigms and ethical challenges
C2. allow students to acquire hands-on familiarity with the specificity of ethnographic film as a form of anthropological representation
C3. to introduce students to most important ethnographic film as well as documentary films and genres that shaped the contemporary consensus, as well as future challenges and opportunities involved in using visual media in anthropological research.

Students will gain thorough understanding of ethnographic film, its origins, development and contemporary challenges from its earliest inspirations and experiments to the most contemporary and innovative works. The course will consist of screenings of documentary films which shaped or formed the core of visual anthropology, paired with an introduction into the respective theoretical debates about the place and practice of ethnographic filmmaking in the discipline of anthropology. The course will also give students an opportunity to engage in critical debates on screened masterworks and consider the place of audio-visual media in the discipline of ethnology/cultural anthropology. The course is aimed to construe a theoretical introduction into film as a research method, a form of intersubjective engagement and a medium of representation in anthropology. The course will be of particular interest to students of Social Sciences and Humanities, particularly in the fields of cultural anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, film studies and history.

2. Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant): Interest in the course topics, ability to communicate in written and spoken English. Prior introduction to anthropological/ethnological concepts and ideas is desirable, but not required

3. Module learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences and their reference to programme learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student will:
a. have a general knowledge of the history of ethnographic filmmaking E_W02; b. be able identify the main anthropological perspectives on ethnographic film c. be able to identify main theoretical and formal influences that shaped ethnographic filmmaking and its anthropological perception
d. recognise and understand contemporary trends in ethnographic filmmaking as well as its methodological, epistemological and ethical concerns. e. understand the place of ethnographic film in the larger context of sensory anthropology
e. become familiar with debates on ethnographic film and filmmaking in anthropology/ethnology and within its sub-discipline of visual anthropology
f. gain competence in the critical analysis of documentary film as a form of anthropological representation

Class topics:
01Introduction Early ethnographic filmmakers Kino-pravda and kino-glaz: the legacy of Soviet experimental documentary filmmaking
02 American Direct cinema and French Cinema vérité
03 Observational cinema in anthropology. Participative filmmaking and transcultural cinema. Criticism.
04 Cine-trance, ethno-fiction and filmic storytelling.
05 Aesthetics and metaphors—art and ethnography.
06 Experiments in ethnographic films. Montage, non-linearity and participatory video projects.
07 Sensory immersion and the new observational style.

Recommended general readings:
Banks, Marcus, and Howard Morphy. 1997. Rethinking visual anthropology. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Banks, Marcus, and Jay Ruby. 2011. Made to be seen: perspectives on the history of visual anthropology. Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press.
Catherine Russell, 1999. Experimental ethnography: the work of film in the age of video. Duke University Press.
Engelbrecht, Beate. 2007. Memories of the origins of ethnographic film. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Hockings, Paul. 1975. Principles of visual anthropology, World anthropology. The Hague: Mouton.
Pink, Sarah. 2015. Doing sensory ethnography. Second edition. London; Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Schneider, A. and Pasqualino, C. eds., 2014. Experimental film and anthropology. A&C Black.

Compulsory bi-weekly readings. A list of compulsory readings (two every two weeks) will be provided by the course convenor in the first class.

Student workload (ECTS credits)
Contact hours with the teacher as specified in the programme 30h Preparation for classes (readings and analysis) 75h
Writing reports (every two weeks) 15h
Preparing for the final exam 20h
Total hours 140
Class hours – 1 hour means 45 minutes

Assessment criteria:
Students are expected to attend all seminars (in order to pass students must not have more than two unauthorised absences).In order to successfully pass the course, students are required to prepare for each class and actively participate in seminar discussions.The assessment for this course takes two forms. Students will be expected participate in class discussions and write reading reports every fortnight (30% of the final mark) and pass a final written exam (70% of the final mark).

Grades:A/5 B/4+ C/4 D/3+ E/3 F/2
EXCELLENT - outstanding performanceVERY GOOD - above average with few minor mistakes and/or omissions GOOD - generally sound work with some minor mistakes and/or omissions SATISFACTORY – fair, but with a number of serious mistakes and/or omissions SUFFICIENT – fair, but with significant shortcomings FAIL.
5

Reading list

Provided by the course convenor in the first class session.