This is an archive. See the current website at www.summer.harvard.edu.
This page contains content from the Summer School 2009. For current information, visit the Harvard Summer School website at www.summer.harvard.edu.
ANTH S-1725
Anthropology and Film (32155)
Jayasinhji Jhala
(4 credits: UN, GR, NC) Tuesdays, Thursdays, 6:30-9:30 pm. Tuition $2,475.
This course offers a deep immersion into anthropological film and is recommended for all students interested in visual anthropology and documentary film. Its objective is to provide a substantial understanding of the nature of anthropological film as a whole, and to enable students to take part in a specific discourse related to social relationships articulated in filmic texts. The course has a topical approach in a historical context; the theoretical overview is grounded in a perspective that applies concepts of culture to processes of visual communication. Examples of anthropological film are taken from the tradition of ethnographic filmmaking, indigenous film, dramatic fiction film, and minority film. Classical works and the contribution of major ethnographic filmmakers are studied, alongside the work of other filmmakers. Through discussion and coursework students review and use theories, methods, and topics presented in the films.