BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
PROGRAM IN CREATIVITY, THE ARTS, AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
Documenting the immigrant experience
Becoming neighbors:
Origins, Displacements and Journeys
Spring 2017
Instructor: Azlin Perdomo / Office: Rabb 256Email: / Office hours: MWTH 11 to 12 PM & by appointment
Phone: 781.736.4976
Teaching Assistant: Sarah Terrazano
Email: / Available by appointment
Tuesday 2:00 PM - 4:50 PM / Olin-Sang Amer Civ Ctr 104
Course description
Documenting the Immigrant experience investigates documentary film as a genre, and explores the potential of the medium for engaging students with immigrant communities in Waltham through hands-on production experience. Students in groups of two or three will connect with local immigrant communities for a series of story-sharing sessions. The story-sharing will not take the form of interviews, but rather an reciprocal exchange of personal narratives. Through the process of filming these encounters, we will generate the raw material for a final documentary. The class will culminate ina film festival featuring student work and ending with a discussion. The film festival aims to raise awareness among students and members of the community about the potential of cultural spaces for social transformation. At the same time, the class will experience and discuss the aesthetic power of documentary film. The class aims to discover and celebrate the shared humanity of the project participants.
A premise of the class is that immigrants that rarely have ownership over decisions about how their stories are represented in their own municipality, and that by elevating their stories they will become more engaged in the community and less vulnerable. In the words of professor Theaster Gates, we will “bring in the idea of beauty as a basic service to the community.” The connections with the Waltham community members will already be established prior to the class, through connections with Waltham Family School, Waltham High School, and Waltham Community Television. The first meeting between the students and community member will take place in-class on the fifth week of the semester. During this meeting, students and community members will get to know each other through story circles, reciprocal interviews, etc. After this initial meeting, the students are expected to be self-motivated in maintaining contact with the Waltham resident and arranging a schedule for interviews and filming.
Throughout the class, our own film work will be supplemented with the viewing of documentaries that aim to effect social change. Throughout the semester, the Waltham residents will be watching these assigned films on their own to help spur discussion and relationship-building with the students who are working with them.
All equipment that we will use during the semester will be from the FTIM and the Getz Media Lab; students don't need their own equipment or any prior film training.
Key concepts and issues that will be focused on in the class include: raising visibility through film of groups of people (local immigrant communities) whose cultures are often not so visible; the revolutionary power of both listening to and remembering each other’s stories; facing the “Other;” how stories can aid in the reconstruction of the self, the creation of identity, and how they can lead toward reconciliation. Through the film project, we hope to explore people’s connections to their roots, their families and spirits; open ourselves to the possibility of imagining a different life; and link people’s journeys toward better lives with their deepest spiritual impulses.
During the class students will play key roles to:
- Apply principles of arts for social transformation, such as the theory of the moral imagination, documentary photography, cultural mapping, oral history as an art, story circle, experiential learning
- Use film as a platform for making connections
- Learn how to find the pulse of a city. They will discover the energy in local business, organizations, schools, etc., and involve these groups in the project. Create a film festival, which will be accessible and inclusive
- Discover multiple ways to get to know each other and hear each other, this includes students, immigrants and facilitators
Learning outcomes
Through this course, students will:
- display an understanding of other cultures and recognize cultural similarities and differences
- promote student insights about the complexity of race and class
- participate in class discussions about the “invisibility” of immigrants in the US; public debates over immigration policy; challenges immigrants (including undocumented immigrants) face
- understand the main essence and key technical aspects of making a documentary
- learn to analyze, engage in discussions about, and be able to communicate using film
- produce original film work using their own creative ideas and opinions
- discover tools for educating our wider community
- gain an understanding of basic events in the history of US immigration
Learning Sequence:
Week 1-3
- How to use equipment at the Getz Media Lab.
- Importance of narrative
- Pre-production aspects of documentaries.
Week 4-8
- Learn about production
- Building relationships
- Using the arts for social transformation
- Analyzing films
Week 9-12
- Learn about post-production
- Develop skills for film analysis
- Story-telling and its impact in the community
- Learn about how to curate a film festival
Week 13-14
- Curating the film festival
- Ensuring community participation
- Inclusive discussion between students and community members about the work produced throughout the semester
- Film festival
Course Materials
- Film Art: An Introduction by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson.
- The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace by John Paul Lederach.
- Doing Documentary Work by Robert Coles
- Theory about race, immigrant community issues.
- City of dreams, Latino Immigration to Chicago by Winfredo Cruz.
Readings and films will be posted on Latte or are available online and at the library.
Grading
Class preparation, readings, film viewing, participation, film exercises, and completion of weekly assignments / 40%Class presentations (2) / 20%
Final paper / 20%
Final short documentary and film festival / 20%
Grading scale:
94-100= A74-76= C
90-93= A-70-73= C-
87-89 = B+67-69= D+
84-86= B64-66= D
80-83= B-60-63= D-
77-79 =C+59 or less = F
Course policies
1. Attendance: Regular attendance is crucial to the successful attainment of the course objectives. Punctuality is essential and only occasional late arrivals will be accepted. If you absolutely must miss class for reasons of health or other emergency, please contact the instructor before the class session, and make arrangements to . However, you may not miss any evaluations, compositions, and/or homework. In cases of an accident, illness, etc. you must notify your instructor as soon as possible. Missing any part of daily class will be considered a full absence. Excessive absences will have a negative impact on your class participation grade and will seriously affect your ability to follow the course.
2. Preparation and participation in class. Please come to class prepared, ready, and willing to participate in all in-class discussions and activities. Being prepared does not mean simply having looked over the readings; you should study them carefully in order to have a clear understanding and be able to fully discuss in class. Your participation grade in this course will be based on your ability to follow the readings, keep up with the assigned work, and effectively present your ideas to the class.
3. Homework. All homework is due on the assigned due date. No exceptions. When indicated, students will be responsible for collaborating on group projects outside of class to complete assignments. Specific group projects and presentations will be assigned by your professor.
4. Final project. The final project for the class will include an oral presentation and a documentary based on the interviews students gather during the semester. Detailed instructions will be provided by your professor.
5. Privacy. To protect your privacy you may choose to use a pseudonym/alias rather than your name when submitting your work. You may share that pseudonym/alias with me or you may submit your work directly to me.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at Brandeis University. Violation of University policies on academic integrity, described in Section 3 of Rights and Responsibilities, may result in failure on the assignment or failure in the course, and could even end in suspension from the University. Remember that native speakers, family members, friends, and tutors or study leaders, including those sanctioned by Brandeis University, are not authorized to complete homework or any other assignments for you. Any such help will be considered cheating. If you have questions about the type of help you can receive, please ask your professor before you receive help.
Plagiarism is not tolerated in this course, and ignorance or negligence on your part is not a valid excuse. The most rampant form of cheating these days is “cut and paste” plagiarism from the Internet. Using words, ideas, or fragments from undocumented Internet sources is cheating.
Notice to students with disabilities
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see the professor immediately. Retroactive accommodations cannot be provided.
Textbook vouchers
Textbook vouchers are available to students who are Pell Grant recipients. The vouchers will be available in Academic Services (Usdan 130) on the first day of class and are due on the last day of the add/drop period. Students should address questions to Shari Zingle, Senior Department Coordinator, in Academic Services (, 6-3460).
Cell phones and laptops
Please turn off all cell phones when you enter the class. If you must take an urgent call, please excuse yourself from the class. No texting, please. I do encourage you to bring your laptop to class and use it to access course materials, take notes, and research related materials. Please refrain from using laptops to access unrelated websites or email. If you do, you will lose the privilege of using your laptop in class for the rest of the semester. There will be no second chances.
LATTE
Additional information about this course, including the syllabus, films, readings, reference materials, events, and other relevant information may be found on LATTE.
Note: I reserve the right to make changes and include other readings, films, and activities that may be relevant to the class for enrichment, or to meet other needs and interests.
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
PROGRAM IN CREATIVITY, THE ARTS, AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
Documenting the immigrant experience
Becoming neighbors:
Origins, Displacements and Journeys
Spring 2017
Week 1: January 17-20
Class 1
Overview of the course and assignments
Introductions
“The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (TED Talks)
Homework:
Read pp. 338-348, Chapter 10, documentary from Film Art: An Introduction
Read: Thoughts for a Preface, The moral imagination
Watch: The Vigil by Jenny Alexander
Week 2: January 23-27
Class 2
Film discussion with filmmaker Jenny Alexander
Interviews and self-portraits ideas
Equipment workshop at the GETZ media lab
Challenging the single story
Homework:
Watch: Born into brothels (LATTE)
Read pp. 162-168, 190-207 from Chapter 5, the shot: cinematography in Film Art
Week 3: January 30 February 3
Class 3
Film discussion: gender, poverty, education, and opportunity
Pre-production of interviews and self-portraits
Film equipment workshop, Media lab Getz
Homework:
Narratives in conflict by Roxanne Krystalli (TEDx Guatemala City)
Mary Marshall Clark on Oral History (LATTE):
Read: Film and social change(LATTE)
Week 4: February 6-10
Class 4
Guest: Workshop withRenée Contreras, Narratives in conflict from Peace in Focus
Production and post-production of interviews and self-portraits
Film and social change
Homework:
Presentation 1, the short films
Week 5: February 13-17
Class 5
Short-films presentations 1
Pre-production of final project
Working with the Waltham community, finding a neighbor
Theaster Gates at TED
Homework:
Watch: The Missing Picture (LATTE)
Read: On Touching the Moral Imagination
Written projects and plans proposals
Week 6: February 27 - March 03
Class 6
Film discussion: war, violence, and memory
On Touching the Moral Imagination
Written projects and plans proposals
Homework:
Read: Chapter 4, On Simplicity and Complexity
Presentation 2, film analysis and the theories of social transformation
Week 7: March 06-10
Class 7
Production
Review of work in progress
Short documentaries in class viewing
Homework:
Watch: Undefeated
Presentation 2, film analysis and the theories of social transformation
Week 8: March 13-17
Class 8
Presentation 2
Film discussion: race, poverty, love, and compassion
Production
Review of work in progress
Homework:
Read: chapter 6, The Relation of Shot to Shot: Editing pp. 218-245
Read: The Person as Documentarian: Moral and Psychological Tensions
Week 9: March 20-24
Class 9
Guest: Daniel Mooney, editor, post-production professor
Post-Production
Review of work in progress
Homework:
Watch: Salam Neighbor
Read: “The film image” from Sculpting in Time by Andrei Tarkovsky
Week 10: March 27-31
Class 10
Post-Production
Review of work in progress
Film discussion: the refugee crisis
Short documentaries in-class viewing
Homework:
"Museums Change Lives" - an interesting guide about the power and social responsibility of museums:
Week 11: April 03-07
Class 11
Guest: Federico Olivieri, Slum Film Festival
Post-Production
Review of work in progress
Week 12: April 13-16
Class 12
Curating the film festival
Week 13: April 24-28
Class 13
Final projects/presentations and film festival
Homework:
Final essay and final short film
Week 14: May 01-05
Class 14
Final essay
Final projects/presentations and film festival
No class:
Feb. 20-24
Apr. 10-19