St. Louis and the Documentary Image

3 units

From magazines to maps to documentary movies and TV, we look to pictures to tell us the truth. But no image is ever completely objective; every visual reflection of the real world is mediated by technology, culture, politics, and memory. How do we-as viewers, as creators, as people-sort out the complicated claims pictures make on the world around us? Drawing on collaborations between four areas in two schools-Visual Arts, English, American Culture Studies, Film and Media Studies-this class will introduce students to theories and practices of visual nonfiction within the city of Saint Louis. Through immersive, site-specific course units focused on a variety of approaches to visual nonfiction in different media, students will engage with the tumultuous history, material culture, and landscapes of St. Louis. The course will introduce first-year students both to their city and their university, preparing them to explore existing coursework in Arts & Sciences and the Sam Fox School. This course is for first-year (non-transfer) students only. Students who are not first year students will be unenrolled from this course.