Multimedia Film Commentaries
Due:
- 5 authored (though do more for extra credit!) due by Friday of the week the film is screened, 7pm by email (15% of final grade) *NOTE: one of these must be for week four's film, Stranger in my Native Land. Please discuss that film in terms of theories we read about nationalism and "imagined communities" (Due Friday, Sept. 23, 5 pm).
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5 sets of comments on your partner's commentaries (use comments tool in word processor or pdf apps), due embedded in your partner's commentary by Friday of the week the film is screened, 7pm by email.
- See three sample film commentaries
- Guide to getting clips and stills from DVDs
- Uploading videos to Ensemble and getting links to use in papers and presentations
Length and Format: Your commentaries should be at least 1-2 pages of text (12 point font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins), and they should include images and/or video clips (carefully captioned). These should be informal commentaries on the film screened for that week of the course, with specific reference to ideas and debates in the week's readings. By "informal" I mean the writing does not have to be presented in a polished essay, but the tone or voice should not be slangy or 'blog-like'. All references to the readings should be cited with in-text, parenthetical citation (ie., Lopez 1998: 10). No reference list is needed unless you cite sources outside the syllabus, but all images or video used should be captioned with a source, title or creator, and if possible, creation date (ie., in a caption, or in-text reference).
Commentary Partners/Trios: In order to further our class conversations, you'll work with a commentary partner or trio over the semester (we'll switch groups at the midterm) to comment on each others' film commentaries. Use the "comments" tool in either your word processor or in the pdf software to place your comments in the margins.
This is collaborative commentary focusing on sharing ideas and questions about the readings and films; as commentors we are shooting for a NON-evaluative voice. Keep any disagreements respectful, and no need to focus on correcting spelling/grammar/syntax/punctuation.
Email one commentary with comments by 7 pm Friday.
Evaluation: Despite the multimedia format, this is still a writing assignment, only here you get to experiment with other genres of writing in a less formal setting. I will evaluate based on (in order of priority):
- Extent to which you refer to the week's readings and demonstrate clear understanding of basic terms presented in the course;
- The creativity and originality of your ideas;
- The clarity of your organization and writing;
- The extent and creativity with which you integrate text and image/video.
- The relevance and creativity of your comments on partner commentaries
In this course, we take a multimedia approach to the anthropology of China and Tibet, treating images and video as seriously as we do written texts. This semester, we're also experimenting with multimedia formats for writing assignments. These informal commentaries are your chance to try your hand at a different kind of writing--which is no less academically rigorous.
The idea is to critically comment on course films with reference to ideas and debates from the relevant week's readings, and using clips or stills from the film, or related images from other sources, to illustrate your points. We screen a total of 9 films this semester; you must sign up to comment on at least 5 of them (including week 4). But feel free to do more for extra credit. The film commentaries can thus work as a kind of ongoing blog about the course material. You will need to share your commentaries with your partner early enough on Fridays so that they can read and write sidebar comments. Upload to Moodle by 7 pm.
For help with this and other multimedia assignments, see the guides to creating film clips and stills, as well as the guide to uploading film clips to the Ensemble database (linked at the top of this page).
Sensitive Topics and Ethical Use of Images
Anthropology courses address some of the most sensitive issues humans face (kinship, race, gender, sexuality, class inequality, violence, state politics, etc.). At the same time, class discussion is the central activity of this course and students are required to be proactive in their preparation for it. I define active participation in class as promoting a positive and inclusive learning environment through respectful discourse with students and me about the topics at hand. While most of our readings, films and assignments will not directly portray graphic or violent material, I will use "Content Notes" to alert class members to any such content ahead of time. I prefer that term (vs. "Trigger warnings") because it avoids psychologizing us and does not assume what our responses to material will be. I also prefer the more neutral-sounding "Content Notes" because it encourages us not to prematurely foreclose our engagements with difficult material, but just to be aware of our own needs and to provide extra care for ourselves if necessary.
Similarly, please be thoughtful and respectful in your image-sharing practices (in your blogs, papers and Moodle posts). All images or videos shared with class members or me should be framed or contextualized with some information about their sources, why they are relevant to the discussion and any Content Notes you feel are needed.