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							                  BIS 339b: Issues in Global Cultural Studies
        Indigenous Media, Documentary Film, and Film Festival Circuits
                             Autumn Quarter 2008
                                                                                     _____

Instructor:            Tami Blumenfield
Email:                 tamiblu@u.washington.edu
Office:                UW1-351
Office Telephone:      425-352-3266
Office Hours:          Fridays, 2:30-3:30 pm
Course Time/Place:     Friday 10:00 am-2:30 pm, UW1-020
Course Credits:        5
                                                                                     _____

Course Description
In recent decades, portable digital video technologies and expanding computer and power
infrastructures have combined to make media production accessible to new groups of people
throughout the world. At the same time, existing practices and practitioners of documentary
filmmaking have evolved to incorporate new technologies. In this course, we will look at how
producers of media develop their skills, defend their status, and tap into international circuits of
media production and distribution. We will also consider how these media products circulate and
examine systems through which they are distributed. Readings, lectures and visual presentations
will explore the process of media production, the media objects that are produced, and the power
structures that enable (or disable) their circulation.

An integral component of this course is a film festival organized and facilitated by students.
Students, working in committees, will take on various roles in the festival planning and
execution. The project is intended to help students appreciate the media distribution and
circulation process and develop practical planning skills. Further project guidelines will be
discussed in class.

This course thus uses a dual-pronged approach to explore the creation and circulation of media.
Each 4-hour class period will be divided into two sessions, with a 30-minute lunch break in the
middle. During the first session we will discuss readings related to indigenous media production
and screen relevant films. The second session will be devoted to film festivals. This will usually
begin with a discussion of one or two readings about the film festival phenomenon and end with
an in-class project period to allow film festival committees time to meet and plan their
component of the film festival.

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
    Think critically about media creation and circulation
    Read media works as texts with many layers of meaning
    Develop your own critiques and contributions to questions related to visual media
    Understand the concept of indigenous and native peoples
    Improve academic writing skills
Overview of Course Requirements – Assignments and Evaluations
   1. Class Participation: Your participation is an important element of this course, as well as
      your university education. Participating in discussion means engaging in conversation,
      not just answering questions. Everyone in this class has something to contribute to the
      learning process and you are expected to share your questions, thoughts, and ideas with
      your fellow students (and do it thoughtfully and respectfully).

       Attendance and active participation in class is a vital part of your success in this course.
       If you must miss class, you are expected to email your reading response paper to the
       instructor. You must also view films screened in class within a week of your absence
       (they are on reserve in the Media Center). Post a short response to the films on the class
       Blackboard.

   2. Reading Responses
      Students will be required to turn in short reading responses, or thought papers, that
      demonstrate completion and comprehension of the week‟s first set of readings (not
      including the readings on film festivals; ask for clarification if necessary). Use the
      attached guidelines when formulating your response papers. Typed responses are due at
      the start of each class period, and will be accepted late only under extraordinary
      circumstances beyond a student‟s control. Please bring an extra copy for your reference
      during class discussion.

       Reading responses are worth 20 points each and are due October 3, 10, 24, and 31; and
       November 7, 14, and 21. The lowest grade will be dropped.


   3. Film Festival Project:
      Students will take on various roles in the festival planning and execution. The project is
      intended to help students appreciate the media distribution process and foster richer
      analyses of media produced by others. The festival screenings may also contribute to the
      development of student groups and may take place in partnership with the Bothell High
      School.

       In preparation for the student film festival, students are required to attend at least one off-
       campus film festival screening and submit a short festival report.

       More details will be discussed in class.

   4. Final Examination: Friday, December 12th, 10 am-12 pm.

Coursework Evaluation:
Class Participation            30
Reading responses             120
Film Festival Project         100
Final Examination             100 points
TOTAL                        350 points
Academic Integrity
You are assumed to be familiar with the university‟s policies on academic and behavioral
conduct and the potential penalties involved (more information is available here:
http://www.uwb.edu/students/policies/academicconduct.xhtml). You should know that, in the
event that there is a question about your work, you may be asked to produce any notes and
outlines you used as well as to identify your sources. Also, it is my policy to forward any
incidents of probable academic misconduct for investigation and resolution.

If you need special accommodation because of a disability or other issue, please come see
me.

Required Course Texts
    1. Kenneth Turan, From Sundance to Sarajevo.
    2. Readings on E-reserve, available from http://eres.bothell.washington.edu/
Note: Students should print articles from E-reserve and bring hard copies to class. Writing
comments and underlining main points is an essential part of critical reading, and having printed
copies of readings will permit you to refer to the text during class discussions and during the
final exam.

Optional Text
Kelly Askew and Richard R. Wilk, eds., 2002, The Anthropology of Media: A Reader. Malden,
MA: Blackwell.

Students are required to enroll in the Blackboard component of this course at
http://bb.uwb.edu. Further instructions will be provided upon request.


NOTE: Changes may be made to the syllabus including the addition of films, other readings,
and guest speakers.
Course Schedule
Week 1 – September 26
Course Introduction: Who are Indigenous People and What is Anthropology?
Readings: „Indigenous People and Development‟; „The Big Questions Revisited,‟ in Cultural
      Anthropology in a Globalizing World.

Screening: Taboo II: Blood Bonds (2003)

Film Festivals and Media: Personal Histories.
Browse film festival websites and make a list of festivals that interest you. Plan to attend at least
one festival screening.

The Port Townsend Film Festival begins today and runs through September 28.
http://www.ptfilmfest.com

Week 2 - October 3
Histories of interaction: Indigenous peoples and Western visitors
Patrick Tierney, Darkness in El Dorado:
     Ch. 1, “Savage Encounters” pp. 3-6,
     Ch 2, “At Play in the Field”, pp. 7-17,
     Ch. 6 “Filming the Feast” pp. 83-106,
     Ch.7 “A Mythical Village”, pp. 107-122.

Valerie Alia, Un/Covering the North: News, Media and Aboriginal People
    Preface xiii-xv
    Introduction pp. 1-12
    Ch.1 “Southern Exposure; Portrayals of the North,” Pp. 13-35.

Screenings: The Ax Fight, In the Land of the War Canoes

Film festival readings:
Kenneth Turan, From Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Make.
    Introduction, pp. 1-9;
    Part II. Festivals with Geopolitical Agendas, FEPASCO and Havana, pp. 65-88; Sarajevo,
       pp. 89-108.

Local Sightings: A Film Festival for the Northwest begins today in Seattle and runs through
October 8.

Week 3 – October 10
Indigenous responses to colonialism and imperialism: South America
Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies,
    Introduction, pp. 1-18;
    Ch 1 “Imperialism, History, Writing and Theory”, Pp. 19-41.
Patricia Aufderheide, “The Video in the Villages Project: Videomaking with and by Brazilian
        Indians,” Visual Anthropology Review 11(2): 83-93.

Terence Turner, “The Social Dynamics of Video Media in an Indigenous Society: The Cultural
       Meaning and the Personal Politics of Video-making in Kayapo Communities,” Visual
       Anthropology Review 7(2): 68-76.

Screenings: Babakiueria; Video in the Villages Presents Itself; From the Ikpeng Children to the
World

Film festival readings:
Kenneth Turan, From Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Make.
       Part I. Festivals with Business Agendas: Cannes and Sundance; pp. 13-48.
       Optional: ShoWest chapter, pp. 49-61.

Skim: Jonathan Rosenbaum, “Trafficking in Movies (Festival-Hopping in the Nineties),” pp.
       143-173 in Movie Wars: How Hollywood and the Media Conspire to Limit what Films
       We Can See.

Week 4 - October 17 – No Class Meeting
Class this week is cancelled to allow students to attend local film festival screenings.

Choose from the Local Sightings Film Festival (October 3-8), the Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film
Festival (Oct. 17-26), or the American Indian Film Festival at Bellevue Community College
(November 5-7). Pay careful attention to the organizational elements of the festival as well as
attending at least two hours of films (this could include several shorter films or a single longer
selection).

Post a film festival report on Blackboard within a week of attendance.
Film festival reports should describe the atmosphere at the festival as well as provide a short
review of the film(s) that you saw. Include the name of the festival, the date you attended, and
the name, country or place of origin, and year of the film(s).

Week 5 – October 24
Indigenous Media Circuits in the Andes
Jeff D. Himpele, Circuits of Culture: Media, Politics and Indigenous Identity in the Andes
     Introduction, “Arenas of Circulation and Ethnographic Circuits,” pp. 1-37,
     Ch. 1 “Film Distribution as Media: Mapping the Urban Imaginary”, pp. 41-64,
     Conclusion, “Popularizing Indigenism, Indigenizing the Popular,” pp. 186-212.

Screening: Incidents of Travel in Chichen Itza

Film festival reading:
Julian Stringer, “Global Cities and the International Film Festival Economy”, Ch. 11, pp. 134-
        143, in Cinema and the City: Film and Urban Societies in a Global Context, Shiel and
        Fitzmaurice, eds., 2001.
Week 6 – October 31
Indigenous Media Production and Circulation in North America
Daniel Hart and Luana Ross, “Editor‟s introduction,” wicazo sa review, Summer 2001, pp. 5-11.

Beverly Singer, Wiping the War Paint off the Lens: Native American Film and Video
    Ch. 4 “Native Filmmakers, Programs and Institutions” Pp. 33-60,
    Ch 5. “On the Road to Smoke Signals” Pp. 61-91,
    “Conclusion: Continuing the Legacy”, Pp. 92-99

Lorna Roth, “(re)Coloring the Public Broadcasting System in Canada: A Case Study of the
       Aboriginal Peoples Television Network,” pp. 31-41. In Community Media: International
       Perspectives, Linda K. Fuller, ed.

Screenings: Smoke Signals, Ravens Tale, Starting Fire with Gunpowder

Film festival readings:
Kristen Dowell, “Indigenous Media Gone Global: Strengthening Indigenous Identity On- and
        Offscreen at the First Nations\First Features Film Showcase.” In American
        Anthropologist 108(2):376-384.
[See http://www.firstnationsfirstfeatures.org/]

Emily Yates-Doerr, “2004 Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival: No Story Is Ever Just a
        Story.” In American Anthropologist 107(2):247-251.
[See http://www.911media.org/youth/native_lens.html]

Week 7 – November 7
Indigenous Media Production in Australia
Ginsburg, Faye D. 2002. “Mediating Culture: Indigenous Media, Ethnographic Film, and the
      Production of Identity.” In Kelly Askew and Richard R. Wilk, eds., The Anthropology of
      Media: A Reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell. Pp. 210-236.

Jennifer Deger, Shimmering Screens: Making Media in an Aboriginal Community
    Introduction, xix-xxxv,
    Ch. 2 “(In)Visible Difference: Framing Questions of Culture, Media and Technology, Pp.
       34-59,
    Ch.5 “Taking Pictures: Media Technologies and a Yolngu Politics of Presencing” Pp. 92-
       116,
    Ch. 8 “Shimmering Verisimilitudes: Making Video, Managing Images, Manifesting
       Truths” Pp, 156-184.

Film festival readings:
Kenneth Turan, From Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Make.
Part IV. The Politics of Festivals. Pp. 159-180.

The American Indian Film Festival at Bellevue Community College runs from November 5-7.
Week 8 – November 14
Indigenous Media in China
Fujioka Asako, “Documentaries South of the Clouds,” Documentary Box #23
       http://www.city.yamagata.yamagata.jp/yidff/docbox/23/box23-3-e.html
Lin Xu-dong, “Documentary in Mainland China” Documentary Box #26 (October 7, 2005)
       http://www.city.yamagata.yamagata.jp/yidff/docbox/26/box26-3-e.html
Additional readings TBA

Screening: Illuminations: The First Moso Film Festival

Film festival reading:
Kenneth Turan, From Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Make.
Part III. Festivals with Aesthetic Agendas. Pp. 125-156.

Week 9 – November 21
Critical responses to Indigenous Media Production in North America
Patrick J. Daley and Beverly A. James, Cultural Politics and the Mass Media: Alaska Native
        Voices. Ch.5, “Whose Vision is it, Anyway?: Technology, Community Television and
        Cultural Politics,” pp. 161-187.
Ginsburg, Faye D. 2003. “„Atanarjuat‟ Off-Screen: From „Media Reservations‟ to the World
        Stage.” American Anthropologist 105(4): 827-831.
Huhndorf, Shari. 2003. “„Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner‟: Culture, History, and Politics in Inuit
        Media.” In American Anthropologist 105(4): 822-826.

Screening: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

Week 10 - November 28 – No class (day after Thanksgiving)

Week 11 – December 5 - Film Festival Week
No required readings

Our Film Festival is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd – Thursday,
December 4th.
The UWB Campus-wide Poster Session and Film Festival will take place on Dec. 3rd and 4th
from 12-3 pm.

Course Conclusion and Film Festival Round Table: Lessons Learned
Students will discuss challenges and successes of organizing the film festival; instructor will
present concluding thoughts reviewing the main points covered in the course.
Keep a log of your activities during the film festival. What role did you play? (How) did it differ
from what you expected?

Final Examination – Friday, December 12, 10 am – 12 pm

Note: The final exam period is required; attendance is mandatory.
Guidelines for Reading Response Papers – 2 pages, typed and double-spaced.
   1. Include the author‟s name and title for each reading.

   2. Explain the main issues raised by each author (or set of co-authors). Why did the author
      write this piece?

   3. What conclusions does the author reach?

   4. Do you agree with these conclusions and explanations? Why or why not?

   5. Design 2 or 3 evaluative questions or statements about the material, which can be shared
      with the class to generate discussion. These may include questions that relate to previous
      readings or films, personal reactions, problems you find with the author‟s methods or
      analysis, or other comments you develop.




Local and Regional Film Festivals, Autumn Quarter 2008
Port Townsend Film Festival, September 26-28, 2008
http://www.ptfilmfest.com/

Local Sightings: A Film Festival for the Northwest, October 3-8, 2008 in Seattle
http://www.nwfilmforum.org/localsightings/about.html

Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, October 17-26, 2008
http://www.seattlequeerfilm.com/

Indigenous Women in Film (6th Annual American Indian Film Festival), November 5-7, 2008 at
Bellevue Community College
http://bellevuecollege.edu/aiff/