History of Ethnographic Film

Paper I: History of Ethnographic Film
For this assignment, you will write 500 - 700 words (1 - 2 pages double-spaced, not including works cited page) exploring concepts discussed in the first part
of the class. This will be a regular research paper following all the guidelines you've done in other classes. In this assignment, I will be looking at how you
incorporate readings, lectures, and outside research into a well-organized academic paper. Please look at the information in the "Liberal Arts Written
Guidelines" thread in the discussion section for specific citation expectations. I would also suggest including headings to help organize your paper (this is a
modified expectation in MLA citations).
In this essay, you will discuss the following questions:
What is ethnographic film?
How has the genre emerged and changed, especially since the 1920’s?
What sorts of representational and ethical issues does it raise, and how do these speak to written works and other forms of representation?
Discuss at least two films that we have seen so far in the course. You can also search and watch some of the films listed as "Optional References" found in
each module.
Remember, this paper must be written in an academic format following proper MLA citations. If you have any questions regarding this, please let me know
Paper II: Ethnographic Film Review
For this assignment, you will write 750 - 1000 words (3 - 4 pages 1.5-spaced, not including Works Cited page) exploring concepts discussed in class. This will
be a regular research paper following all the guidelines you've done in other classes.
The instructions for this assignment are as follows:
Review the work of one filmmaker / unit presented in Modules 1 - 9.
Analyze at last one film in the context of the issues raised by the relevant readings and the history of ethnographic film.
Your paper should include the following:
Introduction -- What is the purpose of the essay? What is the subject (filmmaker / unit) in focus?
Background -- In this section, provide some background context either about the filmmaker or unit. What are things the reader should know to understand
your essay? What are the key concepts from that unit? What's the background of the filmmaker? Why did you choose this topic?
Film Review --
Background of the film
Brief Summary of the film
What is your critique of the film?
Anthropological Analysis -- How does the film relate to the concepts you chose to focus on? What is the context of the issues raised by outside readings you
researched to support your analysis of the film? How does this film fit in ethnographic film?
Conclusion -- Why is your essay relevant? What did it accomplish? What does your analysis mean for the future?
Remember, this paper must be written in an academic format following proper MLA citations. If you have any questions regarding this, please let me know.
If you need for class resources for paper 2 let me know so I can upload.