230639 Documentary (S) (SoSe 2026)

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U.S. Realities, Documented

Pioneering English documentary filmmaker John Grierson famously called the documentary “the creative treatment of actuality,” a phrase that continues to resonate with the genre’s paradoxical premise: on the one hand, its claim to realism and authenticity, on the other, the inevitability of arrangement, curation and even manipulation on part of the filmmaker when using their source material in order to make meaning and craft a story. Keeping this in mind, and equipped with theoretical readings, we will look at a number of critically acclaimed documentaries, some of them classics, some more recent productions, all of which have engaged with life in the U.S. We will ponder their propensity to enrich our understanding of U.S. everyday life, culture(s), history and politics – and the ways they have challenged us into new ways of seeing.

Bibliography

To be announced. Please keep an eye out for updates.

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Dates ( Calendar view )

Frequency Weekday Time Format / Place Period  
weekly Di 16-18   13.04.-24.07.2026

Subject assignments

Module Course Requirements  
23-ANG-M-AngHM3_IAS Media and the Processes of Culture / Los medios y los procesos de la cultura Media and the Processes of Culture / Los medios y los procesos de la cultura "Cultural Communication" oder "Mediating Cultures" Study requirement
Student information
23-ANG-M-HM4 Main Module 4: Media and the Processes of Culture Hauptmodul 4: Media and the Processes of Culture HM 4.2 Mediating Cultures Study requirement
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- Graded examination Student information
38-M2-KV Cultural Theory, History, and Anthropology Theoretische Grundlagen Kunst - Mensch - Gesellschaft Study requirement
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- Graded examination Student information
38-M9-KV_a Individual Specialisation Individuelle Profilierung Wissenschaftliche Profilierung Study requirement
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Registered number: 12
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SS2026_230639@ekvv.uni-bielefeld.de
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Last update basic details/teaching staff:
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 
Last update times:
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 
Last update rooms:
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 
Type(s) / SWS (hours per week per semester)
seminar (S) / 2
Language
This lecture is taught in english
Department
Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Studies
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655947884