This course will interrogate the practices and problems arising from documentary depictions. By interrogating techniques and technologies of production and reception of meanings in a series of films chosen for their specific development of issues arising from documentary depiction, students will learn how to think critically about reciprocities between the real and the represented—the extent to which the two are contingent on each other. Topics will cover live performance, ethnographic filmmaking, documentary history, evidentiary and political uses, live coverage, re-enactments, “reality TV,” and computer simulation. Materials will include screenings of films as well as readings in film theory, performance studies, cyberculture, and cultural studies. Instructional methods will include lectures, discussions, readings, presentations, writing assignments, and examinations. This course may be used to satisfy an elective requirement for the English major. Satisfies a requirement for a minor in women, gender, and sexuality studies. Prerequisite: TFMS 220, 221, or consent of the instructor.