Over the last twenty years, no film practice has been more dynamic and innovative that documentary cinema, a trend that will be the main focus of the course. We will begin with a broader survey of the history of documentary since the films of John Grierson and Robert Flaherty in the 1920s, and follow the evolution of documentary through cinema vérité and contemporary versions of personal documentaries. As part of our inverstigationwe will attend to different cultural movements around the world, as well as the impact of technological changes and industrail shifts. There are no prerequisites. Requirements will include a seminar presentation and a research essay.