3/10/2015

VideoActivism:History,Theory,PoliticsandPractice|CenterforMedia&SocialImpact

HOME

UPDATES

CONTACT

Empowering Media That

Matters
Home

Programs

Resources

Home >> Making Your Media Matter

History, Theory, Politics and Practice

>>

Events

Related Materials

>>

Syllabi

Blog
>>

Media

About

Video Activism:

Video Activism: History, Theory,

Politics and Practice
Instructor: River Branch
University of Iowa; Fall 2004

Course Description:

Featured Topics
Fair Use
Future of Public Media
Media Impact

"A video camera has become one of those objects you pack for a protest."
~Tish Stringer, Video Activist
This course examines the history of video activism beginning with the introduction of the porta
pak in the late 1960's, the development of video collectives, activist and public access television
and culminating in video's role in the WTO and the events preceding and following September
11th. Through readings, screenings and discussions, you will examine the blurring lines between
art, documentary, journalism and activism. Topics include but are not limited to the infusion of
identity politics (shifts created through feminist, queer and race theory), youth action in the
1990's, the act of recording as defense, movement from vrit to personal documentary, and
issues of distribution.

Question of the Month

Connect With Us!

Assignments:
You will write two five-page papers and one fifteen page paper, and you are responsible for
regularly presenting on course readings, screenings and research. Active class participation and
a demonstration of a working knowledge of course material are primary factors in the
evaluation of your work.
As this course addresses the role of video in our communities, you may propose a final project
of a video rather than a paper. If this is of interest to you, please talk to me by September 18th.

Course Materials:
The first four books can be purchased at Iowa Book and Supply on Clinton Street.
Boyle, Deidre, Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited, Oxford University Press, 1997.
Mrquez, Gabriel Garca, Clandestine in Chile: The Adventures of Miguel Littn, Henry Holt & Co,
New York, NY, 1986.
Nichols, Bill, Blurred Boundaries: Questions of Meaning in Contemporary Culture, Indiana University
Press, Bloomington, Ind., 1994.
Zimmermann, Patricia R., States of Emergency: Documentaries, Wars, Democracies, Minneapolis,
University of Minnesota Press, 2000.
I am listing these additional texts, as I drew several articles for the course from each.
Hall, Doug and Fifer, Sally Jo ; editors. Illuminating video : an essential guide to video art. New York,
N.Y. : Aperture in association with the Bay Area Video Coalition, 1990.

Fair Use at Work in the

Visual Arts
Assessing fair use in light of shared
professional understandings is a respected
practice. Invoking professional practices
provides members of a community with a
clear framework in which to apply fair use with
confidence, knowing the shared norms of their
field. Having a code of best practices allows
them to share their common understandings
with others.
More Videos

Hanley, JoAnn. The first generation: women and video, 1970-75. New York: Independent Curators
Inc., c1993.
Straayer, Chirs. Deviant Eyes, Deviant Bodies. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996.

http://www.cmsimpact.org/makingyourmediamatter/relatedmaterials/syllabi/videoactivismhistorytheorypoliticsandpracti

1/3

3/10/2015

VideoActivism:History,Theory,PoliticsandPractice|CenterforMedia&SocialImpact

Schedule:
8/28 The History of Video Activism
9/4 Video Art:
-The rise of collectives (Ant Farm, Paper Tiger, Deep Dish TV)
-Feminist, Race and Queer Theorists 1) 'Video: Shedding the Utopian Moment,' by Martha Rosler
(p. 31-50)
2) 'A Brief History of American Documentary Video,' by Deidre Boyle (p. 51-69)
3) 'D-collage/Collage: Notes Toward a Reexamination of the Origins of Video Art,' by John G.
Hanhardt (p.71-79)
4) 'Video Art: What's TV Got to Do With It?," by Kathy Rae Huffman (p. 81-90)
5) 'Paradox in the Evolution of an Art Form: Great Expectations and the Making of History,' by
Marita Sturken (p. 101-121)
*Readings taken from Illuminating Video, ed. by Doug Hall & Sally Jo Fifer
9/11 Video's role on the day of September 11, 2001 and in the days, weeks and months
following. TBA
9/18 Activist Television & The 1970's: implic. of public access Readings from: Subject to Change
by Deidre Boyle
9/25 1970's: articulation of identity politics Paper #1 due
Readings from Deviant Eyes, Deviant Bodies by Chris Straayer and from
Resolutions, ed. By Michael Renov & Erika Suderburg
10/2 Youth Action in the 1990's Final Project Proposal due
Readings: TBA
10/9 The Act of Recording as Defense:
The World Trade Organization
Rodney King Readings from Blurred Boundaries by Bill Nichols
10/16 Who is your audience? TBA
10/23 1990's: Race, Sexuality Gender and Disability Readings from Deviant Eyes, Deviant Bodies
by Chris Straayer and from Resolutions, ed. By Michael Renov & Erika Suderburg
10/30 1990's: The Gulf War Paper #2 due
Readings from Blurred Boundaries by Nichols and
States of Emergency by Zimmerman
11/6 Video Documentary & The line bt/ activism and documentary. TBA
11/13 Issues of Distribution:
The world wide web, festivals, public access television & Strategies: experimental, documentary,
and video art. Readings from States of Emergency by Zimmerman & TBA
11/20 The move from Vrit to Personal Documentary Final Paper/ProjectRough draft/rough cut due
Readings TBA
11/27 Thanksgiving Break
12/4 The local & the global. Diaspora. Independent Media Centers. Clandestine in Chile by
Gabriel Garca Mrquez
12/11 Presentations of final papers & videos Final Papers/projects due
12/18 Presentations of final papers & videos

Tweets

Sign up for our Newsletter!

enter email address

CMSI
@CMSImpact

SIGN UP

Follow
8 Mar

Whos already read @chrispalmer_au s new

Confessions? I cant wait. amzn.to/1ATtsq4

PROGRAMS

RESOURCES

EVENTS

MEDIA

ABOUT

Fair Use

Reports

All Events

In the News

E-Newsletters

Media Impact

Case Studies

Human Rights Film

Video

AU SOC

Future of Public

Teaching Tools

Series

Donate

Books

Media That Matters

Contact

Interviews

Partner Events

Show Summary
CMSI
@CMSImpact

6 Mar

At bit.ly/1CHqko1: Becue-Renard: my work is

film not doc; its personal. The story is driven by

Tweet to @CMSImpact

http://www.cmsimpact.org/makingyourmediamatter/relatedmaterials/syllabi/videoactivismhistorytheorypoliticsandpracti

2/3

3/10/2015

VideoActivism:History,Theory,PoliticsandPractice|CenterforMedia&SocialImpact

HOME | COPYRIGHT 2015 BY CMSI | WEBSITE BUILT ON DRUPAL BY TAOTI CREATIVE

Center for Media & Social Impact

4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016-8017
Phone: 202.885.3107
cmsimpact [at] gmail [dot] com

http://www.cmsimpact.org/makingyourmediamatter/relatedmaterials/syllabi/videoactivismhistorytheorypoliticsandpracti

3/3