This class explores what it means to be a witness or a spectator to unimaginable crimes, using fiction films, documentaries and witness testimonies to explore the Shoah and the Armenian, Cambodian and Rwandan genocides. We ask: what does film make visible, and how does it transform the spectator’s relationship to the events and to the taking action?
Place in the Film major: To be included as an option in the film major within both the Genres and Topics category as well as the International Cinema Category

Code
FM3085
Name
PROVOCATIVE WITNESS: CINEMA & GENOCIDE
Credits
4
Pre-requisites
None
Co-requisites
None
Can be taken twice for credit?
No
Discipline
FM (Film)
Level
Undergraduate
Type
Regular
CAMS ID
4448
Last update with CAMS
Engage films and video testimonies in structured ways to understand how filmic choices contribute to how events are understood.
Breakdown different ways spectator are engaged, challenged or entertained by different media forms.
Curate testimonies from the VHA in a class chorus to challenge/expand storytelling uncovered in course films.
Demonstrate knowledge of political, social and historical factors in a range of international incidents of mass violence and genocide.
Present findings of our class in final class conference.