FFAR 298: Special Topics in Fine Arts

Documentary and Social Justice

STILL FROM KANEHSATAKE: 270 YEARS OF RESISTANCE courtesy NFB

Winter 2023
Wednesdays, 6 - 10pm
Location: VA-114
Instructor: Matthew Hays
[Link]@[Link]
If you need to meet to discuss anything, please email me and we'll arrange a time.

Course description and objectives

From the beginnings of documentary, filmmakers have captured images of marginalized
outsiders or minority groups. In this class we will screen and analyze a number of films that
attempt to illuminate the challenges faced by those who exist outside of the mainstream, and how
their on-screen representations have helped and/or hindered their struggles to be accepted.
Choosing 13 films in a field as massive and burgeoning as documentary is daunting, and there's
no way of making the class a perfect reflection of everything that is being made and seen. A
range of films will be screened, and we will examine how they address issues of race, gender,
class, disability, sex, sexual orientation and body image, and how they have been received by
audiences, critics and members of the affected groups that have been depicted.
Assignments
There are two assignments for the course.
1) Mid-term exam (40%)
The assignment is very basic: there will be several questions; you will be required to choose
from those options and write an essay responding to it. You must support your arguments with
evidence from the films and readings. Your exams will be due one week after you receive the
questions.
2) Final exam (50%)
Two weeks prior to our final class, I will post your final exam questions. It will also be very
straightforward: I will give you several questions to write on, and you can choose from those
options. (Both are take-home exams—the hope is that makes it a far less stressful experience.)
You will then submit the final exam by our final class. As with the mid-term exam, you need to
back up your arguments with evidence from the films and the readings.
3) Attendance (10%)
Please note that the final ten per cent of your grade relates to attendance and participation. I will
be taking attendance for the class. Those students who miss more than three classes risk failure
(this is department policy). Please note that you do not get bonus points for showing up—
you're supposed to show up. This part of your grade is present to penalize students who miss
too many classes.
Important: please know that I am fully aware that most if not all of the students taking this class
are not film studies students, therefore I do not expect you to be up-to-date on all of the film
studies terms and concepts. I do expect you to be able to write an essay, however, which is a
universal standard and is not specific to the field of film studies.
PLEASE SUBMIT EXAMS VIA MOODLE AND SAVE THEM AS PDFs

Grading:
To receive the best grade, the presentation must be error-free and well structured. Your work
must successfully demonstrate a clear understanding of concepts and theoretical approaches from
class readings, lectures, discussions and the parameters of the assignment. The demonstration of
a sophisticated engagement with ideas and materials, combined with quality writing will be
given a top grade.

Grading scale
The following grading scale is in line with Faculty of Fine Arts standards

A+ 90-100% Outstanding (GPA 4.3) C 63-66% Satisfactory (GPA 2.0)

A 85-89% Exceptional (GPA 4.0) C- 60-62% Satisfactory (GPA 1.7)
A- 80-84% Excellent (GPA 3.7) D+ 57-59% Marginal Pass (GPA 1.3)
B+ 77-79% Very Good (GPA 3.3) D 53-56% Marginal Pass (GPA 1.0)
B 73-76% Good (GPA 3.0) D- 50-52% Marginal Pass (GPA 0.7)
B- 70-72% Good (GPA 2.7) F 49% > Fail (GPA 0)
C+ 67-69% Satisfactory (GPA 2.3)

Please note the individual instructors may elect to use numerical grades, letter grades or both for
individual assignments, while all final marks for the course are given as letter grades at the
university level. Course grades are not considered final until approved by the Department Chair.
A = Superior work in both content and presentation. This is a student who appears, even at an
early stage, to be a potential honours student. The work answers all components of a question. It
demonstrates clear and persuasive argument, a well-structured text that features solid
introductory and concluding arguments, and examples to illustrate the argument. Few, if any
presentation errors appear.
B = Better than average in both content and presentation. This student has the potential for
honours, though it is less evident than for the A student. Student’s work is clear and well
structured. Minor components of an answer might be missing, and there may be fewer
illustrations for the argument. Some minor but noticeable errors in presentation may have
interfered with the general quality of the work.
C = Student demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of the material. Ideas are presented in a
style that is at least somewhat coherent and orderly. Occasional examples are provided to
support arguments. Presentation errors that affect the quality of the work are more apparent
than in B work. Some components of a question may have been omitted in the response.
D = Student has only a basic grasp of the material. Sense of organization and development is
often not
demonstrated in the response. Few, if any, examples are provided to illustrate argument. Major
components of a question might have been neglected; and major presentation errors hamper the
work.
F = Shows an inadequate grasp of the material. Work has major errors of style; and provides no
supporting illustration for argument. Ideas are not clear to the reader. Work lacks a sense of
structure.
Additional criteria, parameters and guidelines will be handed out in class when each assignment
is introduced and discussed.

In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content
and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

University Rights and Responsibilities

Academic Integrity: “The integrity of University academic life and of the degrees, diplomas
and certificates the University confers is dependent upon the honesty and soundness of the
instructor-student learning relationship and, in particular, that of the evaluation process.
Therefore, for their part, all students are expected to be honest in all of their academic endeavors
and relationships with the University”. (From Article 1 of the Academic Code of Conduct) Please
refer to this link for detailed information on Concordia’s Academic Code of Conduct:
[Link]
Plagiarism: The most common offense under the Academic Code of Conduct is plagiarism
which the Code defines as "the presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or
without proper acknowledgement.” This could be material copied word for word from books,
journals, internet sites, professor’s course notes, etc. It could be material that is paraphrased but
closely resembles the original source. It could be the work of a fellow student, for example, an
answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, a paper or assignment completed by another student. It
might be a paper purchased through one of the many available sources. Plagiarism does not refer
to words alone - it can also refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and ideas. "Presentation" is
not limited to written work.
It also includes oral presentations, computer assignments and artistic works. If a student
translates the work of another person into French or English and does not cite the source, this is
also plagiarism. To cite your own work without the correct attribution is also plagiarism.
In Simple Words: STUDENTS SHOULD NOT COPY, PARAPHRASE OR TRANSLATE
ANYTHING FROM ANYWHERE WITHOUT CLEARLY CITING THE SOURCE!
For further information please visit [Link]
Disability: The University’s commitment to providing equal educational opportunities to all
students includes students with disabilities. To demonstrate full respect for the academic
capacities and potential of students with disabilities, the University seeks to remove attitudinal
and physical barriers that may hinder or prevent qualified students with disabilities from
participating fully in University life. Please see the instructor during the first class if you feel you
require assistance.
For more information please visit [Link]/offices/[Link]
Safe Space Classroom: Concordia classrooms are considered ‘safe space classrooms.’ In order
to create a climate for open and honest dialogue and to encourage the broadest range of
viewpoints, it is important for class participants to treat each other with respect. The purpose of
class discussions is to generate greater understanding about different topics. The expression of
the broadest range of ideas, including dissenting views, helps to accomplish this goal. However,
in expressing viewpoints, students should try to raise questions and comments in ways that will
promote learning, rather than defensiveness and feelings of conflict in other students. Thus,
questions and comments should be asked or stated in such a way that will promote greater insight
into the awareness of topics as purpose of dialogue and discussion is not to reach a consensus,
nor to convince each other of different viewpoints. Rather, the purpose of dialogue in the
classroom is to reach higher levels of learning by examining different viewpoints and opinions
with respect and civility.
Concordia Student Learning Services website: [Link]/students/[Link]

About your Instructor

Matthew Hays has written extensively about documentary film and television. His articles have
appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Vice,
Salon, Cineaste, Cineaction!, Cinema Scope, Maclean’s, The Hollywood Reporter, The
Washington Post, The Toronto Star, CBC Arts Online, Canadian Screenwriter and The Advocate.
He is a contributing editor for the national film magazine POV. His book, The View from Here:
Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers (Arsenal Pulp), was cited by Quill & Quire as
one of the best books of 2007 and won a 2008 Lambda Literary Award. He teaches courses in
film studies, communication studies and journalism at Concordia University, where he has won
two teaching awards (including the 2013-14 President's Teaching Award) and is the film
instructor at Marianopolis College.

Readings
Links have been provided for the readings whenever they are available online. A number of the
other readings are available by going to [Link] and then searching for FFAR
298. Any additional articles will be posted on Moodle.

Course Schedule
Week 1 - Jan 11 Introduction
Screening: Fat Chance (1994, Jeffrey McKay, 72 min.)
Readings: McMahon, Kevin. "The Case for making the documentary Canada's official art form,"
in The National Post, May 5, 2012:
[Link]
art-form

Week 2 - Jan 18 Child's Play

Screening: Warrendale (1967, Allan King, 100 min.)
Readings: Kauffmann, Stanley. “Allan King’s Warrendale,” in Lewis Jacobs, ed., The
Documentary Tradition (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1979), 462-465.
Allan, Blaine, Feldman, Seth and Harcourt, Peter. “Allan King Plus Three: An Interview,” in
Seth Feldman, ed., Allan King Filmmaker (Toronto: Toronto International Film Festival, 2002),
81-97.

Week 3 - Jan 25 The Best of Intentions Gone Terribly Wrong / Poverty Porn
Screenings: The Things I Cannot Change (1967, Tanya Ballantyne, 55 min.)
Courage to Change (1986, Tanya Tree, 55 min.)
Reading: Hays, Matthew. "The Original Reality Show," The Walrus, Nov. 17, 2015:
[Link]

Week 4 - Feb 1 Insanity or Eccentricity and the Specter of Spectacle

Screening: Grey Gardens (1975, The Maysles Brothers, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, 94 min.)
Readings: Vogels, Jonathan B. Chapter 6 “Looking into Grey Gardens,” from The Direct
Cinema of David and Albert Maysles (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2005),
124-157.
Hays, Matthew. "The Gayness of Grey Gardens," in The Gay and Lesbian Review, Jan 1, 2009:
[Link]
(I will also post this article on Moodle)

Week 5 - Feb 8 Screening Disability

Screenings: I'll Find a Way (1977, Beverly Shaffer, 27 min.)
Sound and Fury (2000, Josh Aronson, 80 min.)
Readings: Dolnick, Edward. "Deafness as Culture," The Atlantic, Sept 1993:
[Link]
Hays, Matthew. "Filmmaking Has a Gender Problem. Here's What Happened When Canada
Tried to Solve It," Time, Dec 1, 2017:
[Link]

Week 6 - Feb 15 First Nations, Fourth World

Screening: Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993, Alanis Obomsawin, 119 min.)
Reading: Pick, Zuzana M. ""The Land is Ours"- Storytelling and History in Kanehsatake:270
Years of Resistance" from Leach, Jim and Sloniowski, Jeanette, eds., Candid Eyes: Essays on
Canadian Documentaries (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003), 181-196.
YOUR MID-TERM QUESTIONS WILL BE POSTED TODAY
Week 7 - Feb 22 Trans Nation
Screenings: Hookers on Davie (1984, Janis Cole and Holly Dale, 88 min.)
Paris is Burning (1990, Jennie Livingston, 71 min.)
Readings: Hays, Matthew, "Out from the Margins," from The View from Here: Conversations
with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2007), 54-66.
Hilderbrand, Lucas. Chapter 3, "Love Hangover (Debates)," from Paris is Burning: A Queer
Film Classic (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2013), 119-146.
YOUR MID-TERM ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE TODAY

Feb 27 - Mar 3: Reading Week (No class on Mar 1)

Week 8 - March 8 The LGBTQ - Documentary Connection

Screening: The Times of Harvey Milk (1984, Robert Epstein, 90 min.)
Reading: Hays, Matthew. Chapter 6 in The View from Here, (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press,
2007), 98-111.

Week 9 - March 15 The Lavender Revolution

Screening: Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992, Lynne Fernie,
Aerlyn Weissman, 85 min.)
Readings: Goldie, Terry. “Talking Forbidden Love: An Interview with Lynne Fernie,” in In a
Queer Country (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2001), 50-68.
Hays, Matthew. “Out of the Shadows,” in The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and
Lesbian Filmmakers (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2007), 113-124.

Week 10 - March 22 Docbuster: the Most Successful Documentary Filmmaker, Ever

Screening: Bowling for Columbine (2002, Michael Moore, 120 min.)
Reading: Toplin, Robert Brent. “The Partisan Documentary” from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit
9/11: How One Film Divided a Nation (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2006), 71-90.

Week 11 - March 29 Race and the Prison Industrial Complex

Screening: The House I Live In (2012, Eugene Jarecki, 108 min.)
Readings: Davis, Angela. "Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex," in
Colorlines, Sep 10, 1998:
[Link]
Georgitseas, Margarita. "Review: The House I Live In," in Film Comment, Oct 3, 2012:
[Link]
YOUR FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS WILL BE POSTED TODAY

Week 12 - April 5 Representing Representation

Screening: Reel Injun (2009, Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, 75 min.)
Filmmaker Neil Diamond will be our guest speaker today
Reading: Hays, Matthew. "Going Native: Neil Diamond on Reel Injun," in POV, Sep 1, 2009:
[Link]

Week 13 - April 12 Final Class

Screening: TBD YOUR FINAL EXAMS ARE DUE TODAY
Additional Information
We would like to acknowledge that Concordia University is located on unceded Indigenous
lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on
which we gather today. Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal is historically known as a gathering place for many
First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We
respect the continued connections with the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships
with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community. (Indigenous Directions
Leadership Group, Feb. 16, 2017)

List of Student Services and Useful Resources

· Faculty of Fine Arts Academic Advisor and Counselor contacts:
[Link]

· Concordia Counseling and Development offers career services, psychological services,

student learning services, etc. [Link]
· Advocacy and Support Services: [Link]
· Aboriginal Student Resources [Link]
· Office of Rights and Responsibilities: [Link]
· Sexual Assault Resource Centre: [Link]

· Centre for Gender Advocacy: [Link]

· Student Transition Centre: [Link]

· New Student Program: [Link]
· Access Centre (ACSD): [Link]
· Student Success Centre: [Link]
· The Academic Integrity Website: [Link]
· The Writing Centre: [Link]
assistance/
· Financial Aid & Awards: [Link]
· Health Services: [Link]