Documentary work began over one hundred years ago and continues to be a craft with key concerns including questions about the veracity of images, questions about what counts as evidence, and questions about the ethical and legal obligations one has to those studied, the documentary praxis, and the audience. While documentary work is rich in its potential to artistically represent actuality, it also demands students question long-held notions of truth that have been formed by their values, attitudes and experiences, in order to ascertain what is in their focus of study and determine how to render what is a compelling and just narrative. Specifically, the task during Fall 2020 was to examine what it means to belong to Muhlenberg, to feel connected to and identify with the College.
The Documentary Research course, a requirement of the major, was taught by Dr. Kate Ranieri in collaboration with Susan Falciani Maldonado, Special Collections and Archives Librarian, and Tony Dalton, Digital Technologist, Media and Communication. Susan worked with students throughout the semester to introduce the Muhlenberg archives and primary research skills to give them an understanding of a sense of belonging in the past and present. Tony taught the Documentary Lab so students developed basic competency in media production techniques, comprehension and application of copyright laws, and artistic visual language.