This course was taught in 2012-13 in collaboration with the Fowler Museum of Cultural History and the Department of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA.

The first half of the 2-quarter course involved UCLA students in field research with LA-based artists and creative communities, to create digital documentary works using Vimeo, Zeega, and other tools, for public exhibition via the website www.documentingculture.com. In the second quarter, students continued fieldwork, creating a short documentary film based on their subject

From the syllabus:

2 quarters studying a specific community, artist, or artistic practice, and use visual and digital media to document and present their findings to a public audience.

The outcomes for the course are:

Part A. Fall 2012: Participants research and create a series of short documentary works (using text, audio, photo, and/or video), adding to an online collection and archive on global art traditions in LA.

Part B. Winter 2013: Building on research begun in Part A of the course, participants will shoot and edit a short (10-20 minute) ethnographic documentary film on an LA-based creative community, artist, or artistic practice.