In this course, questions of representation, storytelling and rhetoric will be discussed as it relates to media production. The course will have an emphasis on moving images and audiovisual forms, but also discuss other means of expression and communication, such as written discourse, still images, and PR and design. Various genres and examples will be given attention, but the main thrust will be on documentary and other fact-based media forms of communication.

The students will learn to ask questions of representation: who are represented, how are they represented, and what are the responsibilities and possibilities of representing others? In terms of storytelling, the students will learn not only to see what is being told, but also how it is being told. They will be able to identify key elements in linear and nonlinear stories using narrative analysis and other relevant theoretical tools. The students will also learn about rhetoric as a field of study and as a tool; rhetoric not merely being the study of persuasion, but of how to communicate, engage an audience, and direct attention through stylistic means etc. The course will give an awareness of how questions of representation, storytelling and rhetoric are intertwined. Through examples, discussion and practical excersises, the students will be trained in seeing both creative possibilites and ethical responsibilities in the representation of others, the telling of stories, and the use of rhetorical effects.   

Students will contribute to the other students´ learning processes by sharing their knowledge, skills and experience from their own specialization with the students from the other disciplines. Much of the teaching will consist of giving introduction to theories, sharing examples, and discussion among the students. In the second part of the course, students will work in groups with a media production, from research and concept development, to a finished product. In this production, the students will take their original role, whether it is as a designer, filmmaker, animator, journalist, or public relations communication specialist.