COMM 4479 Representing Reality

Satisfies one of two writing intensive courses required within the Communication major. This course examines the possibilities of representing and recreating reality in visual media. To what extent is what we perceive as authentic, in fact, constructed, mediated, and performed? What is the relevance of the notion of truth in this context? We will consider films, television shows, and other forms of media that blur the boundaries of reality and allow a rethinking of received definitions and established forms of perception. As a class, we will reconsider realism in visual media, treated both thematically within a narrative and as a foundational question of media more broadly.