What is an archive? What gets archived by and for whom? What does it mean to preserve a collection of photographs, songs, recipes, audio, video, or any other kind of media? In this class, we take these questions as starting points for inquiries that bring ethnographic methods into conversation with arts-based research in two video projects—one group, one individual—addressed to alternative histories of topics students choose and develop over the semester. This is an ideal course for students preparing for a capstone project or looking to learn about archival sources of footage or imagery.
Taught in conjunction with Prof. Kuhn’s IML 423, the focus this spring is hidden histories of Los Angeles with students selecting a topic that fits this broad theme. We have a Provost’s grant to support original research and have field trips planned to ONE Archives and All Power Books in West Adams, with a stop after at Johnny’s so ANTH and IML students can break bread together.
Here’s a link to student projects from last spring: scalar.usc.edu/works/media-ethnography-living-archives/.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Cool at cool@usc.edu
Anthropology 327 (10775), 4 units
Media Ethnography, Living Archives
Spring 2025, Wednesday, 4:00–6:50pm | SCI 207
Prof. Jennifer Cool (cool@usc.edu)
Spring 2025
