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Reflection on "The Devil Came on Horseback."

The power that this documentary presents through its images, plot, and personal connection is immeasurable. Brian first identified himself as a solider who had attained many battle scars, yet he was undoubtedly stricken with grief by the end of the film because of his inability to help. This type of personal connection along with the fact that he gained publicity and became active in the fight for Sudan makes me doubt the effectiveness of our classes' documentaries; for even he admits that his influence seem ineffective. My greatest frustration, however, is wondering how we will sufficiently provide information that will engage the audience to act. It cannot be something that merely evokes emotion (for emotion can easily fade in those not directly affected), but instills something that they cannot ignore. Through this I hope that the people's voice will become so intolerable that it will force the government to push towards an active, positive, AND successful rescue of Sudan. Justin Giles

About the Course

In conjunction with documentary filmmaker, Karin Muller, this course is part of an international project to document the current crisis in the Sudan through hands-on, post-production documentary filmmaking.  For details, please see our Course Overview.

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Ms. Mittler/Mr. Small – Olson 206/Olson 218

lmittler@micds.org/ssmall@micds.org

995-7450 x7535/x7548

The Sudan Project: Course Overview:

In conjunction with documentary filmmaker, Karin Muller, this course is part of an international project to document the current crisis in the Sudan through hands-on, post-production documentary filmmaking. Through an interdisciplinary lens, students will study the history (geopolitical, socioeconomic, cultural, etc) of Sudan, explore the cultural voice of the people and their plight, and build a firm understanding of the country, its politics, its people, and its ghosts. The course will also include an emphasis on the process of documentary filmmaking and the video-editing software, Final Cut. Once these foundations are in place, students will use footage from within a Sudanese refugee camp (raw footage provided from Karin Muller in her first-hand documentation of the individual stories of the refugees and aid workers and the physical and political realities of Sudan) with the Final Cut technology to make and post-produce documentaries on the conflict in Sudan that will eventually be shown nationally.

Our overarching goals for this course are as follow: 1) We need to emerge from this course with a better understanding of global conflicts, the causes and responses (which often include a lack of response), the immediate and enduring impact of these conflicts and the human interest that is at the heart of history in general; 2) We hope to recognize just how interconnected our collective experiences truly are; 3) We intend to use the documentary process to influence and encourage public response and political/humanitarian reaction.

Content of the Course:

Final Cut Editing Software / The Documentary Filmmaking Process / Global Conflicts and World Response / African History  / Sudanese History / Sudan + Darfur Conflict History / African Cultural Context / First Semester Final Projects-Social Justice Documentaries / Final Project-Sudan Documentaries


Required Texts

Mark Bixler, The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience

Jen Marlowe w/Aisha Bain and Adam Shapiro, Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival

Robert Kaplan, Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea

Assessments -- There will be a variety of assessments in this course.

Class Participation

Reflective essays about documentaries

Global Conflict Essays and Group Wiki Projects

Test over the Documentary Process

Factual assessment on Sudanese History

Blog participation

Fall Semester Final Projects – Social Justice Mini-Documentaries

Spring Semester Final Projects – Sudan Documentaries