4.6
stars
308 ratings

Dr Emmett Sullivan +1 more instructor

38,437 already enrolled

Offered By

University of London

Royal Holloway, University of London

Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies

University of London

About this Course

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This course is a short taster on the topic of the use of Images, Film, and their use in historical interpretation in the 20th century.  It is primarily provided for those who have a general interest in history that draws on photojournalism as primary evidence, and films based on historical events.
Once you have completed this course we hope you will be equipped to: 

Appreciate the significance of photographs as historical evidence in the twentieth century.
Understand the limitations of the medium, and how we can attribute meaning to these individual records of 'one moment in time' while taking into account the circumstances in which any particular image was taken.
Understand how individuals and institutions have looked to manipulate images to their own ends – through alteration and/or censorship – and what that meant to contemporary interpretation, as well as subsequent historical interpretation.
Put individual images into a wider context, and in particular with reference to history written, or portrayed, beyond academia: public history. 


Do be aware that part of the contents of this course regard images and depiction of war.  Real wars and real images.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Beginner Level

Approx. 21 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 21 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.79/5 (114 Ratings)

Dr Emmett Sullivan

Senior Tutor

History Department, Royal Holloway, University of London

42,463 Learners

2 Courses

Dilara Scholz

Tutor

Department of History

38,437 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of London

The University of London is a federal University which includes 17 world leading Colleges. With extensive experience in distance learning since 1858, University of London has enriched the lives of thousands of students, delivering high quality degrees across the globe. Today, University of London is a global leader in flexible study, offering degree programmes to over 45,000 students in over 190 countries, delivering world-leading research across the world. To find out more about University of London, visit www.london.ac.uk

Royal Holloway, University of London

Royal Holloway, University of London, is ranked in the top 30 universities in the UK (Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2018) and the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2017-18).

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(9,490 ratings)

Week

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Introduction

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 40 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Introduction42s

Use of Images7m

Manipulation2m

The Image in Politics5m

Advertising5m

Reportage (Reporting the News)4m

Optional Extra Material - other forms of images - Guernica14m

8 readings

The Camera Never Lies - Course Information10m

Aims and Objectives10m

The Use of Images10m

Manipulation10m

The Image in Politics10m

Advertising10m

Reportage10m

Optional Extra Information - Guernica10m

1 practice exercise

Week 1 Quiz30m

Week

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Images and History in the Twentieth Century

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 54 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

Week

Week 3

3 hours to complete

The Air-Brushing of History: Stalin and Falsification

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 104 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

10 videos

Introduction7m

The Soviet Union13m

Soviet Union under Stalin7m

The Image as Propaganda16m

Falsification13m

Conclusion4m

Optional Extra Material - Films with historical themes8m

Optional Extra Material: Film - The Damned United11m

Optional Extra Material: Film - In the Name of the Father9m

Optional Extra Material: Final Thoughts11m

4 readings

Introduction10m

The Soviet and Stalin Lectures10m

Falsification10m

Optional Extra Material: Films with historical themes10m

1 practice exercise

Week 3 Quiz30m

Week

Week 4

6 hours to complete

Photojournalism, Authenticity and Matters of Public Acceptability: The Battle of Mogadishu

6 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 105 min), 11 readings, 2 quizzes

12 videos

Introduction5m

Death of Margaret Thatcher7m

Black Hawk Down7m

The Day of the Ranger: Aftermath7m

Black Hawk Down and 9/11 Media Reportage4m

Black Hawk Down - The Website7m

The Image17m

Interview10m

UN and the USA in Somalia: Historical Context7m

The Somalian Civil War: Historical Context8m

Optional Extra Material - Interview with Niko: Real-Time Editorial Decision – The Boston Marathon Bombing12m

Optional Extra Material - Image in the Context of Gender Studies8m

11 readings

Introduction Information - Photojournalism, Authenticity and Matters of Public Acceptability: The Battle of Mogadishu10m

Death of Margaret Thatcher - Information10m

Black Hawk Down – Information10m

The Day of the Ranger: Aftermath - Information10m

Media Reportage - Images and information10m

Black Hawk Down: The Website - Information10m

The Image - Information10m

Interview - Information10m

The UN and the USA in Somalia: Historical Context10m

The Somalian Civil War: Historical Context - Information10m

Optional Extra Reading: Interview with Niko: Real-Time Editorial Decision: The Boston Marathon Bombing - Information10m

1 practice exercise

Week 4 Quiz30m

Reviews

4.6

113 reviews

5 stars
70.12%
4 stars
24.02%
3 stars
3.24%
2 stars
0.32%
1 star
2.27%

TOP REVIEWS FROM FILM, IMAGES & HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION IN THE 20TH CENTURY: THE CAMERA NEVER LIES

by NGDec 29, 2021

The course, it enabled me to develop a sharper understanding of photographs and films as public history. I really enjoyed the peer graded assignments.

by TSAug 23, 2020

It's very informative and educative. I've a lot of new knowledge from this course. Thank you coursera for this platform to learn.

by JMMay 5, 2020

Excellent very interesting course and a great course leader Dr Emmett Sullivan well worth spending time on this.

by PMJul 26, 2020

Great lesson learning experience for Media and Communication and Film Studies students.

View all reviews

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What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
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Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies

Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies

About this Course