Media Ethnography, Living Archives

What is an archive? The word means both preserving but also indexing or organizing. As such, we must ask what is deemed worthy of archiving? By and for whom?

This interdisciplinary course introduced students to alternative histories of Los Angeles, particularly South LA, including archival practices and strategies for representing people and their histories. Students engaged with the vast collection of video available, while also completing substantive ethnographic and library research on issues raised within the footage, and created media projects that bring stories from the past to contemporary publics. Investigating the close interrelationships among technology, semiotics and culture, students formed a solid foundation for ethnographic research and scholarly digital authoring. 

Here you will see the student's final projects completed during the spring of 2024. The course was so successful and intellectually stimulating we are teaching it again during the spring of 2025 on Wednesdays from 4 to 6:50 pm.


Are you a USC student interested in the course?  Enroll in either ANTH327 or IML423.