MISSION & PURPOSE

MDOCS is an interdisciplinary center presenting the stories of the human experience in documentary media and technologies: old and new; visual, oral and written; analog and digital. Providing resources for and fostering collaborations between Skidmore's academic programs and documentary practitioners, MDOCS invites students, faculty and staff to learn and use the documentary arts for critical inquiry, discovery, civic engagement and exposition.

MDOCS, on its own and in partnership with individuals and programs, offers classes in the principles of documentary and instruction in documentary filmmaking, audio storytelling and exhibition, among other documentary forms.

In addition, the Skidmore-Saratoga Memory Project, Storytellers' Institute and outside internships support Skidmore students, faculty and staff as they develop documentary projects in partnership with the community.

COLLABORATIVE

MDOCS offers a broad array of resources, curricular offerings and programming, as well as research project support for students, faculty and staff. Not defined as a minor or major, MDOCS is able to provide members throughout the college and regional community with resources and the expertise of its staff to help skill-up in a variety of documentary mediums. The collaborative supports work  in articulating analytical work across disciplines in various documentary formats (film, audio, archive, exhibit, photo, web, map, etc.).