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Students sit at a table with an upside down image of trees projected behind them
Want to dive into documentary art? Students can enroll now in Documentary Studies courses, including the hands-on Introduction to Black and White Photography. 

One of the first assignments will immerse you in the basics of photography through the creation of a camera obscura—a fascinating and fun experiment to grasp the principles of light, lenses and image-making.
 
Here students in Susie Post-Rust’s class manipulated a “lens” on the window, adjusting its size and height, and soon had a surreal forest in the classroom.

See Courses about the center

Featured Courses

Featured Course
DOCST 325S
Documenting Resistance on Film: The Poor People's Campaign from 1968 to Today

This documentary course explores the rich archival landscape and contemporary reverberations of the 1968 Poor People's Campaign, a transformative social movement that radically challenged economic… read more about Documenting Resistance on Film: The Poor People's Campaign from 1968 to Today »

DOCST 101
Traditions in Documentary Studies

Traditions of documentary work seen through an interdisciplinary perspective, with an emphasis on twentieth-century practice. Introduces students to a range of documentary idioms and voices,… read more about Traditions in Documentary Studies »

DOCST 330S
Oral History and Storytelling

Explore the fields of oral history and public history by participating in a community-based project. Examine a wide variety of sources related to oral history and public history theory and practice… read more about Oral History and Storytelling »

See All Courses

Events

May
30
Fri
“Boys Will Be Men,” opening reception
6:00 pm
Underground Gallery-Durham School of the Arts

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News

  • Robinson smiles on the left in a red cap; the cover of his new novel is on the right
    From Capstone to Debut Memoir: CDS Alum James Robinson Shares His Story
  • Man on a train smokes while looking out of a cracked window
    Works by Albanian Photographer Zeni Alia on View at CDS
  • Headshots of the six fellows of the DocX residency, another world is possible.
    Six Documentary Artists Coming to Duke for the DocX Residency–Another World is Possible
See All News
Two people in a theater look enraptured by what is on the screen
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Full Frame, a program of the Center for Documentary Studies, is one of the world’s premiere showcases for nonfiction cinema. This year the festival will take place April 3-6, 2025, and will screen dozens of groundbreaking new documentaries. Passes are on sale now! 

Learn More about this opportunity

Program Spotlights

Close-up cropped view of young girl's face with eyes looking down.
Literacy Through Photography

LTP continues its decades-long work with Durham Public Schools, connecting picture-making with writing and critical thinking.

Learn More about Literacy Through Photography
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DocX Initiative

DocX is driven by what documentary artists need to make their work most resonant in the world. The latest offering is the DocX Residency–Another World is Possible.

Learn More about the DocX Initiative
Elizabeth M. Webb.
Lehman Brady Professorship

The Center for Documentary Studies coordinates a visiting professorship in documentary studies and American studies at Duke and the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.

Learn More about the Lehman Brady Professorship
Support meaningful change through the documentary arts! Make a Gift Today
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Center for Documentary Studies

1317 W. Pettigrew St.
Durham, NC 27705

(919) 660-3663
docstudies@duke.edu

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  • About
    • People
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    • E-Newsletter
    • Directions
    • Contact Us
  • Courses
    • Undergraduate Education
    • Certificate in Documentary Studies
    • Graduate Education
    • Continuing Education
  • Programs & Production
    • Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
    • Literacy Through Photography
    • DocX
    • Lehman Brady Professorship
    • Doc+
  • Exhibitions
  • Opportunities
  • Giving
  • Awards
    • Filmmaker Award
    • Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize
    • Curators’ Award for Insight and Innovation
    • Julia Harper Day Award for Documentary Studies
    • John Hope Franklin Student Documentary Awards
  • News
  • Events