What would an ethical way to practice documentary photography look like? This class suggests that collaboration between the image-maker and the people or communities who consent to be photographed can provide a path toward an ethical practice. We'll examine documentary photography, beginning with its origins often as a tool of imperialism and racism, to the ways in which those visual tropes continue to exist in contemporary practice. In response, we will discuss projects by photographers who work collaboratvely, identifying the methodologies that exemplify this practice. In this class, students will begin a collaborative relationship with a person or community that consents to be photographed; practices for COVID-safe collaboration will be discussed. Through weekly exercises — portraiture, oral histories, archival mining, reimaging and re-creation — students will gain an understanding of the foundations of this method of working. Supported by in-class critique, students will finish the course with a cohesive portfolio of works that will guide their practice in the future. Class sessions are 2.5 hours.