The Social Documentation Lab at UC Santa Cruz is a creative and intellectual hub dedicated to advancing documentary practice as a force for social change. Housed in the university’s Westside Research Park, the lab expands UC Santa Cruz’s capacity to support graduate research and production at the intersection of media, social justice, and critical scholarship.
The lab provides students with the tools, space, and collaborative environment to explore how documentary storytelling can illuminate pressing social issues and amplify underrepresented voices. It serves as the production and research center for the university’s M.F.A. in Social Documentation (SocDoc) and Ph.D. in Film and Digital Media programs, both of which emphasize practice-based, interdisciplinary approaches that merge media creation with rigorous analysis.
At the Social Documentation Lab, students and faculty work side by side to develop projects that go beyond storytelling—delving deeply into the lived experiences of communities, the structures of inequality, and the complex realities that shape our world. The lab supports every stage of the documentary process, from conception and fieldwork to editing, post-production, and public presentation. With access to professional-grade facilities and equipment, as well as mentorship from distinguished faculty and visiting practitioners, students learn to combine creative vision with ethical responsibility.
Founded in partnership with the Department of Film and Digital Media, the Social Documentation Lab reflects UC Santa Cruz’s commitment to community-engaged scholarship and socially conscious art-making. It is a space where documentary becomes not just a form of representation, but a method of inquiry and a catalyst for justice—training the next generation of documentarians to make a lasting impact through film, photography, audio, and new media.