Courses
New to Spring 2009: Film Production
Film Studies 1810—Introduction to Film: The Beginnings to 1945 (3). (same as English 1810). Surveys the basic techniques of filmmaking, some important film genres and classic films of the period. Students who have already completed English 2830 cannot receive credit for English 1810 or Film Studies 1810.
Film Studies 1820—Introduction to Film: 1945- Present (3). (same as English 1820). Surveys the basic techniques of filmmaking, some important film genres and classic American and European films of the period. 1810 is not a prerequisite. Students who have already completed English 2840 cannot receive credit for English 1820.
Film Studies 2005—Topics in Film Studies - Humanities (1). Organized study of selected topics. Subject may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated with consent of instructor.
Recent Topics Courses:
Blackness and Gender in American Film. This course focuses on the evolution of black images in American film. It concerns itself in particular with the impact of filmic techniques on portrayals of black masculinity and femininity. Of course, such a focus necessarily includes a consideration of whiteness and white constructions of gender. Hence the course will not be simply a historical overview of black cinematic images, but rather an exploration of how the magic of film has contributed to the social construction of racial/gendered categories. The course will consist of lecture, discussion, and the viewing of films and film segments.
Film Pre-Planning and Production. Provides an overview of pre-production and production of a feature film with hands-on examples. The class will cover planning, scheduling, and shooting within a budget and on a schedule. The course will examine operational aspects and language of a working film set. We will address filmmaking skills and aesthetic quality in the study of cameras, lights, and sound equipment. All knowledge will be put to practical use as students help to produce an independent film during the semester. The class will stress quality and production values of a film with the main goal of producing a commercially viable film.
Fiction and Film of the 1970s. Divided into four units (Watergate and American Paranoia, Post-Civil Rights Era Race Relations, the Sexual Revolution, and the Retreat From Social Conflict), this course explored the major literary and cinematic trends of the 1970s, the relationships between film and fiction, and the impact of historical events on both art forms (and vice-versa). Texts and films included: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Mumbo Jumbo, Ragtime, Ceremony, Chinatown, Shaft, Billy Jack, Taxi Driver, Shampoo, and Jaws.
Israeli Film.
Examines the modern literature and film of a developing nation built on an ancient heritage. Israel exists in the midst of complex social relationships. It will engage students in discussions on major issues in contemporary Israel through the use of a variety of Israeli films, where the emphasis is primarily on socio/anthropological studies of Israeli society and on building up a vocabulary to approach multiculturalism, its counter-culture, and their representations in the state of Israel.
Love Italian Style. Examines Italian cinema from the post-war years to the present, focusing on the representation of gender and relationships. This chronological study will take place alongside an analysis of the Italian political and social history of the period. Drawing on recent theory about the body, the gaze and spectatorship, the course aims at exploring how cinematic representation in contemporary Italy has embodied discontent, revision, conformity, and rebellion within the construction of family, gender identity, and relationships.
Film Studies 2810—Introduction to Film Analysis (3). (same as German 2810 and Romance Languages 2810). This course familiarizes students with the basic analytical tools for describing and interpreting films, and helps them develop a critical vocabulary for discussing and writing about film. It also introduces some theoretical approaches to film analysis. Prerequisite: freshmen and sophomores only or consent of program director. Film Studies 2820—Trends in World Cinema (3). (same as German 2820 and Romance Languages 2820). This course is a historical overview of the major trends in international cinema. It focuses on the intersection of aesthetics, industry, and ideological and social concerns in cinematic production. Prerequisite: sophomore standing, Film Studies 2810 or instructor’s consent.
Film Studies 2830—American Film in an International Context, 1895-1950 (3). (same as English 2830). Examines the development of American cinema in relation to other national cinemas. No credit for students who have completed English 1810. Prerequisite: English 1000, and for Film Studies credit toward minor, Film Studies 2810.
Film Studies 2840—American Film in an International Context, 1950-Present (3). (same as English 2840). Examines the relationship of American cinema to world cinema, 1950-present. No credit for students who have completed English 2840. Prerequisite: English 1000, and for Film Studies credit toward the minor, Film Studies 2810.
Film Studies 2850—Italian Cinema (3). (same as Italian 2850). A course which concentrates on the development of Italian Cinema, primarily since the Post-WWII era, and the ways in which it reflects major economic, social and political events occurring in Italy. No knowledge of Italian required. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Film Studies 3005—Topics in Film Studies - Humanities (1). Organized study of selected topics. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours with departmental consent. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or instructor’s consent.
Recent 3000-level Topics Courses:
Films of Hitchcock. By tracing Alfred Hitchcock's career from silent film through the transition to sound, from prewar Britain through Hollywood, and through the postwar ups and downs of Hollywood during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, this course will address just this question. Hitchcock is unique not only for his artistry and for the legendary rigidity with which he controlled the form and content of his films, but for his ability to create, invent, and sustain invention within the studio system and within what could otherwise be a limiting genre, the suspense/thriller. Hitchock was a filmmaker who had an audience and yet year after year challenged that audience through filmic experimentation and unsettling subject matter. His films are at once popular and artsy. In this course, we will examine the seemingly contradictory status of Hitchcock's through the study of their form, content, and historical, cultural, and industrial context.
The Films of Woody Allen. Woody Allen is one of America’s most prolific, revered, and singular filmmakers. By surveying his films from the 1970s through today, as well as the films of a few of his major influences (the Marx Brothers, Bergman, and Fellini), this course approaches the study of the films of Woody Allen from the perspectives of film form, historical, cultural, and industrial context, feminism and psychoanalysis, and addresses themes such as love, sex, death, and artistic and intellectual ambivalence.
Urban Legends and Film. Folkloristic examination of urban legend narratives that manifest in American film. By closely viewing select films and engaging with current scholarship--on topics ranging from zombies, ghosts, vampires, and serial killers to rumors about AIDS and fast food restaurants--we will better understand how American values and beliefs are represented in these stories both orally and visually.
History of the Documentary Film. Studies the history of documentary film from the beginnings of cinema to the present day, keeping questions about bot hthe "creative" and the "actual" elements of nonfiction film in mind. How is the nature of the "actuality" presented on screen in documentary films? How have the expectations and definitions of documentary realism and authenticity changed over time? Can documentaries produce social change? Discussion includes the development of subgenres (particularly ethnographic documentaries), sound and voiceover in documentary, re-enactment, ethical issues in documentary film production, and more.
Post-Colonial Film.
Architecture on Film. Discusses--and problematizes--the emphasis on artists' biographies as a major historiographic method within the discipline of art history, and its translation into film. The biographical approach has a long pedigree in art history. Filmic biographies frequently distort the life story and historical significance of artists, though sometimes they bring light to lesser known artists. They frequently contribute to the modernist paradigm of "artist as genius" and other such stereotypes (regarding madness or, in the case of female artists, subservience to their male counterparts), and always emphasize and interpret artists' works differently from the historical profession.
Film and the Holocaust. Explores how the Holocaust has been depicted on film in a variety of national and historical contexts. Drawing on films from 1945 to the present, from the United States, Germany, Poland, France, and Italy, it considers to what end images of the Holocaust have been used. The course examines the question of how the horror of the Holocaust can be represented, or indeed whether it should be, by looking at the very different formal choices made by filmmakers. We will consider the distinction between the still image and the moving image, and between documentary and non-documentary film, in order to assess the particular relevance of these distinctions in the context of Holocaust representation.
Food and Culture in Film. Focuses on an aspect of folklore studies called "foodways"--the traditional practices, customs, symbolism, and significance of food. So deceivingly mundane, food is actually imbued with a great deal of significance beyond physical survival. "You are what you eat" is more than a light-hearted proverb, for food is used to define self-identity, as well as familial and cultural identity. Employing film to reflect on such lofty matters, this class examines the social, psychological, and sensory dimensions of food and the aesthetic experience of eating, both positive and negative, as depicted in cinema.
Film Studies 3190-Contemporary German Culture: German Culture Through Film (3). This course is designed for students with an interest in German language as well as in film analysis. Twenty-first century German films that deal with the Second World War, the division of Germany, and especially with issues in contemporary German culture are used as a springboard for discussions, for written work, and for the development of students’ written and spoken skills. Significant grammatical concepts will be throughout the semester. Conducted in German. Prerequisite: GERMAN 2260 or instructor's consent.
Film Studies 3830—History of German Film (3). (same as German 3830). Introduction to the study of German film. Films are viewed and discussed in terms of techniques, artistry, psychology and social impact. Emphasis is placed on contemporary cinema and whether today’s tendencies build upon or break from traditional German cinema. Key stylistic trends will be evaluated alongside the question of how these films represent the new Europe. English dubbing or subtitles. No foreign language credit. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or instructor's consent.
Film Studies 3840—German Film After 1945 (3). (same as German 3840). Examines a selection of post-War films by German directors, as well as historical, literary, and theoretical texts. Prerequisite: sophomore standing, or instructor’s consent.
Film Studies 3860—Brazilian Cinema (3). (same as Portuguese 3860). An introduction to Brazilian cinema, culture, and society through the study of contemporary cinematic productions. Topics include: Hollywood perceptions of Brazil; redefinition of national identity and history, representations of race and gender. Prerequisite: English 1000.
Film Studies 3870 - Russian Women and Film (3). (same as Russian 3870). Traces the images of the Russian woman in 20th-century Russia as constructed in Russian and Soviet film. From the heroines of the pre-revolutionary melodrama to the “new Soviet man and woman” of the 20s, from the war-time re-alignment of gender roles in defense of motherland and their subtle revamping in the post-war and post-Stalinist period, Russian cinema provides a vivid reflection—and oftentimes a official-propagandistic vision—of gender and the shifting relations between women and men, women and women, and women and the State. While the course emphasizes the cultural, historical and ideological status of women as reflected in their onscreen images (and off-stage participation in the film industry), it also serves as an excellent introduction to Russian film studies and to 20th-century Russian culture more generally.
Film Studies 3880—Contemporary Chinese Film (3). (same as Chinese 3880). Introduces development of 20th century Chinese film and popular genres, including review of earlier times. Explores how present day Chinese understand their own history, and issues they face in drive toward modernization in a global context. Films and readings in English or with English subtitles. No previous knowledge of the culture or language required. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or instructor’s consent.
Film Studies 3890—Russian and Soviet Film (3). (same as Russian 3890). Introduces three significant genres of Russian cinema: comedy, literary adaptations, and films that explore issues of identity and autobiography. Includes examples from different epochs. Considers Soviet and post-Soviet films. Russia and Russian culture. Course conducted in English.
Film Studies 3930--Screenwriting for TV and Film.
Fundamentals of storytelling utilizing tools and structure used by television and film.
Film Studies 4005/7001 - Topics in Film Studies (1).
Recent 4000/Grad Level Topics:
Adaptation of Literature for Film. Examines recent theories of film adaptation, focusing on the central question of how to talk about a film adaptation of a novel. The most common approach to this question has always been to measure the success of the movie by how closely it comes to capturing the "essence" of the original text. Typically, viewers grumble when a director changes the ending, adds a plot twist, cuts a character. But such complaints are hardly fair, for they are based on the problematic assumption that cinema, while a different medium altogether, must nevertheless do just what a novel does. In recent years, film scholars have developed new means of approaching film adaptation, encouraging audiences to think about literature and film as "two different mediums each trying to tell a story in their own way."
Film Studies 8005 - Topics in Film Studies (1).
Intro to Film Studies: Research and Pedagogy
Indigenous Media. Offers a historical overview and critical exploration of films and videos by indigenous directors, producers, writers, and actors, focused primarily (but not exclusively) on films produced in the United States and Canada. Beginning with early silent films and ending with independent, digital, and animated productions distributed online. Discussion centers around indigenous filmmaking both as a distinct social practice and in relation to other minority cinemas and Hollywood.
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