Film Studies Course Description

An introduction to both cinema studies and film/video production, this course will provide an overview of historical, analytical, and theoretical approaches to cinema and introduce a broad range of basic production skills including the fundamentals of nonlinear editing. Through hands-on work and the study of a diverse selection of films rooted in different cultures, times, and ideologies, students will begin to develop the critical means for engaging with cinema and culture in discussion, writing, and creative work.

An introduction to computer design utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, & Premiere) programs, emphasizing the creative development and implementation through a variety of 2D, 3D, & 4D media. Class work is based on exercises that strengthen visual research capabilities, design aesthetics, and output techniques with a variety of programs and equipment. Assigned projects address fundamental technical and conceptual problems suggested through artistic and commercial practice. Lectures, readings, discussions, and critiques explore elements of concept and design pertinent to design mediums and platforms.

Exploratory Topics in Film and Media Studies allows for an introductory examination of different aspects of film distribution, exhibition, and analysis. The course will emphasize experiential learning. May be repeated when topic is different.

A course designed to provide students an opportunity to study interdisciplinary approaches to art making and knowledge seeking. Topics will vary based on instructors' areas of expertise and interests. May be repeated for credit when topic is different.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Year after year, Hollywood turns out movies that are set in schools and present images of teachers and teens. Many of these films address typical coming-of-age issues, societal fear of teen crime and delinquency and, of course, the search for romance. A subset of these films provide powerful and culturally enduring images of teachers and teaching. High school movies also provide insight into the fantasies, anxieties, dreams, and assumptions prevalent in American culture. This course will examine the world and worldview found in Hollywood high school movies and the extent to which the stories they tell make us who we are.

A foundation course on the history of cinema in a global and transnational context, Film History I focuses on silent film and the transition to sound. Topics include creative and technological practices; national cinemas in context; narrative, documentary, and experimental modes. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

A foundations course on the history of cinema in a global and transnational context, Film History II focuses on the sound era. Topics include creative and technological practices; studio, avant-garde, postcolonial and independent cinemas; narrative, documentary, and experimental modes. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

An introduction to film sound studies paired with hands-on exploration of cinematic audio recording and editing techniques, with emphasis on sound/image relationships and the use of sound to create meaning. Students will engage in close readings of critical and theoretical texts, view and discuss film screenings, and produce a series of short audio and video exercises, culminating in a final video project showcasing the creative use of film sound. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

An introduction to traditional black-and-white darkroom photography within a fine art context. Medium-format and 35mm SLR camera operations are covered along with darkroom instruction on processing film and making gelatin silver prints. Historic and contemporary ideas about photography as a medium are examined through projects, readings, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, critiques, and visiting artist presentations. PREREQUISITES: Any 100-level Studio Art course

This course focuses on the contemporary (post-1990s) landscape of film and moving image media production, distribution, exhibition around the world and current theoretical debates in Film Studies. Students will learn about debates in screen studies, platform and streaming studies, different cinematic modes from slow cinema through Nollywood and Wakaliwood, and Film Studies’ increasing connection with Media Studies. Assignments include exams and short essays. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or instructor approval

An introduction to new media within a fine art context. Digital photography, experimental video, sound, photo book design, and blogging are covered as students use the Internet as a venue for presenting projects. The evolution of technology, new media theory, contemporary art discourse, and visual culture are examined through projects, readings, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, critiques, and visiting artist presentations. Mac-based. When scheduled on Tuesday-Thursday, class will dismiss early for University Convocations. PREREQUISITES: ART 100 or ART 110

This course examines the growing genre of ecocinema through film screenings, literary, political, and theoretical works that delve into the intersections among aesthetics, political accountability, and environmental issues. We will consider the role of creative work in addressing environmental conditions and connecting struggles for social and environmental justice. Students will learn about video production and will have the opportunity to create their own short films.

In this course students make projects that engage with space. Lectures, discussions, readings, and critiques will investigate contemporary interdisciplinary practices that involve site-specific installation of works of art, everyday objects, performances, projections, etc. Interactive works and immersive virtual reality will also be considered. Students will create a self-designed installation project that will be planned and executed over the duration of the term. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100, ART 100, ART 105, or ART 110, or consent of instructor

With its pivotal role in the inauguration of the cinema, knowledge of German film is critical to an understanding of the history of film. Considered as one of the most accessible aesthetic forms, the moving image pervades our everyday lives, and yet we seldom think of what we do as "reading" films. Throughout this course, students will be introduced to the practice of reading German films using three structuring lenses: 1) film and cultural history, 2) formal and generic elements, and 3) film criticism.

This course will examine topics in Russian film. Topics may include specific genres (e.g. the sad comedy), the work of a director or tradition, films important for a specific historical moment (e.g. the Thaw or World War Two), or films devoted to a specific theme. Students will expand their Russian vocabulary, improve fluency, increase speaking confidence and gain cultural knowledge by viewing Russian films and analyzing the psychology of the characters. Throughout this course, students will be introduced to the practice of reading the filmic text using three structuring lenses: 1) history, 2) formal and generic elements, and 3) film criticism. May be repeated when topic is different.

This course will provide students with an introduction to game studies through the close reading of scholarly literature and playing of games from a critical perspective. An emphasis will be placed on the ways video game reflect culture while exploring topics of diversity and representation. Students will participate in class discussion, conduct academic research, and apply knowledge by creating a game.

Focusing on an array of well-known American films — “The Maltese Falcon,” “Red River,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “McCabe and Mrs. Miller,” “Chinatown,” “Die Hard,” and “American Beauty” among them — the course will integrate film theory, gender theory, and American history to address the problem of how masculinity has been constructed in American culture since World War II. Not open to students who have previously received, or need to receive, credit for HIST 400. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore level or above

French films function as a springboard for readings, discussions, oral presentations, and short critical essays. We will briefly examine the history of French film from 1940 to the present, study cinematic techniques, the vocabulary of cinema, and explore the principal themes. PREREQUISITES: FREN 202 or consent of instructor

An examination, through selected films, of specific moments in European history and an examination of film itself as a source of historical interpretation. Possible “historical moments” include Medieval England, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust, and possible films include Becket, The Triumph of the Will, and Schindler’s List. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor

This course allows for an in-depth examination of various aspects of filmmaking, with a dual focus on close reading of related film studies texts and practical exploration of advanced techniques, culminating in a final video project.

Topic for Fall 2024: CREATIVE PRODUCING
PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor. In this course, students will explore the fundamentals of producing through proposing and workshopping a self-designed short film/video concept. Topics will include creative development, budgeting, grant writing, pitching, preproduction, and distribution. Students will also explore career paths and create professional materials tailored to their individual goals, such as an artist statement, resumé or CV, filmmaker bio, sample reel, exhibition plan, and FilmFreeway filmmaker page. This course is highly recommended for Film Studies majors planning to complete a creative project for their senior capstone, but is also open to students who wish to develop other ambitious film/video projects in any mode, including nonfiction, fiction, animation, and video installation

A theoretical and practical introduction to connecting images and sound in a compelling way. The goal is to promote understanding of film, video, and new media as tools for creative expression and to help students think critically and make informed choices about editing. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

This course explores facets of the development of Russian film in its historical and cultural context. Topics may include: “The Golden Age of Soviet Film,” “The Cinema of Tarkovsky,” and “Film as Propaganda.” Taught in English. Russian majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in Russian.

Topic for
This course

Visual culture has long defined that which is not white, not queer, and not male as deviant from the visual norm. This course will explore the way in which film culture has traditionally positioned people it defines as deviant from the racial, ethnic, gender or sexual norm and the ways in which filmmakers have responded to that positioning. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor

An introduction to the critical analysis of Latin American and Spanish film. Selected films represent various countries, genres and directors from Latin America and Spain. Readings of relevant film theory, class discussions and composition tasks prepare students for other advanced courses in the Spanish program. PREREQUISITES: SPAN 202, its equivalent, or consent of instructor; not open to native speakers of Spanish.

A continuation of ART 230 with an introduction to pinhole and 4x5 view cameras along with expanded darkroom instruction on sheet film processing and the cyanotype print. The history of photography and contemporary art issues related to the medium are examined through projects, readings, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, critiques, and visiting artist presentations. PREREQUISITES: ART 230

This seminar will familiarize students with major topics within contemporary theories of Blackness and race, including the afterlives of slavery, afro-pessimism, prison abolitionism, and racial capitalism. These will be put in conversation with a sampling of contemporary Black film, asking how each speaks to or challenges the other. Students will write weekly assignments, compiling these into a final paper. PREREQUISITE: FIST 100 or instructor approval PREREQUISITES: PREREQUISITE: FIST 100 or instructor approval

A continuation of Art 240 or 245 using new media within a contemporary art context. Digital photography, experimental video, social media, performance, and installation are covered while using the Internet and campus spaces as venues for projects. Contemporary art discourse is examined through projects, readings, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, critiques, and visiting artist presentations. Mac-based. When scheduled on Tuesday-Thursday, class will dismiss early for University Convocations. PREREQUISITES: ART 240 or ART 245

This seminar surveys the history of global political filmmaking, using cinema to understand the political, and vice versa. Moving chronologically from the early 20th century to the current moment, the course will introduce students to the cinemas of the global south as well as queer, feminist, and Indigenous filmmaking. Written assignments work toward curating a program of six political films. PREREQUISITES: PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or instructor approval

An exploration of the plot, character, and theme in the work of short films and scripts followed by the creation of one or more short screenplays. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

A survey of 20th-century Chinese fiction and cinema. Iconoclastic works of modern Chinese vernacular fiction from 1919 through the post-Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) will be juxtaposed alongside films dealing with the same period, such as Red Sorghum (1987) and Farewell, My Concubine (1992) made by the so-called Fifth Generation of film directors (born after 1949, when the People’s Republic was founded). Class conducted in English. No knowledge of Chinese required. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing; EAST 150 recommended

This course will introduce the student to the rich and varied tradition of Russian and Soviet cinema from the Pre-Revolutionary period to the present. Works by major filmmakers will be viewed and discussed in the context of the culture, economy, society, and politics of the time. Taught in English. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing

This course selects from 90 years of filmmaking in Germany. Films range from expressionism to Nazi propaganda and from escapist comedies to avant garde art. Learning to “read” German films critically also means finding out how to understand movies from Hollywood and beyond. Possible topics include “From Caligari to Hitler,” “German Literature as Film,” and “What Makes Lola Run.” Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German.

Using feature films and documentaries from the so-called Fifth [1982-] and Sixth Generations [beginning in the 1990s] of film directors in China, this course provides a visual record of the immense political, economic, and social changes in China since the Reform and Opening up period at the end of the Cultural Revolution. Taught in English. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing; EAST 150 or EAST 420 recommended

This course seeks to reveal the ways in which the question of monstrous difference is articulated in a variety of German “texts.” Its main goal is to examine the ways that representations of monstrousness are employed to stage complex public and private anxieties as well as to provide an expression of rebellion against various systems of hierarchy. Featured in the works of canonized authors as well as within the realm of popular culture, the representational functions of the monster can provide valuable insight into numerous aspects of German history and psychosexual relations.

This course examines the borders of the human through the figures of the vampire, monster, and femme fatale in literature, film, and the visual arts. Featured in the works of canonized authors as well as within popular culture, “monstrousness” can provide valuable insights into numerous aspects of German history and psychosexual relations. Possible texts include the early vampire film Nosferatu, Wedekind’s Lulu tragedies, Patrick Süskind’s Das Parfüm, and paintings by H.R. Giger. PREREQUISITES: GER 312

An exploration of personal, experimental, and emerging approaches to documentary filmmaking through video projects, readings, screenings, lecture, discussion, and critique. This course examines both contemporary practice and historical intersections among filmmaking traditions, with a focus on engaging with critical dialogues and diverse ways of articulating relationships between maker, subject, and audience. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

This course presents a broad overview of contemporary and historical documentary filmmaking practice through readings, screenings, discussion, and short video projects. Students will engage with critical dialogues and explore several distinct approaches to documentary production, including rhetorical, observational, participatory, and reflexive forms, culminating in a completed short documentary. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

This course examines animated documentary as an emerging hybrid form that raises unique ethical considerations and interesting possibilities for representation and expression. Through readings, screenings, and creative exercises, students will learn several animation techniques and examine both contemporary practice and historical antecedents, with a focus on engaging with critical dialogues and diverse ways of articulating relationships between maker, subject, and audience. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

This course explores the history and contemporary practice of artisanal and experimental animation through hands-on workshops, film and video animation projects, readings, screenings, discussion, and critique. Topics include significant artists and movements, fundamental animation principles, optical toys, direct 16mm animation, rotoscoping, sound design for animation, 2D computer animation using Photoshop, and several stop-motion techniues using animation stands and Dragonframe software. Not open to students who have earned credit for the FIST 318 topic Artisanal Animation. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

At the upper level, the course will serve as a history seminar in preparation for the history department's capstone course. Those taking it at that level will be required to write at least one paper addressing film or gender theory and to write a 10-15 page research prospectus. Not open to students who have previously received credit for HIST 300. PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above

What is the language of film? What is the relationship between spectator and screen? What is the role of film as mass and global phenomena? This course explores basic issues in film theory and criticism that may include auteur theory, genre criticism, apparatus theory, stardom, feminist and queer film theories. PREREQUISITES: FIST100 and sophomore standing

This course will explore cinematic image design through hands-on workshops, film and video exercises, readings, screenings, discussion, and critique. Students will study foundational composition principles, learn new techniques in cinematography and lighting, and create short film and video projects that showcase the creative use of composition to create meaning. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

In this course, students will explore gender and intersectional identities in video games from an advanced and in-depth level. Students will analyze literature, multiple video games, and metacultural content while exploring the topics of gender and other forms of identity. Students will produce their own media content to share their findings with the gaming community. PREREQUISITES: FIST290, GEST100 or instructor approval

This course in French must be taken in conjunction with GER 411, taught in English. It will expand on the films made in France by Continental under the Nazi Occupation, 1940-1944. Concurrent registration in GER 411 is required. PREREQUISITES: One course in French at the 300 level or consent of instructor

Topics in Film Studies allows for an in depth examination of topics across time, for example, the work of women directors, or it permits a detailed analysis of special topics, for example, Turkish-German or Central European film.

Using fiction, feature films, and historical texts, this course provides an in-depth introduction to modern Korean history, from the end of the Chŏsun dynasty in 1910 to contemporary North and South Korea. Students will gain an understanding of Korea’s colonial experience, civil war, dictatorships, development, democratization, and gender politics. PREREQUISITES: EAST 150 or consent of instructor

This topics course allows for an in-depth examination of film genre in various historical, national, theoretical, and aesthetic contexts. Course under this heading may focus on a single genre (for example, the musical) or be comparative. May be repeated when topic is different.

In this course we will explore some of the complexities, ambiguities, and powers of film musickings. Focusing primarily on pre-existing musics in filmscapes, we will pursue the multiple ways that film musickings reveal, reinforce, cross, and break constructed boundaries of space, time, identity, and community. Engaging with elements of film, film sound, and film music studies, gender and queer theory, critical race theory, and disability theory, we will experience and examine the spaces that film musickings can create and provide access to; the pleasures, violences, and possibilities of those spaces; as well as ambiguities and possibilities of interpretation. PREREQUISITES: MUCO 212 or MUCO 202

Topics in Film and Media Theory will be a seminar that allows for cinema-focused, in-depth examinations of sound studies, visual studies, and media studies. May be repeated when topic is different. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 + one FIST 200/300 level course, or instructor approval

Explore the artistic use of analog film in the digital age! In this hands-on course, students will learn the fundamentals of 16mm motion picture production and post-production, practicing both traditional and contemporary workflows with an emphasis on creative use of the medium. PREREQUISITES: FIST 100 or consent of instructor

Despite a long-term refusal to open itself to immigration, Germany has become a nation of immigrants and asylum-seekers. The course focuses on how both literature and films, including works by and about minorities in Germany, have dealt with key cultural phenomena: multiculturalism, diversity, acculturation, assimilation, “majority culture,” and parallel societies. PREREQUISITES: GER 312 or consent of the instructor

Focusing on the works of writers and filmmakers such as Sembene Ousmane, Joseph Zobel, Aimé Césaire, D.T. Niane, Dani Kouyate, Euzhan Palcy and Raoul Peck the course examines the interface between the literary and filmic media in raising consciousness about societal challenges, nationhood, power and identity. It also analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each medium in accomplishing these objectives. PREREQUISITES: 300-level French course or consent of instructor

This course studies significant Spanish films from the 20th and 21st centuries as cultural and historical documents with the goal of discussing social and political change in Spain through the lens of cinema. Topics may include the genesis of Spanish film, representations of the Second Republic, the Civil War, and the Francoist dictatorship on the big screen, cinema of the transition to democracy, Spanish film from the 1990s to the 2000s, Latin American and European co-productions, and contemporary Spanish cinema in the era of streaming. This class is taught in Spanish. PREREQUISITES: SPAN 300-level class or instructor approval

A continuation of Art 330 with instruction in advanced analog photography practice within a contemporary art context. Project planning and implementation are emphasized as students work toward producing a self-designed project with a developed artist statement. The history of photography and contemporary art issues related to the medium are examined through readings, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, critiques, and visiting artist presentations. PREREQUISITES: ART 330 and consent of instructor

A continuation of Art 340 using new media at an advanced level. Digital photography, experimental video, social media, performance, and installation are covered while using the Internet and campus spaces as venues for projects. Contemporary art discourse is examined through projects, readings, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, critiques, and visiting artist presentations. Mac-based. When scheduled on Tuesday-Thursday, class will dismiss early for University Convocations. PREREQUISITES: ART 340 and consent of instructor

This course will examine an advanced topic in the field of French and Francophone Studies. Topics will vary from year to year and examine both primary and secondary texts. May be repeated when topic is different.

A thematic analysis of film and fiction produced in the late and post-dictatorial context of Spain and several Latin American countries. The course studies the cultural processes of historical memory, collective trauma, oblivion, and questioning of national narratives in selected works from the past four decades. Readings include Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden, and Carmen Martin Gaite's The Back Room, as well as films by Lucrecia Martel, Victor Erice, Pablo Larrain, and Guillermo del Toro, among others. PREREQUISITES: One 400-level course in Spanish or consent of instructor

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Intended to serve as a capstone experience for film studies students with a research concentration. The seminar will explore methodologies related to research in film history and theory. May be repeated once. PREREQUISITES: Senior standing and declared major in film studies

The seminar will serve as a critique group for senior film projects and explore practical issues pertinent to contemporary film practice. PREREQUISITES: Senior standing and a declared major in film studies

The seminar will serve as a critique group for senior film projects and explore practical issues pertinent to contemporary film practice. PREREQUISITES: FIST 602, senior standing and declared major in film studies

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.