Courses
CHINESE
220. Contemporary Chinese Cinema.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F5.
An introductory course on contemporary Chinese cinema that combines film
viewing with readings of film theory and criticism. The aim is to provide a window
for students to glimpse the complexity of contemporary Chinese culture. Students
will view selected Chinese films produced in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong
Kong from the 1980’s to the present and be required to read essays of critical
studies which explore the interrelations of various issues in Chinese society.
Prerequisites: None.
FRENCH
234. Hitchcock and Truffaut.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F5.
A study of films that exemplify the influence of French language and culture
on Hitchcock and of Hitchcock on Truffaut. Taught in English. Does not satisfy the
proficiency requirement in Foreign Languages.
334. French Cinema.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F5.
A study of prominent directors and movements of French cinema, this course
emphasizes techniques and themes of French filmmaking from the silent era
through surrealism and the New Wave to the present. Taught in English. Counts
toward the Film Studies minor.
Prerequisites: Students wishing this course to count toward the French minor or
major should have completed French 301 and 321 or 322 and French 323 or 324
prior to taking 334. Credit toward the French major or minor will not be granted
retroactively.
GERMAN
240/340. German Cinema.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F5.
This course, examining important German films since the days of the Weimar
Republic, places special emphasis on the historical and social background of each
film as well as the aesthetic qualities of the works. It thereby seeks to contribute to
a better understanding of recent German history and of films as an artistic medium.
Filmmakers to be studied include Friedrich Murnau, Fritz Lang, Leni Riefenstahl,
Volker Schlöndorff, Helma Sanders-Brahms, Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
and Wolfgang Becker. All films are subtitled; the course is taught in English. Ger
340 will be reserved for majors and minors, who will do substantial portions of the
work for the course in German.
RUSSIAN
400. Soviet/Russian Film.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
Introduction to the ideological and aesthetic forces that have shaped the
development of Soviet/Russian film, with particular attention to various film
theories. Films of various directors, such as Eisenstein, Chukhrai, Daneliia,
Tarkovsky, and Mikhalkov will be studied. All films are subtitled; course is taught
in English and cross-listed with English 382
Russian 214 - Dostoevsky in Literature and Film
HISTORY
History 205: History of Latin America through Film
ENGLISH
204. Introduction to Screenwriting.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
An introduction to the basic three-act film structure. Students will read and
view various screenplays and films, and develop their own film treatment into a
full-length script.
Prerequisites: Must have taken a creative writing or film studies class.
235. World Drama.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F4.
An introduction to the critical reading of dramatic texts, and to the various
implications of the genre itself. The stage will be explored not only as the site
for the enactment of literary themes but also as a cultural arena where the
representation of cultural values and discourses becomes contested, subverted,
reaffirmed, or celebrated. The issues will also be addressed in examining the
translation of theater to film.
Prerequisites: English 151 or permission of instructor.
202. Introduction to Cinema.
Fall. Credits: 4
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
This course introduces students to the critical tools involved in the analysis
of moving-image media such as film, video, and television. Students will compose
essays that demonstrate a historically informed grasp of cinema’s formal techniques
and how these produce meaning for spectators.
Prerequisites: Eng. 151 Or equivalent. All students must attend a weekly
screening.
241. History and Criticism of American Cinema.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
This course introduces students to the history of American cinema as art and
industry. Although Hollywood film provides the focus, the course may also examine
independent cinema. Students will compose essays that demonstrate their grasp of
film history and analysis.
Prerequisites: English 151 or equivalent.
242. World Film.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
A chronological survey of world film, focusing on the theoretical implications
of developing technologies and changing social mores, and introducing the major
critical approaches to a filmic text.
Prerequisites: English 151 or permission of instructor.
245. Special Topics in Film.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
An introductory film course open to all students. Special topics may include
alternative cinema (non-fiction and experimental cinema); issues of race, gender,
and class; genre studies (comedy, film noir, melodrama); and histories of various
technologies and media (the advent of sound film, television, video). Course may
be repeated for credit with a different topic.
Prerequisites: English 151 or permission of instructor.
381. Advanced Topics in Film.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
The focused exploration of a topic or genre that ties a body of films together
in order to pursue issues of film criticism and theory in depth. Such topics as the
following may be considered: gender and film, race and film, film adaptation,
American genre films, the film auteur, screenplay writing. Includes the study of
critical texts. Repeatable for credit with different topic.
Prerequisites: Any 200-level film class or permission of instructor.
382. Film Theory.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
The study of appropriate films in connection with a selection of theoretical texts
that elaborate the problem of meaning in film. Films and readings will be roughly
chronological. Requirements include mandatory attendance at film screenings, to
occur outside of scheduled class hours.
Prerequisites: Any 200-level film class or permission of instructor.
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