Introduction to Film Aesthetics and Analysis (CNPH 10100)
An analysis of the cinematic techniques utilized throughout film history to create meaning, suggest mood, develop psychology of characters, and communicate ideas. Emphasis is placed on classic American and foreign films, from the silent period to the present day.
Fiction Film Theory (CNPH 30000)
Close visual analysis of film, focusing on cinematographic and directorial aspects of film style. Detailed examination of specific films and various theories.
Utopias and Dystopias of Emerging Media (EMED 32000)
Analysis of theoretical, social, economic, political, technological, and cultural perspectives that impact and are impacted by new and emerging media technologies. Theoretical framework or technological focus defined by contemporary issues and student interest.
Italian Culture Through Cinema (ITAL 28000/35000)
This course is intended to introduce students to Italian cinema of the past four decades, and how these films depict the language, culture, history, and changing social issues of Italian society and culture. Special attention is paid to the integration of films with close reading, discussion, and analysis of literary and cinematic texts that address such issues as national identity, immigration and emigration, the rise and fall of Fascism, the new republic, the north/south question, and contemporary regional and cultural differences.
Global Screen Cultures (LNGS 11100/ SCRE 11100)
Examination of cinematic representations of changing notions of cultural, national, and individual identity. Topics will include the impact of war and fascism on national identity; changing notions of the family structure and gender roles; generational conflict and cultural identity, class, race, and religion. Students will investigate these topics both within and across various national cultures.
Africa Through Film: Images and Reality (POLT 33200)
Challenges popular Western representations of the African continent through a study of representation and reality and interrogates the foundation of these constructs. Emphasizes the need for media literacy and exposure to counter-narratives in the study of African countries and explores African politics, historiographies, and contemporary issues through extensive readings and a comparative analysis of diverse films from Hollywood, radical African filmmakers, and popular African cinema. Materials include "Coming to America," "Flame," and "Lumumba." Students apply sociopolitical analysis to the subject matter, uncovering for instance, apartheid ideology behind the portrayal of Africans in the film "The Gods Must Be Crazy." Counts as a Comparative & International Studies course for politics majors and international politics minors, and as a “place” course for the concentration in international studies and for international politics minors.
Religion and Culture (RLST 20100)
Study of the mutual relations between religion and culture. The course explores the religious dimension of art, music, and other contemporary media, and considers the way religious symbols influence cultural and social movements. Students study both Western and non-Western examples, of the intersection between religion and culture in art, music, literature, ritual, film, and games. (ICC – Humanities, Theme: Inquiry, Imagination, Innovation)
From Magical Realism to Narcos (SPAN 37000)
Focuses on Colombian cultural production from the 1950s to the present. Explores the ways in which Colombian cultural production in film, TV, literature, and music, has encouraged reflections on political and social violence. Emphasis on cultural artifacts and their connection to themes of national identity, gender, race and class, place, mobility, and environment in Colombia and in Latin America more broadly. Prerequisites: Any 300-level SPAN course.
Introduction to Television and Film Industries (TVR 12400)
Introduction to digital and electronic media industries, both traditional and emerging. Focus on ethical, legal technological, economic, and creative shifts resulting from new media platforms and cross-platform distribution. Discussion, research, writing, and group collaborative work focused on emerging challenges and opportunities in the new media environment.
Electronic Media Criticism (TVR 33500)
Critical exploration of the complex role television programming plays in the cultural representation and construction of marginalized social groups and the medium’s treatment of issues related to gender, race, class, and sexuality. The course analyzes from a historical, industrial, economic, and social perspective how classical and contemporary television shows both perpetuate and challenge negative stereotyping and false social myths related to sexism, racism, transphobia, and homophobia.
Screen Cultures courses in London:
British Comedy: Film, Television, and Radio (31000)
Exploration of how the cultural characteristics of British Comedy programming for cinema, television, and radio developed since 1900. Traces the evolution of comedic forms and surveys contemporary genres: sketch, broken, sitcom, satire, stand-up, improv, the impressionists, and "sittrag." Emphasis on the making of comedy in an ethnically and culturally diverse society.
Global Cinema (28000)
Focuses on post-Second World War global cinema up to the present day. Study of the themes and styles of international film, authorship, and the relation of audience to film criticism. Includes opportunities to attend film festivals and viewings in London.