Film Studies

Course Offerings Spring 2013

Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
AFST 320-03	Franco-Maghrebi Imagination Instructor: Nancy Mellerski Course Description: Cross-listed with FLST 310-01, FREN 363-01, MEST 200-08 and WGST 300-02. We will study writers and filmmakers of two generations in France: those who immigrated to the Mtropole from North Africa during the postcolonial period, and those who were born in France of Maghrebi parents but still find themselves on the other side of the ethnic divide in a society that maintains an ambivalent relationship with its cultural minorities. Our approach will be an eclectic one, as we explore the history of Franco-Maghrebi relations during the colonial era, the socioeconomic experiences of the guest workers who toiled to rebuild France during the postwar period, the meaning of social and geographical marginalization in the banlieue, the particular situation of Muslim female authors, and, finally, the ways in which cultural hybridity is expressed in both prose and cinema.	1330:TF BOSLER 310
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
CLST 140-01	Ancient Worlds on Film Instructor: Bart Huelsenbeck Course Description: An introduction to ancient Greek and Roman history and civilization (excluding mythology) through viewing popular films about this period and reading the historical and literary sources on which those films are based. Wherever possible we will read original primary documents. This course fulfills the DIV I.c. distribution requirement.	1230:MWF ALTHSE 08
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
EASN 205-01	Japanese Cinema Instructor: Peter Bates Course Description: Cross-listed with FLST 210-01. This course provides a survey of Japanese cinema from its early days to the present and places that development in its historical context. Within the overarching frame of history we will examine how Japanese cinema became a "national cinema" and what that means; how genre theory helps us approach "Japanese" genres such as samurai, yakuza and giant monster movies; how auteur theory was applied to the work of directors like Kurosawa and Ozu; and the role of Japanese cinema in the world as evidenced by the recent Oscar winning film Okuribito (Departures). Recognizing that film is a global medium, we will look at these issues from an international perspective and compare the Japanese case not only to traditional Hollywood style but also to other national cinemas.	1500:MR ALTHSE 110
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
ENGL 101-04	Lit & Film of Globalization Instructor: Poulomi Saha Course Description: This is an introductory course about literature and film in an increasingly global world. We will trouble the assumption that globalization is just a contemporary phenomenon, examining global circuits of trade, colonialism, cultural interaction throughout the 20th century. Asking how works of literature and film in English are shaped by the forces of globalization, we will consider issues such as citizenship, travel, transnational capitalism, and the impact of digital media. How do literature and film find a new vocabulary, a new kind of English, to narrate an ever-expanding world? In turn, what do such fictions tell us about globalization and the forms it takes? Texts and films may include The Constant Gardener, My Year of Meats, and The Quiet American.	1130:MWF DENNY 104
ENGL 216-01	Creative Writ: Screenwriting Instructor: Alex Willemin Course Description: Cross-listed with FLST 310-03. This course will familiarize students with the fundamentals of good screenwriting: structure, theme, conflict, character, and dialogue. Students take part in weekly writing exercises as preparation for their final class project--creating a detailing outline of an original screenplay, and completing the first act. Topics include plot and subplot, character development, and commercial considerations such as format and genre. Students are required to read essential books on scriptwriting and to analyze several films and the screenplays on which they are based.	1330:M DENNY 21
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
FLST 102-01	Fund of Digit Film Production Instructor: Alex Willemin Course Description: This course provides instruction in the basic aesthetic and technical aspects of digital film production, including writing, producing, directing, shooting, lighting, recording and mixing sound, and editing. Students will learn to harness digital tools while focusing on their roles as storytellers. Each participant will write and direct a video, rotating through various crew positions as they carry out exercises designed to deepen their knowledge of the different elements of moviemaking. Ultimately, students will collaborate in teams on short movies, which will be screened at the final class. Prerequisite: FLST 101 OR FLST 310/ENGL 218. Offered every two years.	1330:F BOSLER 208
FLST 201-01	History of Film Instructor: Stephen Weinberger Course Description: Cross-listed with HIST 279-01.	1330:TR DENNY 21 1500:T DENNY 317
FLST 210-01	Japanese Cinema Instructor: Peter Bates Course Description: Cross-listed with EASN 205-01. This course provides a survey of Japanese cinema from its early days to the present and places that development in its historical context. Within the overarching frame of history we will examine how Japanese cinema became a "national cinema" and what that means; how genre theory helps us approach "Japanese" genres such as samurai, yakuza and giant monster movies; how auteur theory was applied to the work of directors like Kurosawa and Ozu; and the role of Japanese cinema in the world as evidenced by the recent Oscar winning film Okuribito (Departures). Recognizing that film is a global medium, we will look at these issues from an international perspective and compare the Japanese case not only to traditional Hollywood style but also to other national cinemas.	1500:MR ALTHSE 110
FLST 310-01	Franco-Maghrebi Imagination Instructor: Nancy Mellerski Course Description: Cross-listed with AFST 320-03, FREN 363-01, MEST 200-08 and WGST 300-02. We will study writers and filmmakers of two generations in France: those who immigrated to the Mtropole from North Africa during the postcolonial period, and those who were born in France of Maghrebi parents but still find themselves on the other side of the ethnic divide in a society that maintains an ambivalent relationship with its cultural minorities. Our approach will be an eclectic one, as we explore the history of Franco-Maghrebi relations during the colonial era, the socioeconomic experiences of the guest workers who toiled to rebuild France during the postwar period, the meaning of social and geographical marginalization in the banlieue, the particular situation of Muslim female authors, and, finally, the ways in which cultural hybridity is expressed in both prose and cinema.	1330:TF BOSLER 310
FLST 310-03	Screenwriting Instructor: Alex Willemin Course Description: Cross-listed with ENGL 216-01. This course will familiarize students with the fundamentals of good screenwriting: structure, theme, conflict, character, and dialogue. Students take part in weekly writing exercises as preparation for their final class project--creating a detailing outline of an original screenplay, and completing the first act. Topics include plot and subplot, character development, and commercial considerations such as format and genre. Students are required to read essential books on scriptwriting and to analyze several films and the screenplays on which they are based.	1330:M DENNY 21
FLST 550-01	Film Studies Ind Research Instructor: Nancy Mellerski Course Description:	:
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
FREN 363-01	Franco-Maghrebi Imagination Instructor: Nancy Mellerski Course Description: Cross-listed with AFST 320-03, FLST 310-01, MEST 200-08 and WGST 300-02. The Monday session will be taught in French. We will study writers and filmmakers of two generations in France: those who immigrated to the Mtropole from North Africa during the postcolonial period, and those who were born in France of Maghrebi parents but still find themselves on the other side of the ethnic divide in a society that maintains an ambivalent relationship with its cultural minorities. Our approach will be an eclectic one, as we explore the history of Franco-Maghrebi relations during the colonial era, the socioeconomic experiences of the guest workers who toiled to rebuild France during the postwar period, the meaning of social and geographical marginalization in the banlieue, the particular situation of Muslim female authors, and, finally, the ways in which cultural hybridity is expressed in both prose and cinema.	1330:MF BOSLER 310
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
HIST 279-01	The History of Film Instructor: Stephen Weinberger Course Description: Cross-listed with FLST 201-01.	1330:TR DENNY 21 1500:T DENNY 317
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
MEST 200-08	Franco-Maghrebi Imagination Instructor: Nancy Mellerski Course Description: Cross-listed with AFST 320-03, FLST 310-01, FREN 363-01 and WGST 300-02. We will study writers and filmmakers of two generations in France: those who immigrated to the Mtropole from North Africa during the postcolonial period, and those who were born in France of Maghrebi parents but still find themselves on the other side of the ethnic divide in a society that maintains an ambivalent relationship with its cultural minorities. Our approach will be an eclectic one, as we explore the history of Franco-Maghrebi relations during the colonial era, the socioeconomic experiences of the guest workers who toiled to rebuild France during the postwar period, the meaning of social and geographical marginalization in the banlieue, the particular situation of Muslim female authors, and, finally, the ways in which cultural hybridity is expressed in both prose and cinema.	1330:TF BOSLER 310
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
POSC 243-01	Mass Media/American Politics Instructor: Brandon Lenoir Course Description: Examines the causes, content, and consequences of political news, primarily focusing on television. It will explore the ways in which audience characteristics, organizational routines, and professional socialization influence the style and substance of the news. The content of news will be analyzed for: the three branches of government, war, foreign governments, crises, and presidential campaigns. The impact of the media on political behavior will also be discussed. Content analysis will be used by students to systematically analyze television network news. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor.	1130:MWF DENNY 304
Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
WGST 300-02	Franco-Maghrebi Imagination Instructor: Nancy Mellerski Course Description: Cross-listed with AFST 320-03, FLST 310-01, FREN 363-01 and MEST 200-08. We will study writers and filmmakers of two generations in France: those who immigrated to the Mtropole from North Africa during the postcolonial period, and those who were born in France of Maghrebi parents but still find themselves on the other side of the ethnic divide in a society that maintains an ambivalent relationship with its cultural minorities. Our approach will be an eclectic one, as we explore the history of Franco-Maghrebi relations during the colonial era, the socioeconomic experiences of the guest workers who toiled to rebuild France during the postwar period, the meaning of social and geographical marginalization in the banlieue, the particular situation of Muslim female authors, and, finally, the ways in which cultural hybridity is expressed in both prose and cinema.	1330:TF BOSLER 310