General Catalog 2007-2009

Film

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FLM216  Introduction to Film

This course is an introduction to film as a communicative and artistic medium, with attention to its technological, industrial, social, and aesthetic dimensions.  Students will view a wide range of films, including early as well as recent American and foreign films, and learn about the various techniques used to express meaning in cinema, as well as the major critical approaches that can be used to make sense of films.

3 credit hours. Satisfies ADR I.

FLM220  Film History

Spring Semester

This course introduces students to the history of film as a medium from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century to the present day and explores the complex relationship between film and history, with attention to the ways in which history has shaped film and film has shaped history.

3 credit hours. Satisfies ADR I.

FLM260-69  Special Topics in Film Genre

This course examines the way in which films are routinely produced, marketed, consumed, and classified according to genre—to established categories of cinema delineated by certain general patterns of form and content, such as the Western, the horror film, the musical, and so on. It may be organized as a broad survey of different film genres or as a more focused and in-depth exploration of a single film genre. This course may be repeated for different topics.  

3 credit hours.

FLM280-89  Special Topics in Film Directors

This course explores the theory that film directors, by virtue of the central role they play in guiding the collaborative project of filmmaking, can be considered the authors of films. It may be organized as a focused and in-depth examination of a single director who exhibits a distinctive style and coherent thematic vision in his or her films, or as a broad survey of a group of directors who share the same stylistic or thematic concerns and/or the same gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. This course may be repeated for different topics.  

3 credit hours.

FLM320-29  Special Topics in Film Period

This course undertakes an extended and in-depth examination of a specific period in film history, with attention to its unique technological, industrial, social, and aesthetic dimensions. It may be organized around the exploration of a particular decade (e.g., the 1960s), movement (e.g., postwar Italian Neorealism), or era (e.g., the silent era) important to the history of cinema. This course may be repeated for different topics. Prerequisite: WRT102.

3 credit hours.

FLM340-49  Special Topics in National Cinemas

This course involves an extended and in-depth examination of how the films made in a particular country or region outside the United States are shaped by nationally prevailing socio-political and economic conditions, and express or articulate a sense of national identity. It may be organized around the exploration of a specific national cinema—such as French cinema, Italian cinema, or Japanese cinema—or a constellation of related national cinemas: for example, European cinemas, Latin American cinemas, or African cinemas. This course may be repeated for different topics. Prerequisite: WRT102.

3 credit hours.

FLM360-69  Special Topics in Film History and Analysis

This course involves the comprehensive study of a selected topic in the history, theory, and critical analysis of film. The specific topic may be suggested by either faculty or student interest. This course may be repeated for different topics. Prerequisite: WRT102.

3 credit hours.

FLM380  Film Theory and Criticism

This course entails the advanced examination of cinema from the perspective of film criticism and theory: writing about cinema that attempts to define the nature of film and its effects. Students will view and analyze a wide range of films, including early as well as recent American and foreign films, with reference to key texts of film theory and criticism. Prerequisites: WRT102 and FLM216.

3 credit hours.

FLM498/499  Independent Study

This course represents an opportunity for the student who wishes to undertake a well-defined research project in an area of film studies.  While the student conducts work under the guidance of a faculty member of his or her choosing, the project is carried out in an independent manner without regular class meetings.  Effective independent study is characterized by a reduction in formal instruction and an increase in the individual student’s responsibility and initiative in the learning process. Prerequisite: WRT102.

1-3 credit hours.

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