Cinema & Media Studies
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COM CI 562: French Cinema and Literature
Analysis of classic French films by Vigo, Renoir, Carne, Malle, Bresson, Godard, and Truffaut as well as later twentieth and early twenty-first century works. Weekly screenings, reading of literary models and film theory. Also offered as CAS LF 556. -
COM CI 565: International Masterworks
An eclectic survey of a small number of the supreme masterworks of past and present European and Asian cinema. Also offered as COM FT 458 and COM FT 721. -
COM CI 579: The Profane
Explores a wide variety of topics concerning censorship, feminist theory, feminism, psychoanalytical theories, pornography, voyeurism, repression, homosexuality, rape, body image, and national identities as exemplified through a large selection of films considered "Profane"/scandalous/ "X-rated", touching upon uncanny regions in which one is "never at home". Further discussion will include an examination of the cultural and historical factors that serve as background for the themes explored and presented in the selected films. -
COM CI 581: Uncensored TV
The lack of government regulation of cable TV and streaming content has led to scripted series that push boundaries long held in place by broadcast networks. Examines history and current state of non-broadcast series via industry, genres, auteurs, and more. Also offered as COM FT 570. -
COM CI 583: TV Theory and Criticism
This course sets aside evaluative considerations of TV in favor of theoretical and critical approaches that challenge widespread assumptions about the medium and expand our understanding of its role in our lives. Also offered as COM FT 520. -
COM CI 585: American Film of the 1970s
The 1970s have been called the new blockbusters, cult curiosities and obscurities. The 1970s have been called the new (and last) golden age of American film. We'll explore critically what constitutes and underpins that notion as many of the disruptive and innovative ideas of cinema and culture of the 1960s gained wider acceptance in the new decade and were mainstreamed -- as were its once radical filmmakers -- into American life and culture. -
COM CI 590: Special Topics in Cinema and Media Studies
Six topics are offered for Fall 2017. Make be repeated for credit if section topic is different. Section A1: NBC: Anatomy of a Network. Explores the different stages of TV's development by using NBC as a case study. Examines the ways "America's network" has navigated the transition from radio to TV, monopolistic trends, inter-network competition, programming decisions, conglomeration, threats from cable and the Internet. Also offered as COM FT 532. Pre-req: CAS CI 303 or COM FT 303. Section B1: Cordless TV. Focuses on differing ways of watching television beyond the television set. Explores ideas of on-demand television and its effects on how television is made and marketed, what audiences are targeted, and how outlets like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon are changing the television industry. Also offered as COM FT 554 A1. Pre-req: CAS CI 303 or COM FT 303. Section C1: Writing Film & TV Criticism. Examines both the history of film and television criticism and current practices in a variety of mass media. Students write reviews and thinkpieces that blend insightful analysis with an engaging voice. Also offered as COM FT 500. Pre-req: COM FT 250 or either CAS CI 303 or COM FT 303. Section D1: American Masterworks. A survey of American cinema from the silent era up to recent times, including films directed by such figures as Griffith, Chaplin, Keaton, Ford, Hawks, Capra, Welles, Hitchcock, Ray, Cassavetes, Altman, and Malick. Considers production history and cultural context. Also offered as COM FT 722 and COM FT 457. Section E1: Foundational Masterworks of American Independent Film. The foundational masterworks of American independent film. The course will focus on the masterworks created by the first generation of American independent filmmakers--works that changed American film history and continue to inspire generations of independent filmmakers with their example. Also offered as COM FT 554 C1. Section F1: Race, Gender, and Sci-Fi. Explores race, gender, and sexuality as central to science fiction on film and television via Alien, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, among other works, to gauge how sci-fi has been used to fantasize radical elsewheres, engage Otherness, and confront issues from enslavement to artificial intelligence. Also offered as COM FT 554 B1.
