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Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

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  • CAS CI 381: Modern India through Bollywood
    Explores the social history and culture of modern India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema, commonly called Bollywood. We analyze Bollywood films both as forms of art and as cultural texts, and examine how they reflect and interpret modern Indian society. Course readings focus on theoretical approaches to Hindi cinema, and also shed light on the larger historical and social context that surrounds it. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS CI 383: Auteur Studies: Japan
    Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Topic for Spring 2023: Kurosawa Akira. Attention to Kurosawa's film style, global reception, and his complex reflections on Japanese history and the nature of cinema and art. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS CI 386: Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
    The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS CI 387: The Holocaust Through Film
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS CI 389: World Cities: Istanbul
    An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS CI 390: Special Topics in Cinema and Media Studies
    Explores Topics in Cinema & Media Studies - May be repeated for credit as topics change. Two topics are offered Spring 2025. Section A1: Russian and East European Film. Examination of a series of masterpieces by filmmakers from 'the other Europe.' Explores both the stylistic aspects and the role of film as a social and political commentary in socialist and post-socialist periods. No prerequisites. In English. Section B1: Critical Theory and the Politics of Cinema. An exploration of cinema's relationship to power and ideology through key texts in the critical theory tradition, from Marx and Engels to the Frankfurt School, Black British cultural studies, and feminist film theory.
  • CAS CI 395: Inhuman Films: Genders, Animals, Machines
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or 120). - This course explores what happens to the "human" at the intersection of feminist theory and cinematic representation. How and why do films assign humanity to some figures and withhold it from others on the basis of race, gender, "ability," etc.' Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS CI 430: Black American Cinema
    A survey of important genres and movements in the history of Black American cinema, with possible focus on race films, civil rights dramas, horror and Blaxploitation films, postcolonial cinema, the LA Rebellion school, Black independent film, afrofuturism, and/or more. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS CI 445: On Screen: Italians in America
    Italian Americans have long been represented in American film and television. What are these representations and how have they been received? How is Italian American identity constructed through these media? Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS CI 480: Modern Chinese Literature & Film
    A seminar on the major works of modern Chinese literature and cinema from the May Fourth period to the present, with a focus on close reading and visual analysis. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS CI 482: Cinema-Monde: Mapping French Film
    Spanning from the silent era to the present-day, this course reframes the key movements of French cinema through the lens of the global. Directors include Georges Melies, Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Chantal Ackerman, Agnes Varda, and the Dardenne brothers. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS CI 490: Special Topics in Cinema and Media Studies
    May be repeated for credit as topics change. Topic for Spring 2025, Section A1: Modes of Independent Filmmaking. Students learn the ways in which independent cinema functions as a viable alternative to mainstream filmmaking by studying works from movements such as the American avant-garde, Third Cinema, and the recent resurgence of no-budget film production in the digital age. Additionally, students gain experience in collaborative video production through topics such as cinematography, editing, and sound recording.
  • CAS CI 491: Directed Study in Cinema & Media Studies
    Directed study of a topic in cinema and media studies.
  • CAS CI 492: Directed Study in Cinema & Media Studies
    Directed study of a topic in cinema and media studies.
  • CAS CI 495: Modes of Independent Filmmaking
    Prerequisite: CASCI 200. - Study canonical examples of cinema outside mainstream production and exhibition avenues, while learning the basics of video production through practical experience. Students complete several short collaborative video projects focusing on different aspects of sound and image creation.
  • CAS CI 512: Film and Media Theory
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-year writing seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or 120) and CASCI 101, CASCI 102, CASCI 200, or COMFT 250. - Introduction to film and media theory as a mode of inquiry. What happens when we render the world as an image? How do cinematic images differ from other forms of image-making? What does it mean to be a spectator? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS CI 551: Studies in Auteur Filmmaking
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) - Intensive study of a single filmmaker or group of filmmakers, paying special attention to theoretical problems of authorship and artistic control. How do filmmakers respond to studio pressure, historical events or government censorship? How do personal styles develop and transform in a collaborative medium? What does it mean to think of the director or writer or producer of a film as its author? Topic for Spring 2025, Section A1: Roberto Rossellini & Pier Paolo Pasolini. Survey of Italian filmmakers Roberto Rossellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini, from their similar roots in the (neo)realist tradition to their diverging paths, one would explore the pedagogical power of television while the other moved to literary adaptations and radical cinema. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS CL 101: The World of Greece
    The literature, philosophy, art, and culture of ancient Greece and their impact on later cultures. Topics covered include the emergence of epic poetry; art and lyric in the Archaic Age; drama, architecture, philosophy, and political developments of classical Athens and Greece. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • CAS CL 102: The World of Rome
    An introduction to the world of the ancient Romans, as viewed in their literature, culture, and art. Discusses their origins, army, family life, religion, and education, and their legacy in our own time. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS CL 108: Scientific Terminology from Greek and Latin Roots
    Introduction to Greek and Latin roots of English word elements and word origins with focused etymological and linguistic analysis of scientific terminology and systems, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, chemistry, geology, and medicine. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Historical Consciousness

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