An intensive exploration of a particular cinematic genre or movement, paying special attention to how individual films respond to an existing traditions and to the historical and cultural contexts underpinning artistic change. How do genres grow and evolve across historical, cultural and institutional settings? How do particular cinematic movements respond to particular cultural challenges? Course content varies by semester. Topic for Fall 2025: Film Noir. A broad survey of one of the most stylish and influential genres. We watch important early examples of the genre before charting its baroque evolution into the late '40s and '50s and beyond, finally investigating the rise of international and contemporary neo-noir cinemas. Films by John Huston, Ida Lupino, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, Jacques Tourneur, Carl Franklin, Howard Hawks, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Akira Kurosawa, among others. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.

Note that this information may change at any time. Please visit the MyBU Student Portal for the most up-to-date course information.