Time Schedule:
Jennifer M. Bean
C LIT 520
Seattle Campus
Provides a basic grounding in the theory, history, and criticism of film and media studies, and introduces central debates, topics, and methods in the field.
Class description
This course is designed to give graduate students a basic grounding in the theory, history and criticism of cinema and media studies, and introduce them to central debates, topics, and methods in the field. The central objectives of the course include familiarizing class participants with the: *theories most germane to film and media critics since the early 20th century *methods and problems of textual analysis and interpretation of films *representative cannon of films and related media texts from an array of national industries, avant-garde movements, and historical periods *historical and cultural paradigms as they relate to film and media studies (mass culture/modernity/postmodernity/postcoloniality, etc.)
In order to achieve these goals, this seminar meets twice a week. Monday sessions will be devoted primarily to discussion of theoretical, methodological and historical readings. The Wednesday sessions will be devoted primarily to screening the “feature” film(s) of the week, although the screening session will often begin with micro-pedagogical sessions designed to foster techniques for assessing and teaching film’s many formal and stylistic registers: editing, cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene, etc.
Since another of our overarching goals is to encourage a professional relationship to the field of cinema and media studies, the quarter will end (week 10) with a "course conference" in which each member will present a 20 minute presentation of their research to that point. Presentations will be organized into respective panels, and q&a will follow each respective panel. Participants will then revise and slightly expand their conference paper for the final seminar paper, due at the end of finals week.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
No prerequisites required.
Class assignments and grading
