Spring 2009

FRESHMAN SEMINAR: RACE
& ETHNICITY IN
AMERICAN CINEMA 112
From the early documentary roots of cinema through the Civil Rights movement and to the recent democratization of the means of media production, questions of race and ethnicity have proved crucial both to the content of American films and also to the perspective from which they are made. This class will look at the representation of historical moments from the Civil War to Hurricane Katrina, the production of cinematic stereotypes as well as their appropriation for subversive purposes, and the gradual evolution of multi-culturalism as a central factor in the stories told and the telling of stories on the American screen. Students will use film texts to develop a critical understanding of one of the most important issues in American history. REQUIRED SCREENING TIME: Mondays at 4:00 pm. Credit 3 units. 3 units. Same as L98 AMCS 112.
AS:> TH
FA:> Lit, SSP
01 MW 8:30a-10:00a XXXI Vaughan

SPECIAL PROJECTS 200
This course is intended for freshman and sophomores who wish to register for internships. Students must receive Program approval and file the Learning Agreement with the Career Center BEFORE the internship begins. Please consult the Program guidelines governing internships. NOTE: Internships may only be taken Pass/Fail. Credit variable, max 3 units.
01 TBA XXX [TBA]
03 TBA XXX Marton
04 TBA XXX Chapman
05 TBA XXXII Sewell

MOVING IMAGES AND SOUND 230
SPECIAL NOTE: Admission by Wait-list only. Preference will be given to Film and Media Studies majors and minors. This introductory video production course explores how images and sounds function as cinematic building blocks and purveyors of content. Through creative assignments involving at times personal inquiry, at other times the understanding of elementary semiotics, the components of film and video are examined. Students learn the basics of key sound and editing software to produce, outside of class time, a short video piece. This course is a prerequisite for all other Film and Media Studies production courses. Prereq: Film Studies 220 or consent of instructor. 3 units.
AS:> LA
01 W 4:00p-7:00p XV Marton

VIDEO PRODUCTION 311
Film 310. Video Production An advanced course exploring the creative and technical aspects of video production. Students sharpen their knowledge of cameras, directing, lighting, sound recording, non-linear systems, and narrative structures. In addition to acquiring a theoretical understanding of the production process, students will gain practical experience by producing, outside of class time, a short project reflecting their visual and conceptual maturity. Prerequisite: L53 Film 230 (Moving Images and Sound) or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
AS:> LA Marton

HISTORY OF
AMERICAN CINEMA 330
This course traces the history of the American cinema from the earliest screenings in vaudeville theaters through the birth of the feature film to movies in the age of video. The course will examine both the contributions of individual filmmakers as well as he determining contexts of modes of production, distribution, and exhibition. The course aims to provide an understanding of the continuing evolution of the American cinema, in its internal development, in its incorporation of new technologies, and in its responses to other national cinemas. REQUIRED SCREENING TIME: Monday at 7:00 p.m. 3 units. Same as L98 AMCS 3301.
AS:> TH
SB:> HUM
FA:> AH
01 MW 2:00p-3:00p XV Vaughan
Subsections:
A M 3:00p-4:00p XXX Vaughan
B M 3:00p-4:00p XXX [TBA]

HISTORY OF
ELECTRONIC MEDIA 350
This course traces the history of electronic media as they have become the dominant source for entertainment and information in contemporary culture, starting with over-the-air broadcasting of radio and television through to cable and the “narrowcasting” achieved by digital technologies. While some attention will be paid to other national industries, the chief focus of the course will be on electronic media in the United States to determine, in part, the transformative role they have played in the cultural life of the nation. The course will explore the relationship of the electronic media industries to the American film industry, determining how their interactions with the film industry helped mutually shape the productions of both film and electronic media. REQUIRED SCREENING TIME: Tuesays at 7 p.m. 3 units. Same as L98 AMCS 351.
AS:> TH
SB:> HUM
FA:> AH
01 MW 12:00p-1:00p XXII Sewell
Subsections:
A W 3:00p-4:00p XXXII Sewell
B W 4:00p-5:00p XXXII [TBA]

INTRO TO SCREENWRITING 352
SPECIAL NOTE: Admission by Wait-list only. Preference will be given to Film & Media Studies AND English majors/minors. Writers will explore the various elements, structure and styles used in crafting a motion picture screenplay. They will experience this process as they conceive, develop and execute the first act of a feature-length script. Writers will create a screenplay story, present an outline for class discussion and analysis, then craft Act One. Writers will be encouraged to consult with the instructor at various stages: concept, outline, character and scene development, and dialogue execution. While the students fashion their screenwriting independently, the class will also explore the general elements of THEME, GENRE, and VOICE. A more specific examination of mechanics, the nuts and bolts of story construction. plotting. pacing, etc. will follow to support the ongoing writing process. In-class exercises will aid the writer in sharpening skills and discovering new approaches to form and content. Writers’ work will be shared and discussed regularly in class. Screening of film scenes and sequences will provide students with concrete examples of how dramatic screenwriting evolves once it leaves the writer’s hands. 3 units. Same as L13 E Comp 352.
AS:> LA
SB:> HUM
01 TuTh 10:00a-11:30a XXXI Chapman

TELEVISION CULTURE AND
CULT TV: CRITICAL
APPROACHES TO FANDOM 356
Why do television series inspire passionate involvement on the part of some viewers? What are the differences among being a viewer, an audience member, and a fan? How can we make scholarly sense of cultural practices such as learning to speak Klingon or building a repli-car of the General Lee? Studies of fandom have attempted to answer such questions and continue to explore issues that are crucial to understanding contemporary television culture. The phenomenon of “Cult TV” offers fertile ground for examining the complex dynamics at play among fans, popular culture, the institutions of American media, and individual programs. In its exploration of cult television and fans, this course will engage with key issues in contemporary media such as the proliferation of new media technologies and the repurposing of existing media forms, the permeable boundaries between high and low or mass and oppositional culture, and the fragmentation and concentration of media markets. The class will combine close textual analysis with studies of fan practices to examine a variety of television programs, from canonical cult texts such as Star Trek and Doctor Who to “quality” fan favorites such as Designing Women and Cagney & Lacey to contemporary cult/quality hybrids such as Lost and Heroes. In mapping out this cultural territory, we will develop a set of critical perspectives on audience identities and activities and examine the continuing and conflicted imagination of fans by media producers, distributors, regulators, and critics. REQUIRED SCREENING TIME: Tuesdays at 4 p.m. 3 units. Same as L98 AMCS 3563.
AS:> TH
SB:> BA
FA:> SSP
01 TuTh 11:30a-1:00p XIII Sewell

THE HISTORY OF
THE FILM SCORE 360
Moving pictures have always needed sound, and long before film actors could talk, the emotions on their faces were (literally) underscored with music. This course considers the breadth of film history, from the silent era to the present, by way of music and how it has been deployed for artistic effects and commercial purposes. Topics include: live accompaniment practices in silent film, thematically-integrated, original “classical” scores; pastiche scores; popular music scores; how music defines and supports various film genres; technical and creative practices behind the making of film scores; Hollywood film music versus selected world cinemas; the highly personal uses of music by important writer-directors; the power of music to generate nostalgic feelings (often for a quite recent past); the relationship between classical and popular music as vehicles of emotional expression within film narratives; and the shifting commercial connections between the music and film industries. Structured around 14 screenings, the course surveys the uses of music in narrative feature-length films, with particular emphasis on films that bring music-making as a creative human activity directly into plot or overall theme. The films range from THE JAZZ SINGER (1927) to THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999). REQUIRED SCREENING TIME: Wednesdays at 4 p.m. 3 units. Same as L98 AMCS 360, L27 Music 328.
AS:> TH
SB:> HUM
FA:> AH
01 MWF 1:00p-2:00p XXIII Decker

WOMEN AND FILM 366
An examination of films made by, for, and about women. The class will include analysis of many commercial feature films as well as experimental ones from the beginning years of film, through the heyday of the studio system, and into the development of alternative, specifically feminist film forms. Films will be analyzed in historical perspective to reveal how societal norms and film language construct the representation of women and how women have used film for self-representation. Attention will be paid to mainstream cinema’s preoccupation with female sexuality as well as to its representation of differences among women, especially differences of race, ethnicity, class, and age. Feminist perspectives on these issues will be emphasized, as will the critical and theoretical debates that have emerged around the cinema as a “male gaze,” the pleasures and ideological dangers of female viewing, and the possibilities of “against the grain” and queer readings. Films to be screened likely will include a number of the following: A Fool There Was, Daddy Long Legs, Too Wise Wives, Salome (1922), Queen Christina, Craig’s Wife, The Great Lie, Imitation of Life, The Women, Riddles of the Sphinx, Notorious, Orlando, The Vagabond, Daughters of the Dust, Nine to Five, The Piano, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. REQUIRED SCREENING TIME: Mondays at 4:00 pm. 3 units. Same as L98 AMCS 3660, L77 WGSS 3666.
AS:> SD, TH
SB:> HUM
FA:> AH
01 MW 2:30p-4:00p XII Studlar, Gaylyn

FILM THEORY 420
This course is an introduction to both classical and contemporary film theory. It starts by examining the earliest attempts to understand the nature of cinema as a new art form, and then reviews the ways in which, through successive decades, a variety of theorists have formulated, and applied, their definitions of the essential nature of the medium. The course then examines more recent developments within film theory, notably its attempt to incorporate the insights of other critical and analytical paradigms, such as semiotics, structuralism, psychoanalysis, feminism, and postmodernism. REQUIRED SCREENING TIME: Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. 3 units.
AS:> TH, WI
01 TuTh 2:30p-4:00p XXIV Vaughan

ADVANCED SCREENWRITING 452
SPECIAL NOTE: Admission by Wait-list only. Preference will be given to Film & Media Studies AND English majors/minors. This course is intended for students who have already taken Film Studies 352, “Intro to Screenwriting.” Building on past writing experiences, students will explore the demands of writing feature-length screenplays, adaptations, and experimental forms. Particular attention will be paid to the task of rewriting. 3 units. Same as L13 E Comp 4521.
AS:> LA
FA:> Lit
01 TuTh 1:00p-2:30p XXXI Chapman

SPECIAL PROJECTS 495
This course is intended for juniors and seniors who wish to register for internships. Students must receive Program approval and file the Learning Agreement with the Career Center BEFORE the internship begins. Please consult the Program guidelines governing internships. NOTE: Internships may only be taken Pass/Fail. Credit variable, max 3 units.
01 TBA XXX [TBA]
02 TBA XXX Sewell
03 TBA XXX Marton
04 TBA XXX Chapman

STUDY FOR HONORS 499
This course is intended for majors pursuing honors in Film and Media Studies. In order to enroll for this course, students must apply in advance for honors and be approved by a faculty committee. Please consult with the Program for application deadlines and other requirements. 3 units.
01 TBA XXX [TBA]
02 TBA XXX Sewell
03 TBA XXX Marton
04 TBA XXX Chapman

INDEPENDENT STUDY 500
This course is intended for students who wish to pursue areas of study not available within the standard curriculum. In order to enroll for this course, students must have a faculty adviser and submit a contract outlining the work for the course to the Film and Media Studies office. Please consult the Program guidelines governing independent study work. Credit variable, max 3 units.
01 TBA XXX [TBA]
02 TBA XXX Sewell
03 TBA XXX Marton
04 TBA XXX Chapman