Course Catalog

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THE AESTHETICS OF CRIME FICTION (FM3069)

Traumatic reaction in the aftermath of WWI, the rapid evolution of cinema and photography, emerging trends of psychoanalytic thought, all contributed to a disturbing, often volatile, re-examination of the aesthetics of literature in the wake of a culture of ruin characterizing early 20th century Europe. Trends in mass consumption, such as the popularity of crime fiction and its existential outgrowth film noir, are largely rooted in this struggle to come to terms with cultural transitions taking place between the two wars. This course will examine the origins and aesthetics of crime fiction and film, notably, the evolution of film noir and the série noire, and other developments in Europe and America just before and after WWII. Students will analyze some of the canonical writers whose works influenced a second generation of crime fiction writers as well as the works of film directors who presided over these crucial moments of transition.

JAPANESE NEW WAVE CINEMA (FM3071)

This course explores Japanese New Wave Cinema by placing the films within the wider discourses of historical, political, social and cultural contexts. We will investigate the ways in which Japanese filmmakers of the period used cinema as a political tool and a weapon in a cultural struggle, while working in a rigid system of commercial film production.

GERMAN CINEMA (FM3072)

Focuses on two major periods of production: Weimar and the New German Cinema. Features the work of Lang, Murnau, Wiene, Pabst, and Lubitsch, and studies their important contribution to film form. Attention given to 'emigre' directors in Hollywood, and then moves onto works by Fassbinder, Kluge, Wenders, Schloendorff, Herzog, Margarethe von Trotta, and Doris Dorrie.

ASIAN CINEMA (FM3073)

Studies post-1945 Japanese cinema, including the Kurosawa epics (Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran, Dream). Other masters include Ozu, Mizoguchi and Oshima. Examines Indian cinema and Satyajit Ray, and his masterful Apu trilogy. Concentrates on new Asian film, with works by Chinese (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) directors such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Wong Kar-Wai, Tsai Ming Liang, and Ang Lee.

ITALIAN CINEMA (FM3074)

Focuses on periods when Italian cinema was at the cutting edge of World Cinema. Begins with films such as Fellini's autobiographical Amarcord. Studies silent-era spectacles (Quo Vadis, Cabiria), and Italian film under fascism and its renaissance with Rossellini and De Sica. Examines leading filmmakers including Fellini, Pasolini, Visconti, and Antonioni. Explores Italian comedy, and the links between cinema and society.

ARAB AND AFRICAN CINEMA (FM3076)

How does cinema in the Arab world and Africa raise important questions about culture, politics and meaning? In this course, we'll explore major developments in the art and industry of cinema in the Arab World and Africa, ranging from the earliest cinema to the most recent contemporary films. We will explore emerging national cinemas and the interactions of Arab and African filmmakers with cinematic movements arising around the world. In exploring the work of a range of important filmmakers, we will think critically about ways in which filmic narratives and forms contribute to the understanding of the cultures and history and advance the art form.

IBERIAN & LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA (FM3078)

Offers an overview of the 'Iberian and Latin American New Wave': a group of national cinemas exploring contemporary societies of Latin America and the Iberian peninsula. Assesses how films problematize political and cultural issues such as dictatorial pasts, post-modern capitalist democracy, negotiating gender, sexual and racial identities in phallocentric post-colonial societies. The course is structured around screenings and class lectures/seminars.

BRECHT & FILM (FM3080)

We examine Brecht's application of his theories and plays to his work in German and Hollywood cinema. We consider his collaborations with Fritz Lang, Charles Laughton, G.W. Pabst, Lotte Eisner and others. We also analyze his influence on later filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard, Hans Jurgen Syberberg and R.W. Fassbinder and his contributions to film theory.

PROVOCATIVE WITNESS: CINEMA & GENOCIDE (FM3085)

This class explores what it means to be a witness or a spectator to unimaginable crimes, using fiction films, documentaries and witness testimonies to explore the Shoah and the Armenian, Cambodian and Rwandan genocides. We ask: what does film make visible, and how does it transform the spectator’s relationship to the events and to the taking action?
Place in the Film major: To be included as an option in the film major within both the Genres and Topics category as well as the International Cinema Category

FRENCH CINEMA: LA NOUVELLE VAGUE (FM3086)

Shows the evolution of modern French culture in its relationship to cinema. Examines the early influence of literature and theater on cinema and its subsequent detachment, to be recognized as an art in itself with its own particular form. Emphasizes the viewing and discussing of one film each week: two class meetings plus one film per week. One or two off campus visits organized per semester.Taught in French.