Courses

Examines color and cinema from historical, technological, aesthetic and theoretical perspectives. Students will be required to complete both creative and scholarly assignments.

Serious investigation of the horror film genre as well as its origins in, and relation to, works of romanticist literature (e.g., Poe, Shelley). Issues include: the relation of fantasy and reality; gender in horror film; psychological issues raised by the films; historical issues generatedby the genre. Prereq., FILM 1502. Recommended prereq., FILM 3051.

Prepares students for advanced Film Critical Studies work. Subject matter varies from semester to semester. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours, provided topics are different. Prereq., FILM 1502 or instructor consent. Restricted to FILM or FMST majors. Prerequisites: Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only.

Intensive introduction to film history from 1895 to 1935. Topics covered include the beginnings of motion picture photography, the growth of narrative complexity from Lumiere to Griffith, American silent comedy, Soviet theories of montage, German expressionist films, and the transition to sound. Prereq., FILM 1502.

Starts with the late 1930s and early 1940s films of Renoir and Welles and follows the historical growth and evolution of film aesthetics to the present. Studies Italian neorealist, French new wave, and recent experimental films, as well as the films of major auteur figures such as Bergman, Kurosawa, Fellini, Hitchcock, Bunuel, Antonioni, and Coppola. Prereqs., FILM 1502 and 3051, or instructor consent.

Examines the relationship between American films of the 1980s and '90s and their cultural and historical context. Includes films by Lynch, Stone, Solondz, Scott, Scorsese, Lee, Duyne, Lemmons, Tarantino, Altman. Controlled enrollment. Prereqs., FILM 1502, 3051, 3061, or instructor consent.

Surveys the range and function of film criticism, introduces major positions and concepts of film theory, and focuses on students' abilities to write about film. Prereq., FILM 1502. Restricted to FILM, FMST, and HUMN majors. Same as HUMN 3104.

Surveys Russian cinema in historical and cultural context from early 20th century to the present. Prereq., FILM 1502 or RUSS 2221. Same as RUSS 3211. Approved for arts and sciences CORE curriculum: literature and the arts.

Examines the relationship between politics, economics, aesthetics, and the way moral and social issues are treated in noteworthy Russian films from the last 20 years. Same as RUSS 3301.

Exploration of creative cinema production through short production and post-production projects. A short final project will be required. Focuses on the tactics and strategies of independent cinema production, examining a variety of approaches to genre. Explores a range of film and digital technologies. Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only. Prereqs., FILM 1502, 2000 or 2300, and 2500. Coreqs., FILM 3515 and 3525. Prerequisites: Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only.

Studies the relationships between European film, art, and culture. Offered each summer in a different European city (viz, Rome, Paris, London, Athens, Barcelona). There will be regular in-class lectures, film screenings, field trips, and on-site teaching. May be repeated up to 12 total credit hours. Recommended prereq., introductory film and art history courses. Approved for arts and sciences CORE curriculum: literature and the arts.

Second only to jazz, some critics regard the Hollywood musical as the greatest American popular art form of the 20th century. This course proposes a historical, formal, and theoretical approach to the musical through its several iterations, from the classical, to the revisionist, to the unusual, placing the changes in the genre's form, structure, and ideology in the context of America's changing social, political, and religious values. Prereq., FILM 1502. Recommended prereq., FILM 3051.

History and theory of Weimar and Nazi film with sociocultural emphasis. Taught in English. Same as GRMN 3503.

Analyzes key issues in German culture as they are represented in film and other media, e.g., technology, architecture, women, and the Holocaust. Taught in English. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours provided the topics are different. Same as GRMN 3504.

Introduces issues in German society through film during the Cold War. Focus on East and West Germany, though some other German language films may be included. Emphasis is on reading films in their social, historical, and political contexts. Taught in English. Same as GRMN 3513.

Introduces post-1989 German culture through film. The course emphasizes films in their socio-historical contexts and explores developments in German culture during and after the unification. Taught in English. Same as GRMN 3514.

Focuses on the development of independent cinema production and post-production skills. The instructor must certify students in order to continue with their BFA studies. Prereqs., FILM 1502, 2000 or 2300, and 2500. Coreq., FILM 3400. Restricted to BFA film studies majors. Prerequisites: Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only.

Focuses on the development of independent cinema post-production skills. The instructor must certify students in order to continue with their BFA studies. Prereqs., FILM 1502, 2000 or 2300, and 2500. Coreq., FILM 3400. Restricted to BFA film studies majors. Prerequisites: Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only.

Focuses on the production process of movie making from idea through distribution, analyzing each of the five phases involved, including the major players, function and problems inherent in each. Emphasizes the critical role the script plays in this process. Designed to give students a "map of the minefield" before venturing out on their own. Offered through Continuing Education.

Through projects, discussions, and screenings, this class explores the practices and aesthetics of computer-based moving-image art editing. Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only. Prerequisites: Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only.

Historical and aesthetic overview of sound in relation to film, ranging from Hitchcock's Blackmail to Mailick's The Thin Red Line. Pursues issues in sound design, mixing film scores, voiceovers, and film/sound theory in narrative, experimental, and documentary films. Among the filmmakers to be studied are Vertov, Welles, Altman, Brakhage, Lipsett, Eisenstein, Coppola, Scorcese, Stone, Leone, Godard, Nelson. Also explores a limited practicum using Pro Tools for sound design. Prereq., FILM 1502. Recommended prereq., FILM 3051.

Instructs students in the making of digital animation. Covers the use of the exposure sheet, frame series manipulation, digital motion techniques, and an analysis of pertinent films. Emphasis is on digital tools to create individual, personal, or experimental animated works. Includes experimental techniques of transfer between digital media and film. Prereq., FILM 2610. Recommended prereqs., FILM 3030 and FILM 3400 or 3600.

Analyzes the cultural and critical practices as well as the thought that defines the postmodern period at the end of twentieth century. Prereq., HUMN 2000 or junior/senior standing. HUMN 3660 and FILM 3660 are the same course. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior).

Studies and applies Pro Tools as a post-production audio toolbox. Applied techniques include sound recording, sound editing, field recording, foley, vocal recording and editing, plug-in generated sound creation, MIDI, basic scoring principles, audio sweetening, and audio mixing. Students will be required to complete regular editing assignments in addition to a final soundscape project. Prereq., FILM 2000 or 2300, 2500, and 3400 or 3600. Restricted to BFA majors. Prerequisites: Restricted to Film (FILM or FMST) majors only.

May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.