TIER I: CORE COURSES

Tier I classes are for cinema studies majors only and should be taken in sequence.

Introduction to Cinema Studies

H72.0010  Choi, Kahana. First semester of study. 4 points.

Designed to introduce the basic methods and concepts of cinema studies to new majors. The first goal is to help students develop a range of analytical skills in the study of film. By the end of the semester, they (1) are fluent in the basic vocabulary of film form; (2) understand the social questions raised by dominant modes of cinematic representation; and (3) grasp the mechanics of structuring a written argument about a film’s meaning. The second goal of the course is to familiarize students with some of the major critical approaches in the field (e.g., narrative theory, feminism, cultural studies, genre). To this end, readings and screenings also provide a brief introduction to some critical issues associated with particular modes of film production and criticism (documentary, narrative, the avant-garde, etc.).

Film History: Silent Cinema

H72.0015  Lant. Second semester of study. 4 points.

Examines the question of how the history of cinema has been studied and written by taking the period of silent film as its case study. Explores the historical and cultural contexts that governed the emergence of film as art and mass culture. Investigates the different approaches to narrative filmmaking that developed, internationally, in the silent period. Screenings include early cinema, works of Hollywood drama and comedy, Russian film and Soviet montage cinema, Weimar cinema, and silent black cinema.

Film Theory

H72.0016  Straayer. Third semester of study. 4 points.

Closely examines a variety of theoretical writings concerned with aesthetic, social, and psychological aspects of the medium. Students study the writing of both classical theorists such as Eisenstein, Bazin, and Cracauer and contemporary thinkers such asMetz, Mulvey, and Baudrillard. Questions addressed range from the nature of cinematic representation and its relationship to other forms of cultural expression to the way in which cinema shapes our conception of racial and gender identity.

Television: History and Culture

H72.0021  McCarthy, Choi. Fourth semester of study. 4 points.

Examines the background, context, and history of radio, television, video, and sound. Topics include politics and economics of media institutions, audiences and reception, cultural and broadcast policy, and aesthetic modes and movements.

Advanced Seminar

H72.0700  4 points.

This course involves in-depth study of a specific topic and encourages the student to produce original research.

TIER II

See the cinema studies department section of theTischSchool of the Arts Bulletin for the list and description of Tier II courses.

TIER III

See the cinema studies department section of theTischSchool of the Arts Bulletin for the list and description of Tier III courses.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

Independent Study

H72.0900 through H72.0905. Prerequisite: written permission of a faculty adviser. 1-4 points.

GRADUATE COURSES OPEN TO UNDERGRADUATES

Certain 1000-level graduate courses in cinema studies are open to qualified undergraduates with permission.