E-mail: fsoadmin@filmstudies.ucsb.edu
Website: www.filmstudies.ucsb.edu/
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Department Chair: Janet Walker
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Index: |
Edward Branigan, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Professor (film theory, aesthetics, narrative, point-of-view, Japanese cinema)
Nathan Kwame Braun, M.F.A., New York University, Lecturer (digital production)
Anna Brusutti, Laurea, University of Padua, Italy, Lecturer (Italian cinema)
Dana Driskel, M.F.A., University of Southern California, Lecturer (film production, animation)
Anna Everett, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Associate Professor (film and television history and theory, black film, digital media technologies)
Lisa Parks, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Associate Professor (global media and broadcast history, cultural studies)
Constance Penley, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor (film history and theory, media studies, literary and rhetorical studies, cultural studies, feminist theory, science and technology studies, contemporary art)
Paul Portuges, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Lecturer (screenwriting)
Bhaskar Sarkar, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Assistant Professor (international cinema)
Janet Walker, Ph.D., UC Los Angeles, Professor (documentary, historiography, women and film)
Charles Wolfe, Ph.D., Columbia University, Professor (international film history, American film and cultural history, documentary film, photography, new media, comedy)
Naomi Greene, Ph.D., New York University, Professor Emerita (French and Italian film)
Alexander Sesonske, Ph.D., UC Los Angeles, Professor Emeritus (silent comedy, Russian cinema, Jean Renoir)
Jacqueline Bobo, Ph.D. (Women's Studies)
Victor F. Fuentes, Ph.D. (Spanish and Portuguese)
Harry Lawton, Ph.D. (French and Italian)
Suzanne Jill Levine, Ph.D. (Spanish and Portuguese)
Laurence A. Rickels, Ph.D. (Germanic, Slavic, and Semitic Studies)
Colin Gardner, Ph.D. (Art Studio)
Beyond the core requirements of the film studies major, the student may develop an individual program centered around special interests and goals. Students who wish to know more about the film studies major are invited to talk with an advisor in the film studies office.
The film studies major is designed to prepare students for careers in the film industry and film education, as well as library science, entertainment law, publishing, journalism, and new media.
Additional French language courses are recommended for students interested in spending their junior or senior year with Education Abroad's Paris Film Program.
Students with a bachelor's degree in film studies who are interested in pursuing a California Teaching Credential should contact the credential advisor in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education as soon as possible.
Several fellowships, awards, and prizes are available to the undergraduate film major: the President's Undergraduate Fellowship, the May Company Fellowship, UCSB Foundation Honors Awards, and Genesis Research Awards provide grants for students working on projects with anticipated expenses in excess of $300. The Paul N. and Elinor T. Lazarus Endowed Scholarship in Film Studies is awarded annually to a film studies major of exceptional enthusiasm, dedication and accomplishment, and demonstrated talent and promise in film or television writing covering one year's registration fees. The Alexander Sesonke Prize is given annually for best scholarly essay on film history, criticism or theory with prizes up to $1,000. The Sherrill C. Corwin Awards are given annually for best screenplay short film in awards up to $750. The David F. Siegel Award is made annually to a film studies major who has demonstrated drive, tenacity, and courage in the face of adversity in the amount of $1000. The Paul Lazarus Screenwriting Award for Best Short Screenplay is given annually with prizes up to $250.
Graduation with Distinction in Film Studies (The Senior Honors Program)
The honors program in film studies provides the opportunity for qualified majors to undertake advanced film research or creative written work. Through successful performance in the honors program a student may achieve the degree award of Distinction in the Major.
Majors who have completed two quarters of the junior year with a minimum grade-point average of 3.30 will be invited by the Department of Film Studies to apply for admission to the honors program. The application includes: (1) a 500-word prospectus, outlining the nature and scope of the project and the plan for carrying it out; (2) a statement of sponsorship from the faculty member who will supervise and evaluate the project. Applications are due no later than the tenth week of classes for admission to the program in the following quarter.
The project is to be a research or critical essay of not fewer than 40 pages or a completed, feature-length screenplay, accompanied by a critical self-assessment of the project. The program is comprised of two related courses (4 units each) to be taken in two quarters of the senior year. These must be taken consecutively. The first course is Independent Studies (Film Studies 199), which must be taken for a letter-grade and will not count as a film studies elective. During the quarter the student, guided by the sponsoring faculty member, completes the required research and submits for formal evaluation a draft of the essay or creative work. The second course is a senior honors seminar (Film Studies 196) during which the student completes the honors project; this course may be used as a film studies elective.
Students can acquire valuable technical experience during their study at UCSB. They may find work with Instructional Resources, a campus service department where film and video equipment is used daily. Also students are often able to intern at local commercial or cable television stations, production companies, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the county film commission office. Summer internship opportunities in the Los Angeles area are plentiful. Academic credit of 2 units is normally granted for intern work. Undergraduate research assistantships with faculty are also available.
The film studies journal, Focus Magazine, an annual publication by and for undergraduate film students, publishes exceptional work including student writing on film, interviews with filmmakers, and book reviews.
Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies, the only English-language publication devoted to the study of women and representation in the visual media and arts, is considered to be a foremost journal of film and cultural theory and offers editorial internship opportunities. Based in the Department of Film Studies, the journal is edited by Constance Penley (UCSB), Patricia White (Swarthmore), Phillip Brian Harper (NYU), Lynne Joyrich (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Sasha Torres (Johns Hopkins), and Sharon Willis (University of Rochester).
The department also houses Screening Noir, the publication of the African and African-American caucus of the Society for Cinema Studies under the editorship of Anna Everett (UCSB).
Career Opportunities. The motion picture industry is divided into three major segments: production, distribution, and exhibition with career opportunities in each area. In addition to the commercial film industry, there are several related areas of employment to consider. Home entertainment (TV and interactive media) is a rapidly expanding industry. Also companies which produce TV commercials, industrial films, trailers, or mixed media presentations often accept trainees. Non-profit and educational media is yet another career path.
Preparation for the major. Required: Film Studies 46. One literature or drama course chosen from Dramatic Art 60, 106, 155A-B, 156, 160D-E-F, 161B; English 114AA-ZZ, 120, 124, 126D, 128AA-ZZ, 129, 131, 133AA-ZZ, 134AA-ZZ, 136B-C, 138C, 140, 150, 154, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 191, 192, 193; French 167, 169AX, 169CX, 170X, 172X, 180A, 180X, 183X, 192X, 194X, 196X, 193X; Italian 112X, 125X, 139Z, 142X; German 138, 141, 143, 150A, 151B, 157A, 175, 180, 186; Spanish 115B, 120A-B, 135, 136, 171, 179, 182; one history course chosen from History 4C, 105, 123B-C, 124B, 130B, 131F, 133B-C, 135C, 137A-B, 138B, 141B, 145D, 145Q, 146B, 146T, 147B, 151C, 151W, 153L, 159B-C, 160B, 163A-B, 166A-B-C, 167B, 167CB, 168A-B, 168E, 169BR-CR, 170A-B, 171B, 173B, 173S, 175B, 176A-B, 178M, 179B, 182B, 185B, 187C; one music course chosen from Music 15, 17, 114, 168B-C-D-E-F, 175A-J; one art history course chosen from Art History 6C, 6G, 119A-B-C, 121C, 123B-C, 125B, 136B-C-D-F, 138C-D-E, 140C; 143A-B-C-D.
Upper-division major. Required: Fifty-two upper-division units including (1) Film Studies 101A-B and 101C or 101T(each course is 5 units); one production course chosen from Film Studies 104, 105,107; Film Studies 146 (a 5-units course), 192A, and 192B; and (2) 20 additional upper-division units chosen from the following, with at least 4 units each from A, B, and C.
Seminars in Theory and Analysis: Film Studies 187AA-ZZ (may be repeated), 189AA-ZZ (may be repeated), 190AA-ZZ (may be repeated), 191, 193, 194 (may be repeated), 196.
National Cinemas: Black Studies 171; Chinese 141, Film Studies 120, 121, 122AA-ZZ, 123, 132, 133, 136, 137, 178Z; French 178X, 178Y, 190X; German 136, 180Z; Italian 180Z; Japanese 159; Spanish 126, 127.
Film and Social Issues: Black Studies 161, 162, 170, 172; Chicano Studies 143, 147, 185; Film Studies 125A-B, 161, 163, 165; French 191X; Women's Studies 141, 142, 143, 144, 150.
Other Electives: DirectorsFilm Studies 154, 155AA-ZZ. GenreFilm Studies 107, 128, 130, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145, 147, 150AA-ZZ, 169, 170, 175; French 138X, 178Z; German 183. ScreenwritingFilm Studies 188A-B-C. OtherFilm Studies 110, 113AA-ZZ, 151A-AA-ZZ, 184, French 138X, 178Z; TheoryFrench 178Y.
Offerings in Film Studies Grouped by Subject Matter:
I. Lower Division
II. Film Production
III. History
IV. Television, Video, and Digital Media
V. National Cinemas
VI. Directors
VII. Documentary/Social Reality
VIII. Genre
IX. Analysis
X. Theory and Criticism
XI. Advanced Studies
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A list of film courses with descriptions will be posted outside the film studies office before the beginning of each new quarter, as close to the start of registration as possible. Students are urged to consult this list before registering.
46. Introduction to Cinema
(4) Staff
Recommended preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Film Studies 46MS is highly
recommended for film majors.
An introduction to the study of film as an aesthetic and social phenomenon,
and to various methods of critical analysis. (F,W,S)
46B. Critical Writing for Visual Media Technologies
(4) Staff
A writing intensive course that introduces students to a range of contemporary
media including TV, video, and digital media. Close analysis of specific histories
and aesthetics of these changing media will be emphasized.
46MS. Major Seminar
(2) Staff
Prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in Film Studies 46.
Designed for film studies majors and students contemplating a major or concentration
in film. An intensive introduction to the study of film and to various methods
of critical analysis.
54. Hollywood: Anatomy of an Industry
(2) Staff
Course may be repeated for credit to a maximum of 6 units.
In-depth analysis of the changing cinema world of the 1990s developed in intimate
dialogues with major Hollywood players. Focus may be on areas such as escalating
production costs, diversification, colorization of film, the foreign market,
directing, screenwriting, acting, etc.
99. Independent Studies
(1-4) Staff
Prerequisites: consent of instructor and department.
Students must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade-point average. May be repeated
for credit to a maximum of 8 units. Students are limited 5 units per quarter
and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199DC/199RA courses combined. No unit
credit allowed toward the major.
Selected research under the direction of a faculty member.
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101A. History of Cinema: The Silent Film
(5) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; open to film studies majors only.
International film history from the camera obscura to the close of the silent
era in the late 1920's. Historical accounts of film as an aesthetic form, a
social force, an economic institution, and a technology will be considered.
(F)
101B. History of Cinema: The Advent of Sound Film
(5) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; open to film majors only.
International film history from the advent of talkies to World War II. Historical
accounts of film as an aesthetic form, a social force, an economic institution,
and a technology will be considered. (W)
101C. History of Cinema: Neorealism and After
(5) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; open to film studies majors only.
International film history since 1945. Historical accounts of film as an aesthetic
form, a social force, an economic institution, and a technology will be considered.
(S)
101T. History of Television
(5) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; open to film studies majors only.
Surveys the history of television from 1945 to the present. Analysis of this
fifty year old important cultural institution, helping students to understand
the interconnected relationships between programming, industry, audiences, social
contexts, and technology.
102. Acting and Directing Workshop
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; consent of instructor; open to upper-division
film majors only.
Designed as an introduction to the fundamentals and interaction of acting and
directing in the creative process of producing a film or video. Every student
will write, perform in, direct, and record on video a short work.
103. Project Development for the Short Film
(4) Driskel
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; and, Film Studies 104 or 106A-B; and consent
of instructor.
A workshop approach to the development of a short film project. Course covers
writing, budget, preparation, and preproduction, with particular attention to
final distribution needs.
104. Film Technology
(4) Driskel
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46; open to film majors only.
An introduction to the technology, equipment, and materials of filmmaking from
Edison to computer graphics. Special attention to the historical breakthroughs
that have influenced cinematic trends and directions.
105. Video Production
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46; open to film majors only.
Introduction to video production, with attention to fundamental concepts and
techniques of shooting, sound recording, lighting, and editing basic to filmmaking
in general.
106A-B. 16mm Crew Production
(4-4) Driskel
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; and, Film Studies 102 or 104 or 107; and
consent of instructor.
Instruction in the basic techniques of 16mm filmmaking via the production of
crew projects over two consecutive quarters.
A. Preproduction through principal photography. (F)
B. Postproduction through composite print. (W)
107. Animation
(4) Driskel
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; open to film majors only.
A look at the techniques and history of animation with emphasis on the major
styles and methods of production, including cel, direct, photo, three-dimensional,
and computer. Close examination of significant films combined with production
of a 16mm class project.
107S. Contemporary Animation
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 107.
Covers the basics of both film and computer animation from a theoretical point
of view. Field trips will be taken.
108. 16mm Production
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; and, Film Studies 104 or 107; and consent
of instructor; open to film studies majors only.
A workshop approach to the production of individual short 16mm film projects.
Each student produces a double system, non-dialogue project for public screening
at the end of the term. Admission to this course is determined by creative portfolio.
109AA-ZZ Special Topics in Film Production
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46 and consent of instructor.
May be repeated for credit provided letter designations are different.
Focus on one or more aspects of film production, such as music, writing, directing,
design, acting, independent filmmaking, cinematography, producing. Topics will
vary.
110. The Hollywood Studio
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
The effects of studio domination on American cinema and the ethos of the nation
from the thirties to the sixties. Developing trends in film form and content,
studio production methods, star values, and censorship are surveyed.
111. The Business of Movies
(2) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; and consent of instructor; open to upper-division
film majors only.
A seminar covering all phases of the contemporary film industry, including development,
production, distribution, exhibition, and international and ancillary rights.
112. Lighting for the Moving Image
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 104; and consent of instructor.
A workshop/seminar approach to explorations in how lighting affects the moving
image, from theater to film to the computer.
113AA-ZZ. Special Topics in Film Studies
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units, but only 8 units count
toward major.
Onetime course taught by lecturers or guest professors on a special area of
interest to film studies. Specific course titles and topics to be announced
by the Film Studies Department.
114A-B. Creating and Performing for Stage and Screen
(4-4) Kawalek
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; consent of instructor; open to upper-division
film majors only; concurrent enrollment in Film Studies 114AL (for 114A); concurrent
enrollment in Film Studies 114BL (for 114B).
Captures the experience of a professional company of actors. Students rehearse
and perform work created from various sources (novels, diaries, interviews).
Performance oriented, with special emphasis on acting, story, and adaptation.
114AL-BL. Performance Workshop
(2-2) Kawalek
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; consent of instructor; open to upper-division
film majors only; concurrent enrollment in Film Studies 114A (for 114AL); concurrent
enrollment in Film Studies 114B (for 114BL).
Acting workshop enhancing materials created in Film Studies 114A-B.
115. Sound Production
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 104 or 105; and consent of instructor.
A workshop approach to explorations of sound recording, editing, and mixing
in project production.
116. Editing
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 104 or 105; and consent of instructor.
A workshop exploration of the methodologies for post-production.
117. Three Camera Television Production
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 105; consent of instructor.
A television group production workshop. Students work as crew to produce a multi-camera
project. Project is picked through student submissions.
120. Japanese Cinema
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Same course as Japanese 159.
An introductory scrutiny of major Japanese directors: Mizoguchi, Ozu, Oshima,
and Kurosawa. Close attention to their film composition, choices of subject
and character, their ideas of the cinematic, and the relationship of cinema
to Japanese culture and society.
121. Chinese Cinema
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
An introduction to major Chinese directors from the People's Republic of China,
the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Hong Kong. Film composition, choices of
subject and character, ideas of the cinematic, and relationship of cinema to
Chinese culture and society.
122AA-ZZ. Topics in National Cinemas
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
May be repeated for credit provided the letter designations are different, but
only 12 units may be applied toward the major.
This course will examine selected national cinemas (e.g., French, Italian, German,
Chinese, Spanish, Japanese) in terms of major periods, themes, and formal parameters,
and in relation to both national and international cultural histories.
123. German Cinema
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
The rise and fall of German cinema from 1914 to 1934, then its revival in the
1960s as the New German Cinema. Expressionism in silent film. Analysis of films
by Lang, Murnau, Pabst, Weine, Wenders, Herzog, Fassbinder, etc.
125A-B. Documentary Film
(4-4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A. The history of documentary film, as an aesthetic form and a social force,
from the early silent era to World War II.
B. The history of documentary film, as an aesthetic form and a social force,
from World War II to the present.
128. Silent Film Comedy
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
The study of silent film comedy encompassing the work of Mack Sennett, Charlie
Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and some of their contemporaries, within
the context of American culture in the teens and twenties.
130. Sound Film Comedy
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
An analysis of the comic tradition in American cinema since the coming of sound
emphasizing comic-dramatic patterns, theatrical sources, historical/social contexts.
Directors to be covered include: Lubitsch, Hawks, Capra, and Cukor.
132. French New Wave Cinema
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A study of the French New Wave as both an economic and aesthetic phenomenon,
examining characteristic films and critical texts of the late fifties and sixties
by Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette, Alain Resnais, Francois Truffaut, and Claude
Chabrol, among others.
133. Soviet Cinema, 1917 to 1945
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A study of the development of cinema in Russia from the revolution to the end
of World War II, with some emphasis on the relation of theory and practice and
the influence of politics on art.
136. British Cinema
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Course will consider a selection of films representing the evolution of British
cinema during the past half century.
140. The Western
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Establishes the forms and rituals of the Western genre, and reflects on changes
they have undergone. Attention will also be given to the trend towards realism,
and the new moral and political revisions of the Western's view of society.
142. The War Film
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A study of films depicting and/or discussing warfare from World War I to Vietnam.
Special emphasis on the relationship between the periods in which the films
were made and the manner in which the wars were depicted.
143. Science Fiction Film
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Examines the evolution and shifting limits of the genre from the dawn of narrative
cinema through the heyday of the fifties' science fiction thriller through the
recent high-tech revival in an age of media transformation.
144. The Horror Film
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Same course as German 183.
Study of the horror film genre and the reasons for its popularity, including
new interest in psychoanalysis and reaction to modern mass society and consumerism.
Covers issues of sacrifice, simulated catastrophic loss, and other themes of
catharsis.
146. Advanced Film Analysis
(5) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 46; 5 prior upper-division division courses in
film studies; upper-division standing; open to film studies majors only.
A study of the basic formal dimensions of cinema: narration, causality, space,
time, and sound.
147. The Thriller
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Study of the genre from the gangster to the science-fiction thriller, involving
primarily American films but with a look at the parallel international cinema.
Course centers on detection and investigation, exploring suspense and other
intense forms of spectator involvement.
148AA-ZZ. Special Topics in Film Aesthetics
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
May be repeated for credit provided letter designations are different, but only
12 units may be applied toward the major.
Exploration, in detail, of a single aspect of the film experience in relation
to aesthetic and analytical issues. Topics may include the sound track, camera
movement, mise-en-scene, color, music, widescreen, acting, narrative, time,
art design, editing.
150AA-ZZ. Topics in Film Genre
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Course may be repeated an unlimited number of times, provided the letter designations
are different. However, only 12 units may count toward the major.
A study in depth of one or two film genres, including historical, theoretical,
and social issues. Topics will vary.
151AA-ZZ. American Film: The Decades
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Course may be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units provided the letter
designations are different, but only 8 units may be counted toward the major.
A survey of major American film directors and genres, through the decades, within
the context of social concerns.
151A. American Film: The 1930s
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A survey of major American film directors and genres, in the 1930s, within the
context of social concerns.
151B. American Film: The 1940s
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A survey of major American film directors and genres, in the 1940s, within the
context of social concerns.
151C. American Film: The 1950s
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A survey of major American film directors and genres, in the 1950s, within the
context of social concerns.
151D. American Film: The 1960s
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A survey of major American film directors and genres, in the 1960s, within the
context of social concerns.
151F. American Film: The 1980s
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A survey of major American film directors and genres, in the 1980s, within the
context of social concerns.
155AA-ZZ. Directors
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46.
Course may be repeated an unlimited number of times, provided the letter designations
are different; 8 units may be counted toward the film studies major.
A study in depth of the films of one or two filmmakers of international stature
and significance.
161. Third World Cinema
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Same course as Black Studies 161.
This course studies representative films from Africa, Asia, and Latin America
from the 1950s to the present. Explores the socio-cultural and aesthetic dimensions
of these cinemas (which have emerged as the "other" of Hollywood and
European cinema).
162. Modern Sex and Modern Love
(4) Penley
Same course as Women's Studies 150. May be repeated for credit to a maximum
of 8 units, but only 4 units may be applied toward the major.
Examination of how the media reflect and shape ideas of and about contemporary
feminism. In an effort to be topical, subjects covered consist of contemporary
feminist issues featured in the media during the quarter.
163. Women and Film: Feminist Perspectives
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Survey of the major debates on questions of women and representation in contemporary
film criticism. Topics to be covered include the representation of sexuality
and the family in the Hollywood cinema; feminism and the avant-garde.
165. Film and Social Reality
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
An inquiry into the interrelationships between film and history and/or film
and ideology. The course examines how cinema reflects and/or influences the
attitudes of a society.
169. Film Noir
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Study of the conventional themes, structures, and visual motifs of the detective
film. American films of the forties and fifties and contemporary American and
European works will be considered.
175. Experimental Film
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
A survey of the experimental film tracing the major stylistic and thematic trends
in the diverse movements that have considered themselves outside of the commercial
narrative cinema. Bunuel, Dulac, Cocteau, Leger, Deren, Brakhage, Baillie, Frampton,
Snow, Rainer, and others.
178Z. Technology and Cinema
(4) Staff
Same course as French 178Z.
Cinema fulfills and breaks down the technological project of "framing"
the whole existence. Themes: humanity and/as technological threat, the decline
of language and ethics, the culture industry, science fiction. Screenings include
Tarkovsky, Kubrick, Star Wars, Marker, Godard, Méliês, Lang. Lectures
and readings in English.
180. Television History
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Survey of the history of television from 1945 to the present. Analysis of this
50-year-old important cultural institution to help students understand the interconnected
relationships between programming, industry, audiences, social contexts, and
technology.
183. Films of the Natural and Human Environment
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Same course as Environmental Studies 183.
Recommended preparation: Environmental Studies 1 or 2 or 3, and Film Studies
46.
Presents a series of popular films and professional documentaries representing
a range of trends, images, issues associated with the natural and human environments.
Visual images and critical thinking skills are combined to enhance understanding
of environmental issues presented by the media.
184. Film Music
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Examines the musical score as an integral structural element of cinema. Topics
include the model of "silent" cinema; the theoretical basis of sound
and image synchronicity; the narrative functions of film music; and contemporary
development of the film score.
187AA-ZZ. Topics in Film Analysis
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing; and consent of
instructor.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units provided letter designations
are different, but only 8 units may be applied toward the major.
A seminar for advanced students examining in-depth a particular problem or issue
in the analysis of film and its consequences for a history, theory, or aesthetics
of film.
188A. Basic Screenwriting
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; consent of instructor.
Students are required to submit a writing sample.
A study of the creativity and the technique of screenwriting for the conventional
narrative film and for TV. Students will be required to complete writing exercises,
a treatment, and master scenes of a full-length project.
188B. Advanced Screenwriting
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 188A.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units.
A course intended for students who have successfully completed Film Studies
188A and have a full-length screenplay in process which they want to complete.
188C. Writing Short Films
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; consent of instructor.
Students are required to submit a writing sample.
An introduction to screenwriting, emphasizing the fundamentals of short film
and t.v.: setup, climax and resolution, "character-driven" story and
plot, the role of conflict, principles of action, exposition, and premise. Students
are required to write two short films.
188D. Master Class in Writing: Telling the Story
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; consent of instructor.
Students are required to submit a writing sample.
With the help of successful screenwriters and novelists, exploration of the
elements that make up a well-told story. Students complete writing assignments
in their own chosen form.
188SS. Story Structures
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing.
Introduction to story structure for beginning screenwriters. Study and practice
of models from classical, Renaissance, and contemporary dramatic structural
theory as well as alternative structural paradigms as practiced by European,
American independents, experimental, Asian, African, and avant garde screenwriters.
188TV. Writing for Television
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: consent of instructor, a writing sample, and upper-division
standing.
Students are required to submit a writing sample.
Introduction to fundamentals of writing for television including: the situation
comedy, the hour-long drama, the MOW, the miniseries, and children's programming.
Investigation of the practical and creative tools necessary for navigating successful
television scripts.
189AA-ZZ. Topics in Contemporary Film Theory
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 146 and 192A and consent of instructor.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units provided letter designations
are different, but only 8 units may be applied toward the major.
Topics vary each year and may include such problems as the relation of film
to structuralism, semiotics, metaphor/metonymy, point of view, and the writings
of Burch, Barthes, Metz, Heath, Bordwell, Willemen, Wollen.
190AA-ZZ. Studies in Film and the Other Arts
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing; and consent of
instructor.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units provided letter designations
are different, but only 8 units may be applied toward the major.
An analysis of film in relation to literary and plastic arts such as photography,
architecture, and the novel. Topics will vary.
191. Film Criticism
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing; and consent of
instructor.
An intensive study in the reading and writing of film criticism. A close examination
of critical texts from different periods is accompanied by the screening of
relevant films; further emphasis is given to analyzing critical papers written
for the seminar.
192A. Classical Film Theory
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Film Studies 146; and upper-division standing.
Not open for credit to students who have completed Film Studies 192.
An introduction to classical film theory through a close analysis of selected
writings of such theorists as Munsterberg, Arnhein, Eisenstein, Bazin, Mitry,
Metz, Burch, Baudry, and Heath.
192B. Contemporary Film and Media Theory
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46.
A survey of the contribution of contemporary critical theory to the study of
film and media. Special emphasis on cultural studies approaches to understanding
film as popular culture.
193. Film Narrative
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing; and consent of
instructor.
An investigation of major aesthetic and theoretical problems concerning film
narrative. The classic film, the breakdown of classical conventions, and the
modernistic film are covered.
194. Advanced Readings
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Film Studies 46 or upper-division standing; and consent of
instructor.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units.
Advanced readings in specific film genres, directors, or historical periods.
195I. Internship in Film/Television
(2) Staff
Prerequsites: upper-division standing; consent of department. Open to film
studies majors only.
Students must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average for the preceding three
quarters.
An opportunity for training, career sampling, and contacts in the film or television
industry. Required are approximately 100 hours of work a quarter, a final five-page
report, and a supervisor's letter of verification.
196. Senior Honors Seminar
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: admission to senior honors program (see requirements under
Film Studies Honors Program).
A one-quarter directed study, to be conducted as outlined in the description
of the Senior Honors Program. Honors candidates will write a senior thesis on
a topic approved by film studies faculty.
199. Independent Studies
(1-4) Staff
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; completion of two upper-division
courses in film studies; consent of instructor and department.
Students must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding three
quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199DC/199RA
courses combined.
Selected research under the direction of a faculty member.
199RA. Independent Research Assistance in Film Studies
(1-5) Staff
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; completion of two upper-division
courses in film studies; consent of instructor and department.
Students must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding three
quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199DC/199RA
courses combined.
Coursework shall consist of faculty supervised research assistance.
200. Theories of Popular Culture
(4) Penley
Contemporary approaches to the study of popular culture. Key terms are "agency,"
"hegemony," "containment," and "resistance." Key
topics will include intellectuals in popular culture and the current state of
"cultural war" in the United States.
201. Film and Ethnography: Critical Perspectives
(4) Walker
This course brings a film studies perspective to bear on a selection of writings
by visual anthropologists and on a selection of films that could be construed
as "ethnographic." Issues at stake include self-reflexivity, domestic
ethnography, and transnational documentary.
202. Film and Historiography
(4) Staff
Intensive study in the reading and writing of historiography. Close examination
of critical texts from different periods accompanied by screening of relevant
films; further emphasis given to analyzing critical papers written for the seminar.
203. Post-Colonial Cinema
(4) Staff
Study of the structures of domination in a "Post-Colonial World."
The presentation of colonies overcoming their multi-dimensional subjection,
articulation of their history against the grain of western accounts, and how
they form their own resurgence.
596AA-ZZ. Directed Reading and Research
(1-6) Staff
Prerequisite: graduate standing and consent of instructor.
Individual tutorial.
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