Courses from the Bulletin eligible for Film-related credit

  • CLA 100 ANCIENT STORIES IN MODERN FILMS. (3)

    This course will view a number of modern films and set them alongside ancient literary texts which have either directly inspired them or with which they share common themes. In the first part of the course, we will consider the relationship between ancient Greek epic, tragic, comic literature and the modern cinema. In the second part, we will look at a number of ways in which the city of Rome has been treated as both a physical place and as an idea or ideal in the works of both ancient Romans and modern film-makers.

     
  • FR 103 FRENCH CINEMA. (3)

    A history of the French cinema from the early twentieth century to the present. Emphasis on the primary aesthetic movements of French cinematic expression in social and historical context. Attention given to the formal elements specific to film, techniques of film analysis, and the nature of visual culture. Viewing of films outside of class required. Taught in English, with no knowledge of French necessary.
  • ENG 180 GREAT MOVIES (Subtitle required). (3)

    A course introducing students to films of various genres and styles, from both historical and contemporary filmmakers, investigating a particular issue or theme. Topics vary by semester and are chosen by faculty to give a broad-based understanding of important cinematic works and trends. Intended as a general humanities course for non-majors. Lecture. See departmental listings for different offerings per semester. Does not fulfill ENG premajor requirement or provide ENG Major Elective credit. Provides ENG minor credit.

     
  • FR 225 FRENCH FILM NOIR. (3)

    Examines the crime thriller and the “noir” style in French cinema during the 1940s and 50s. Emphasis on the aesthetic, philosophical, and historical origins of the crime film in France, the impact of French cinema on Hollywood film noir, and the role of noir in French visual culture. Viewing of films outside of class required. Taught in English, with no knowledge of French necessary.

     
  • RUS 275 RUSSIAN FILM. (3)

    This course will introduce students to the major films and film makers of the Soviet Union and Russia. It will trace the major artistic, political, cultural, and social influences and movements that shaped Russian and Soviet film. Students will view not only Russian feature films, but also documentary films and animation. Students will explore how the history and products of Russian and Soviet film are woven into the larger context of world cinema and into (Soviet) Russian history and society. Students will consider how the components of the films themselves contribute to their notoriety and lasting appeal. Taught in English.

     
  • ENG 280 INTRODUCTION TO FILM. (3)

    An introduction to the study of films as narrative art and cultural documents. The course involves viewing and analyzing films from different genres and investigating a unified theme or set of topics. Students will learn how to view films closely, how to relate films to their contexts, and how to employ the basic terms and concepts of film analysis. Attention will be paid to student writing, particularly to devising a thesis, crafting an argument, and learning how to use supporting evidence. Viewing films outside of class is required. See departmental listings for different offerings per semester. Offers UK Core credit for Intellectual Inquiry in the Humanities. Does not fulfill ENG premajor requirement. Can be taken for ENG Major Elective credit. Provides ENG minor credit. Credit will not be given to students who already have credit for ENG 281. Prereq: Graduation Writing Requirement Course – credit is awarded to students meeting the GWR prerequisite.

     
  • JPN 283 JAPANESE FILM. (3)

    Study of Japanese films as an expression of Japanese culture. Viewing of films outside of class required.

     
  • ENG 284 HISTORY OF FILM I. (3)

    An introduction to the history of film as art and industry from the invention of the moving picture to World War II. Emphasis is on the artistic development of the silent film in America and Europe, the rise of the American studio system, and the emergence of sound in film in the 1930’s. Filmmakers may include the Lumière brothers, Georges Meliès, Buster Keaton, D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, King Vidor, Alan Crosland, Leni Riefenstahl, and others. Lecture. Viewing films outside of class is required. Does not fulfill Historical Survey requirement. Can be taken for ENG Major Elective requirement. Provides ENG minor credit. Credit will not be given to students who already have credit for ENG 381.

     
  • ENG 285 HISTORY OF FILM II. (3)

    A chronological survey of narrative film (primarily American) from World War II to the present, concentrating on both canonical films (such as Hitchcock’s Vertigo) and often overlooked examples of cult, low budget, and independent film. Many paradigms of the major genres are included: musical, film noir, gangster, screwball comedy, horror and science fiction, western, and more. This survey also examines more idiosyncratic work of auteur directors (Nicholas Ray, Jane Campion), films capturing a specific sociopolitical moment (e.g. Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing), and larger cinematic movements such as Italian neo-realism, French New Wave cinema, and the New Hollywood of the 70’s. Lecture. Viewing films outside of class is required. Does not fulfill ENG Historical Survey requirement. Can be taken for ENG Major Elective requirement. Provides ENG minor credit. Credit will not be given to students who already have credit for ENG 382.

     
  • GER 305 GERMAN FILM TODAY. (3)

    This course examines contemporary German filmmaking from a global and cross-cultural perspective. It is not intended to be a history of German film, but an introduction to the interpretation of films produced in a specific national context outside of what is commonly referred to as Hollywood

     
  • WRD 311 HISTORY OF THE DOCUMENTARY. (3)

    This course is designed to trace the evolution of the documentary film. Although the emphasis will be on the development of the American documentary, students will also be looking into contributions from across the world. Prereq: Completion of Composition and Communication requirement or consent of instructor.

     
  • WRD 312 INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY. (3)

    This course is dedicated to critical examination of approaches to the documentary, and the construction of a documentary of one’s own. Students will examine different strategies, structures, and topics, with an eye to production. Prereq: Completion of Composition and Communication requirement and consent of instructor.

     
  • CHI 321 INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY CHINESE FILM. (3)

    The course offers an overview of major films, directors and actors in the contemporary PRC, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It examines the genres of Chinese film better known in the U.S., including the Hong Kong action film, fifth-generation mainland cinema and Taiwanese urban dramas. The course will provide an understanding of contemporary Chinese cinema through analyses of the content and style, poetics and politics of films/filmmakers/film movements, that reflect the Chinese cultural value system and differing Chinese aesthetics vis-a-vis Western and Hollywood views. All films are screened with English subtitles. Prereq: Junior status or consent of instructor.

     
  • FR 325 FRENCH CINEMA (Subtitle required). (3)

    An introduction to the analysis of film and to the major movements in the history of French cinema. May be repeated up to 6 hours with different subtitle. (Taught in French.) Prereq: FR 204.

     
  • FR 335 WAR, LITERATURE, FILM. (3)

    This course examines the strategies used by French writers and filmmakers to translate the experience and memory of World War I and World War II into literary and cinematic form. Topics treated will include eyewitness testimony, uses of irony and humor, the representation of disfigurement, the question of documentary, collaboration with the enemy, and practices of commemoration. Taught in English, with no knowledge of French necessary
  • ITA 335 TOPICS IN ITALIAN CINEMA (Subtitle required). (3)

    This course introduces students to representative directors, genres and periods of the Italian cinema with a special focus on its interaction with various world cinemas. May be repeated once up to 6 credits with a different subtitle. (Taught in English.)

     

  • MCL 343 Global Horror. (3)

    An introduction to the horror film that traces the genre’s development from its origins in European literature to a global film phenomenon in the 21st century.

  • GER 361 GERMAN CINEMA. (3)

    A history of the cinema in the German-speaking world from its beginnings to the present, emphasizing the evolution of the production, distribution and reception of film in relation to changing political, social, economic, ideological and literary/artistic contexts. Some consideration of film theory and criticism in conjunction with class discussion of individual films. Viewing of films (silent or German dialogue with English subtitles) outside of class is required. Class taught in English.

     
  • SPA 371 LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA: (Subtitle required). (3)

    An introduction to the analysis and interpretation of cinema in general and Latin American cinema in particular. Open to majors and nonmajors. The course will focus on films from the Latin American schools of cinema which will be studied in their social, political, and cultural context and introduce students to basic critical vocabulary. Viewing of films (with English subtitles) outside of class is required. Class lectures in English; sections in English or Spanish depending on the language ability of student. Course cannot be repeated.

     
  • SPA 372 SPANISH CINEMA: (Subtitle required). (3)

    An introduction to the analysis and interpretation of cinema in general and Spanish cinema in particular. Open to majors and non-majors. The course will focus on films from the Spanish schools of cinema which will be studied in their social, political and cultural context and introduce students to basic critical vocabulary. Viewing of films (with English subtitles) outside of class is required. Class lectures in English; sections in English or Spanish depending on the language ability of student. Course cannot be repeated.

     
  • ENG 380 FILM AND GENRE (Subtitle required). (3)

    An advanced course exploring one or two film genres, styles, or formal categories. It focuses on analyzing the parameters and practices of a broad generic category (e.g. gangster films; documentaries; biographies; war films) or a genre specific to a particular period (e.g. early silent films; twentieth-century horror films). Viewing films outside of class is required. See departmental listings for different offerings per semester. Provides ENG Major Elective credit and ENG minor credit. Prereq: Completion of UK Core Composition and Communication I-II requirement or equivalent. ENG 280, 284, or 285 are recommended but not required.

     
  • ENG 384 LITERATURE AND FILM. (3)

    This course explores the relationship between two creative traditions, literature and film, focusing on film adaptations of literary works for the screen. Subjects can include the adaptation of works by a particular writer such as Shakespeare or Jane Austen, or it may range more widely among the thousands of innovative cinematic reinventions of literary texts, e.g. Richardson’s Tom Jones, Altman’s Short Cuts. In some semesters the course may focus on a particular topic or genre and its treatment in both literary and cinematic texts, or on a particular moment when cinema and literary writers exerted a strong mutual influence (such as Hollywood in the 1920’s). Viewing films outside of class is required. Provides ENG Major Elective credit and ENG minor credit. Prereq: Completion of UK Core Composition and Communication I-II requirement or equivalent. ENG 280, 284, or 285 are recommended but not required.

     
  • PHI 393 PHILOSOPHY OF FILM. (3)

    An examination of the aesthetics of film from the early 20th Century to the present, with a focus on how the experience of film as a medium changes our relation to the world of objects as well as our relation to other people, and how changes in the medium of film itself have altered aesthetic theories.

     
  • WRD 412 INTERMEDIATE DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION. (3)

    This course explores a range of documentary approaches and styles, after which workshop and production of students’ own documentaries will be emphasized. Students will focus on particular approaches and subjects to develop their individual signatures and styles. Prereq: Completion of WRD 312 or consent of the instructor.

     
  • ENG 480G STUDIES IN FILM (Subtitle required). (3)

    An advanced course in the history, analysis, criticism, and theory of film. Viewing of films outside of class is required. See departmental listings for different offerings per semester. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours under different subtitles. Prereq: ENG 330 Text and Context or consent of the instructor. Fulfills ENG Major 400-level course requirement. ENG 280 strongly recommended. Provides ENG Major Elective credit and ENG minor credit.

     
  • SPA 529 THEMES IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY SPANISH LITERATURE, CULTURE AND FILM (SUBTITLE REQUIRED). (3)

    This course is a topics course in Modern and Contemporary Spanish Literature, Film and Culture. Appropriate for advanced undergraduates and MA level graduate students. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits under different topic. Prereq: For undergraduates: SPA 400 or permission of instructor.

     
  • SPA 539 THEMES IN LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE, CULTURE AND FILM (SUBTITLE REQUIRED)

    This course is a topics course in Modern and Contemporary Latin American Literature, Film and Culture. Appropriate for advanced undergraduates and MA level graduate students. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits under different subtopic. Prereq: For undergraduates: SPA 400 or permission of instructor.

     
  • RUS 535 RUSSIAN VISUAL STUDIES (Subtitle required). (3)

    This course is designed to introduce a variety of critical approaches used in the study of visual culture in Russian culture. The course may focus on various visual media such as film, image (in media, photography and propaganda), architecture and art. The course may focus on one particular aspect of visual culture or may compare visual genres or may compare visual media to other aspects of culture. Students taking the course for Russian credit will be required to read and do research in Russian. May be repeated for up to 6 credits with different subtitles.

     
  • MCL 592 RESEARCH PRACTICUM: FILM STUDIES CAPSTONE. (1)

    The Certificate Capstone Project combines a course in film studies with an added research paper. Students write the paper as the final project for one of the courses listed under “Capstone Course," and  receive an additional one hour of credit. In addition to the chosen “Capstone Course,” students enroll in MCL 592 (Research Practicum: Film Studies Capstone). This is work to be produced by the student that will not be required of other students in the course who are taking the course for regular credit. The paper is written in addition to any other coursework (exams, papers) required by the course.