Spring Quarter
| Dept | Course No and Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 87 NEW MEDIA & DIGITAL | KRAPP, P. |
| This introduction to digital culture examines ways of thinking about, and with, “new" media, and so extends the introductory series on film and media studies into the 21st century. In digital culture, we recognize new storage paradigms and a transition to interactivity, to proliferating screens of all sizes, to new systems of circulation and transmission - including computers, streaming services, and handheld devices. This course will examine how digital technologies alter our notions of presence and the real, transform our experience of space and time, publicity and privacy, memory and knowledge, and produce new configurations of information and entertainment. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 101E HISTORY OF DIGITAL MEDIA | SODERMAN, A. |
| The aesthetic, industrial, and socio-historical development of digital media. May include history of video games, computing, and social media. Materials fee. Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 110 FILM & MEDIA THEORY | GUTIERREZ, A. |
| This seminar introduces students to thories about race, ethnicity, and media. It explores U.S. race and ethnicity—as social categories and markers of identity/identification—and systemic racism and racial capitalism—as structures of power, inequality, and domination—from the lens of media and popular culture. We will develop conceptual and theoretical tools to analyze media and entertainment, with an emphasis on developing the student’s ability to analyze and articulate a theoretical argument. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 110 FILM & MEDIA THEORY | HATCH, K. |
| Survey of major directions in film and media theory. Various theories of mass culture, realism, auteurism, semiotics, feminism, cultural studies, and theories of other media, with an emphasis on developing the student’s ability to analyze and articulate a theoretical argument. Materials fee. Prerequisite: FLM&MDA 85 and FLM&MDA 86 and FLM&MDA 87 and (FLM&MDA 101A or FLM&MDA 101B or FLM&MDA 101C or FLM&MDA 101D or FLM&MDA 101E). Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 110 FILM & MEDIA THEORY | EKANAYAKE, A. |
| In this course, students will explore the history, theory, practice, trajectory, and peripheral iterations of Third Cinema. Some of the early filmmakers we will consider work to represent and negotiate ideas related to global movements for decolonization. Later filmmakers would adopt elements of these earlier works and address how the outward apartheid, exploitation, and discrimination associated with colonization was reformed only to make way for a legalized infrastructure that continued to practice veiled elements of coloniality in the form of modern incarceration, borderisms, and a militarized police state. Students will explore these topics parallel to arguments posed by contemporary film scholars who are in dialogue with the work of social theorists, cultural critics, and activists such as (but not limited to) Franz Fanon, Stuart Hall, bell hooks, Hortense Spillers, Angela Y. Davis, Patricia Hill Collins, Benedict Anderson, Louis Althusser, James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, Martin, Luther King Jr., and Malcolm. X. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 117A INTRO SCREENWRITING | DAUCHAN, D. |
| Students learn about "the world of the screenwriter" by reading and studying screenplays, and writing parts of them-including the beat outline, treatment and character biography. Assignments include reading, viewing and analyzing selected films; and writing short essay responses to prompts that explore facets of the screenplay such as structure, character and theme. The final grade is based on participation, attendance, discussion board posts, and a traditional feature length screenplay project. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 117B INTERMED SCREENWRTG | DAUCHAN, D. |
| An intermediate level screenwriting class, in which the narrative feature-length film format will be used to continue the study and practice of developing character, exploring theme, scene construction, and navigating traditional structure. Assignments include reading, viewing and analyzing selected screenplays; and writing short essay responses to prompts that explore facets of the screenplay such as structure, character and theme. Students will develop their own original feature-length script ideas. We will analyze the creative decisions, approaches, and techniques of the individual writer in the workshop. This course continues to expand concepts introduced in Introduction to Screenwriting. Weekly workshops and lectures will culminate in students presenting their individual pitch materials and Act 1 of their screenplay. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 120A BASIC PRODUCTION | CANE, E. |
| This course introduces the fundamentals of filmmaking using digital video. Assignments provide hands-on learning of the basic elements of filmmaking. From cinematography, lighting, and sound, to writing a short script and editing with Adobe Premiere Pro, this class takes you through the production process culminating in each student's completion of their own short 4-6 minute digital film. At times students will be divided into production teams and will be expected to collaborate. Class is organized as a workshop; everyone will know your characters, your script, etc. You will be expected to share and participate at every stage of the production process. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 120C PRODUCTION WORKSHOP | CANE, E. |
| This advanced production workshop is designed to develop your creative vision and your ability to apply the skills necessary to realizing your vision. Emphasis is placed on thorough pre-production, organized production shoots and work-in-progress screenings. Class is structured as a workshop. It is designed to deepen your experience as a filmmaker, from discussing script ideas, shot lists and storyboards, to work-shopping scenes and work-in-progress screenings. By the end of the quarter, you will have completed a 7-12 minute polished short digital film with multiple sound tracks and titles. Students enrolled in this class may use University-owned equipment and are financially responsible for the University equipment on loan to them. The prerequisite for this course is FLM&MDA 120B. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 130 GANGSTER | DAULATZAI, S. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 130 RACE & FANTASTIC | PAYTON, P. |
| This course explores the intersections of science fiction, surrealism, and race within the context of contemporary films and television series. Through an interdisciplinary lens, students will critically analyze the ways in which these genres interplay to challenge and/or reflect societal norms, power dynamics, and cultural representations. Drawing upon a diverse range of media texts, this course delves into the rich tapestry of sci-fi and surrealism as vehicles for exploring racial identities, experiences, and social commentary. From iconic works to emerging trends, students will examine the artistic techniques, narrative structures, and thematic motifs employed within these subgenres, with a focus on films and television series that have made significant contributions to the discourse surrounding race and representation. Throughout the course, students will engage in close textual analysis, theoretical readings, and critical discussions to unpack the complex relationship between the surrealist genre and race. Themes such as otherness, identity construction, spirituality, and the supernatural as allegory will be explored in depth. By examining visual texts through a variety of platforms and mediums, including sci-fi films, psychological thrillers, surrealist animation, and avant-garde television series, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of how these genres intersect and contribute to contemporary discussions on race and society. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 139W WRITING ON FILM&MDA | MIMURA, G. |
| This course will be a deep dive into The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991) as a classic horror-thriller film and cinematic event enmeshed in post-Cold War anxieties of gender, sexuality, and multiculturalism. We will examine such figures and themes as the female cop-heroine, the human-animal divide, white trash and white exceptionalism, and the controversy of its trans representation and the stereotype of the trans serial killer codified in Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and dozens of ensuing films. The Silence of the Lambs’s cinematic reception will give us an opportunity to assess and distinguish between scholarly, journalistic, and popular sources and their modes of writing and analysis. This deep dive will provide a model for the research and writing of the final assignment, for which each student will choose a film related to one of the course’s key themes. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 139W WRITING ON FILM&MDA | MIMURA, G. |
| This course will be a deep dive into The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991) as a classic horror-thriller film and cinematic event enmeshed in post-Cold War anxieties of gender, sexuality, and multiculturalism. We will examine such figures and themes as the female cop-heroine, the human-animal divide, white trash and white exceptionalism, and the controversy of its trans representation and the stereotype of the trans serial killer codified in Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and dozens of ensuing films. The Silence of the Lambs’s cinematic reception will give us an opportunity to assess and distinguish between scholarly, journalistic, and popular sources and their modes of writing and analysis. This deep dive will provide a model for the research and writing of the final assignment, for which each student will choose a film related to one of the course’s key themes. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 139W WRITING ON FILM&MDA | KAMIL, M. |
| In this writing course, you will collectively work to improve your writing skills by exploring how scholars write about digital objects. This class is about writing and academic inquiry. Effective arguments stem from well-formulated questions, and academic essays allow writers to gain deeper understanding of the questions that they are exploring. You will learn to create complex, analytic, well-supported arguments that matter in academic contexts. The course will also hone your critical thinking and reading skills. Working closely with your peers and instructor, you will develop essays through workshops and extensive revision and editing. Readings cover a variety of genres and often serve as models or prompts for assigned essays. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 160 SINOPHONE CINEMA | LIU, C. |
| In this course, students will learn about the history and theory of Sinophone Cinema in a globalized world. In addition to understanding the importance of Chinese language cinema for film studies, students will also familiarize themselves with current debates about prestige culture, genre, markets, globalization, alienation, urbanization in the Sinosphere. We will look at Sinophone cinema from a number of perspectives: we will be focusing on the cinema of Taiwan, the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 160 PALESTINIAN FLM&MDA | KAMIL, M. |
| This course examines how Palestinian makers use film & digital storytelling objects to understand identity, culture, history, memory and belonging. History surveys, literature, poetry, and political documents will provide context for the film and digital media objects centered in the syllabus. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 161 WAR ON TERROR | DAULATZAI, S. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 185 LATINX TV & MEDIA | GUTIERREZ, A. |
| Latinxs have formed an important part of the televisual fabric of America, ranging from Desi Arnaz’s “Ricky Ricardo” in I Love Lucy to television series such as Chico and the Man, Ugly Betty, and Pose. In the last decade, Latinx independent content creators and multiplatform networks such as mitú and Pero Like have offered trailblazing content through social media entertainment. This course surveys the participation and representation of Latinxs in U.S.-based English- and Spanish-language television and new media entertainment. Throughout the quarter we will chronicle the history of Latinxs in English-language commercial, cable, and public television; the origins and workings of U.S. Spanish-language television networks and programming; and the renaissance of Latinx television in streaming platforms, such as Netflix. The course will conclude with the advent of new media, paying particular attention to Latinx independent webseries and social media entertainment. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 192 EDITING | STAFF |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 192 DIRECTINGDOCUMENTRY | STAFF |
| This class is designed for intermediate and advanced students who are eager to deepen their knowledge of making documentaries. Through the study of documentary films and production workshops and exercises, students will analyze and use memory, oral history, interviews, still and moving images, archival materials, and compelling storytelling to create their own documentary short films. Students will conceptualize, research, write, shoot, and edit their own projects, with an emphasis on developing a directorial voice and understanding the technical, aesthetic, and ethical aspects of documentary filmmaking. By the end of the course, each student will have completed a 5-minute documentary short to be screened. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 194 WHAT WAS CYBERPUNK? | SZALAY, M. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (S25) | 194 ASNAM LIT/FLM ADAPT | SHROFF, B. |
| This course analyzes the historical context in which Asian American literary texts have been adapted into films. This context illustrates how representations of Asian Americans have evolved from the stereotypical images of the 1920s to the self-representations by Asian American writers and filmmakers today. We examine various literary genres, such as novels, plays, and short stories, including Mohsin Hamid's novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Le Ly Hayslip's memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, and David Henry Hwang's play, M. Butterfly. We explore how the literary form translates into a visual medium by modifying the story and characterization for the screen. For example, dramas adapt to screen format more easily than novels. We examine the strengths of each medium, including the scope of the literary text and the spatial-temporal capabilities of cinema. | ||