MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE
FILM STUDIES COURSES

SPRING 2007

All courses 4 credits unless otherwise noted.

FILMST 201 INTRODUCTION TO FILM [1]

Blaetz

MW 1:15-2:30pm, 220 ART and TU 7-9pm(Film Scr.), 220 ART

This course teaches the basic concepts and critical skills involved in interpreting film. Through lecture, reading, discussion, and screening of films both in and outside of class, the student will become a more informed and sophisticated observer of the cinema. During the first half of the semester, the class will study form and style in narrative film as well as in nonnarrative practices such as avant-garde and documentary filmmaking. For the remainder of the course, the class will examine some of the major critical approaches in the field.

Meets Humanities I-A requirement

4 credits; enrollment limited to 40; 2 meetings (75 minutes), 1 screening (2 1/2 hours)

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 1

FILMST-250 HISTORY OF WORLD CINEMA [2]

Blaetz

MW 11-12:15pm, 220 ART and TU 7-9pm(Film Scr.), 221 ART

This course offers an historical survey of the cinema as a developing art form and a means of communication. We will consider the national, economic, and social conditions of an international medium that has existed for over a century. The national and thematic focus of the course shifts through the semester. For example, we will focus on U.S. film in studying the earliest developments in film technology and narrative, Soviet and French films to study the formal and social experimentation of the 1920s, and films made in Cuba and Brazil to elucidate political filmmaking in the 1960s. The course provides a background for understanding film history and pursuing further studies in the field.

Meets Humanities I-A requirement 4 credits

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 2

FILMST 310 PRODUCTION SEMINAR: REAL TIME [8]

Perlin

TH 9-12pm, LBRY 231 and screening W 7-9pm, LBRY 231

An advanced course in the theory and practice of film/video production as an art form. Topics for the seminar will vary from year to year.

This advanced video production course will look at the concept of “real time” and duration in cinema, video installation and online projects. Readings will include Bergson, Stein, Benjamin, Borges, Chion, Doane and more. Screenings will include: Warhol, Akerman, Snow, Jarman, Thornton, Ahtila, Export, Douglas, Nauman, Jonas, among others. Students will be expected to give presentations, write short papers, and work independently and collaboratively to produce one or more projects in video. Please note: students will be expected to have proficiency with video production and digital video editing prior to taking this course. Enrollment by instructor permission only (application available in the Art office, Mount Holyoke College, or electronically, upon request).

Meets Humanities I-A requirement

Prereq. Permission of instructor required.; 4 credits; enrollment limited to 10; 1 meeting (3 hours), 1 screening (2 1/2 hours); a lab fee may be charged; Students must apply for entrance into this course. Please go to the Art department for an application. Seniors will have priority.

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 8

FILMST 320-01 SEMINAR: ANIMALS IN AMERICAN FILM [7]

Rundle

W 1-3:50pm, Rooke 104, screening TBA

(also listed as Theat 350)

Representations of Animals in American Film

Detailed description for Spring 2007 TBA.

This topics course provides advanced instruction in an aspect of film history, theory, or criticism. Students are expected to bring substantial background in the study of film to this course; enrollment may be limited.

(THEAT-350s-01/AMRST-301s-03)

Meets Humanities I-A requirement

Prereq. American Studies 201, Intro to Study of American Culture; 8 cr in film studies; 4 credits; enrollment limited to 12; 1 meeting (3 hours)

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 7

FILMST 370-01 NATIONAL/TRANSNATIONAL: FEELING THE FAKE [5]

Crumbaugh

TU 1-3:50pm and TU 7-9pm(Film Scr.)

(also listed as Span 320)

(In Spanish)

Detailed description for Spring 2007 TBA.

(SPAN 320 – Taught in Spanish)

Offers a critical, historical, and theoretical approach to the cinema of a single country or group of countries. Some examples of national cinemas that might be studied are: French cinema, Francophone cinema, Indian cinema, Eastern European cinema, or Latin American cinema.

Meets Humanities I-A requirement

Prereq. (see Span 320)or permission of instructor; 4 credits; enrollment limited to 16

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 5

FILMST 370-02 NATIONAL/TRANSNATIONAL: BERLIN1871-1933 [5]

Davis

TU 1-3 :50, CIRU 9, screening TBA

(also listed as Grmst 325)

(Taught in German)

From Kaiser to Hitler: Berlin 1871-1933 in Text and Film

(Grmst-325 (taught in German)) We explore Berlin from the Gründerjahre to the end of the Weimar Republic, a period of unprecedented economic growth, scientific development, and political and cultural change, studying documents from history, politics, science, philosophy, literature, and the arts. Topics may include: Jewish culture in Berlin; Naturalism and the scientific revolution; Expressionism and Weimar Cinema; the New Woman and the Golden Twenties; post-WWI economic depression. Selected texts about and by: Bismarck; Nietzsche; Fontane, Hauptmann, Döblin, Brecht; Helene Lange; Einstein; Zille and Käthe Kollwitz; films: Der Hauptmann von Köpenick, Berlin: Sinfonie einer Großstadt, Metropolis, Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Meets Humanities I-A requirement

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 5

FILMST 370-03 NATIONAL/TRANSNATIONAL: From Bicycle Thieves To Guerrilleros [5]

Gundermann

M 7-10pm, screening TBA

Spring 2007 description TBA

(SPAN-361, ITAL-361, FREN-321, ROMLG-375) Offers a critical, historical, and theoretical approach to the cinema of a single country or group of countries. Some examples of national cinemas that might be studied are: French cinema, Francophone cinema, Indian cinema, Eastern European cinema, or Latin American cinema.

Meets multicultural requirement; meets Humanities I-A requirement

Prereq. Permission of instructor; 4 credits; enrollment limited to 16; 1 meeting (3 hours), 1 screening (2 hours)

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 5

FILMST 380-01 FILM AUTHORSHIP: HITCHCOCK AND AFTER [4]

Young

W 1-3:50pm, screening M 7-9pm

(Same as American Studies 301s(02) and English 374). This course will examine the films of Alfred Hitchcock and the afterlife of Hitchcock in contemporary U.S. culture. We will interpret Hitchcock films in a variety of theoretical frames, including feminist and queer theories, and in historical contexts including the Cold War. We will also devote substantial attention to the legacy of Hitchcock in remakes, imitations, and parodies.Hitchcock films may include Spellbound, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window,Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Mamie, and The Birds; additional works by Brooks, Craven, De Palma, and Sherman. Readings in film and cultural theory; screenings at least weekly.

Meets Humanities I-A requirement.

Prereq. jr, sr, at least 4 credits in film studies,and at least 4 credits in English beyond 101, or permission of instructor; 1 meeting (3 hours); 4 credits; enrollment limited to 18

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: 4

*GRMST-220-01 German Conversation and Composition II [Film Studies COMPONENT course only]

Mr. Davis

Time, location TBA

(Speaking-intensive course; Film Studies component course) This course will help students improve their written and spoken German and review important points of grammar and syntax. Readings range from popular culture to literary texts. Extensive use of films, multimedia, and internet resources to supplement class discussion. Topics based on Student's individual interests. Recommended for students who desire additional preparation before entering upp-level courses in the department or in conjunction with German 211, 221, 222, or 241, or for those who desire additional preparation before entering upper-level courses in the department.

Fulfills 5 College Film Studies Major Requirement: __