UMASS
Five College Film & Video Course Guide
FALL 2009 (updated 9/10/09)
Note: Course info may be subject to change and will
be updated as more information becomes available. All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise
indicated.
*********************************************************************
ANTH 306 VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY
31193 Tuesday/Thursday
11:15AM - 12:30PM
lecture/discussion, Machmer Hall room W-27
31218 W
5:30-8:00 screening, Machmer Hall room W-27
Jacqueline Urla Cap 36
This course examines the
politics and poetics of visual representation in the field of anthropology,
focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on the moving image. We will consider the earliest forms of
ethnographic displays in World’s Fairs, popular forms of representing
non-western peoples and the various approaches anthropologists have developed
for ethnographic film.
Lecture/discussion. Film screenings, film journal and
essay exams.
Recommended: ANTHRO 104 or
106 or COMM 240
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIA
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 4, 6
ART 230 PHOTOGRAPHY I
31271 Tuesday/Thursday 1:00PM - 3:45PM, Studio Arts Building Room 18
Ryan Feeney Cap
14
Photography I is an
introduction to the language of light sensitive materials. It involves, through
learning, the balance between self inquiry and the importance of process and
materials as vehicles of meaning.
Assignments throughout the course will employ a structured approach to
photographic tools and methods. There
will also be sufficient scope for participants to interpret and discover
meanings and imagery for themselves within and beyond the framework of
technique. Class critiques and
PowerPoint presentations form the theoretical part of the course in which photography
is examined and discussed from both a personal point of view and in its wider
cultural context.
Prerequisites: Permission of
instructor if not an Art Major
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
none
ART 297Q -
ST-ANIMATION FUNDAMENTALS
Patricia Galvis-Assmus
31363 TuTh 1:00-3:45pm
With
studio. Introduction
to methods and techniques of animation, as well as history of experimental
film. Hands-on work with object, sand, line and clay
animation, among others. Basic audio and video skills.
Students develop projects of their own design resulting in a fully edited
videotape of their work.
Prerequisites: Completed
Foundations or consent of instructor
Open to ART, BFA-ART, and
BFA-ART ED majors or by consent of instructor.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
8
ART 374 – 01 INT COMPTER ANIMATION I
31399 Monday/Wednesday
10:10AM – 12:05 PM,
Jed Mitchell Cap 12
40105 01 Lab
Fine Arts Center Rm 439
First half
of a two-semester sequence. With studio. Principles and applications
of computer animation using Crater and Alias Maya software in film, video,
music, and technology. Introduction to 2D and 3D
animation programs. Skills acquired in preparation for production in
second semester. Emphasis on professionalism and quality.
Prerequisites: ART 297Q. Should be followed by 397, 3D
Computer Animation.
Open to ART, BFA-ART, and
BFA-ART ED majors or by consent of instructor.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
8
ART 397KK ST-PHOTOGRAPHY “IN THE EXPANDED FIELD”
31378 Thurday
9:30AM -12:15PM, Studio Arts Building Room 240
Instructor: Susan Jahoda Cap 12
An artist’s choice of tools
and materials is based on a fascination with their inherent characteristics and
possibilities. In this course we will explore photographically derived images
as device and strategy, potentially lending themselves to photo-sculpture,
photo-text, photo-installation and photo-performance. These, and other
practices incorporating photographically derived images, will be discussed in
historic and contemporary contexts through readings, lectures, and visual
presentations of other artist’s works.
Participants will be asked to produce work through assigned and
self-assigned projects, with the option of also working collaboratively.
Open to ART, BFA-ART, and
BFA-DESIGN majors only.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
none
ART 397N- 01 ST- DIGITAL MEDIA: STILL IMAGE
31368 Tuesday/Thursday 1:00PM
– 3:45PM Studio Arts Bldg Room 16
Instructor: Rosanne Retz Cap 16
40688 MoWe 7:00-10:00PM Instructor:
Mikael Petraccio Studio Arts Bldg Room 16 Cap 16
This course examines the
realm of digital image creation and manipulation using primarily Adobe
Photoshop® CS4 and Dreamweaver. Topics will include negative and flatbed
scanning, advanced color and tonal correction, and pigment printing. We will be
taking the principles of traditional color and black and white darkroom
techniques and learn to apply them to our digital files. We will also learn to
maximize images made with digital cameras and gain control over color
management. We will use Mac computers, as well as digital cameras, flat bed
scanners, and large format inkjet printers using archival inks and papers.
You will be encouraged to combine the aesthetics of
drawing, painting, and photographic practices through the medium of digital
prints in order to produce carefully constructed imagery. You will be expected
to pursue your ongoing personal work to fulfill assignments and will be
expected to present a cohesive portfolio of digital prints for the final
portfolio. The last project will be a well researched and carefully designed
artist website that will be a coherently organized series of linked pages.
Open to ART, BFA-ART, BFA-ART ED & BFA-DESIGN majors only (any level).
Pre Req:
Art 110, 120, 131, and 142
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
none
ART 397R- ST PHOTO III
31381
Tuesday/Thurday 1:00PM- 3:45PM, Studio Arts Building Room 240
Instructor: Susan Jahoda Cap 12
Concept:
It is through memory,
recognition, image repertoires, and experiences that we construct our worlds.
Throughout the semester we will focus on identifying the content that is
driving your work, but is currently missing from your work. The aim, to bring
you to a place of recognizing what is "absent" in your work, and what
you would like to carry forward in your work that is "present". This
exploration will be articulated through both collaborative exercises and three
projects: Considering the “nature” of Landscape, Still life and On Love.
Process:
In this course you will begin
rethinking picture making through the added element of color. You can choose to
photograph with color film in a range of camera formats (analog) and scan your
negatives and/or work with a digital SLR camera. You may also work in digital
video and mixed-media if this is conceptually appropriate.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate
and Graduate students with majors in ART, BFA-Art, BFA-Art Ed, or BFA-Design
only.
Prerequisites: Art 230:
Photography I, Art 231: Photography II
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
none
ART 597Q- 01 ST-ANIMATION FNDMTLS
31364 Tuesday/ Thursday
1:00PM – 3:45PM,
Patricia Galvis-Assmus Cap 2
With
studio. Introduction
to methods and techniques of animation, as well as history of experimental
film. Hands-on work with object, sand, line and clay
animation, among others. Basic audio and video skills.
Students develop projects of their own design resulting in a fully edited
videotape of their work. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Open to Masters Art majors or
with consent of instructor.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies Major
category: 8
COMM 231 FILM
& TELEVISION PRODUCTION CONCEPTS
32466 TuTh 2:30PM - 3:45PM Herter
Hall room 231
Bruce Geisler Cap 125
Lecture,
discussion. This class provides an overview of film and
television production principles and processes from script to screen and also
prepares students for later hands-on production courses. We will explore both
the art and craft of film and video production, including the roles and
functions of the major creative and technical personnel in the scripting/ pre-production,
production and post-production phases. Technical aspects such as digital vs.
analog media, lighting, lenses, types of film and videotape, crew organization
and function, editing concepts, sound recording, etc. will be discussed, as
well as creative functions such as dramatic and documentary structure, creating
characters, acting for the screen, visualization and composition for the camera
and more. (Course capacity is 150)
Course Eligibility*: Open to
COMM & Undeclared majors, or to students who have already taken COMM 118 or
121.
Course Notes: Formerly numbered COMM 297D. If you have already taken COMM 297D you
cannot take this course.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: I, V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
6
COMM 240: MODES
OF FILM COMMUNICATION
32467 TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM Lecture Herter Hall room 231
32468 Tu 7:00PM - 9:30PM Lab(screening) Herter Hall room 231
Instructor: Shawn Shimpach Cap 125
Lecture,
lab (screening). The nature and functions of
film, including narrative and non-narrative approaches to film communication. Topics will include: the components of film
expression (composition, movement, editing, sound, directing, and acting);
designs in screen narrative; film's relationship to other arts and media; and
the role of film as an instrument of social reflection and change. (Course capacity is 125)
Course Eligibility*: Open to Seniors, Juniors & Sophomores only.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: I
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
1
COMM 296F:
INDSTU-FILM FESTIVAL
32472 Wednesday 7:00PM - 10:00PM
Instructor: Anne Ciecko Cap 50
This is a 1-credit Mandatory
Pass/Fail course
Film
screening. This semester’s festival colloquium will be
held in conjunction with the New Asia Cinema film festival. To earn 1 credit (pass/fail), students are
required to attend at least 7 festival events and complete surveys at the end
of the screening. (Course capacity is
50)
Course Eligibility*: All majors; no prerequisites
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: none
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
none
COMM 331:
PROGRAM PROCESS IN TELEVISION
32382 Wednesday 10:10AM – 11:00AM Lecture, Machmer Hall W-25
Instructor: David Maxcy Cap
12 x 3 sections = 36
32383 Mon
1:25PM - 4:25PM Herter TV Studio 21
32384 Wed
1:25PM - 4:25PM Herter TV Studio 21
32385 Fri
9:05AM - 12:05PM Herter TV Studio 21
Lecture,
studio. Introduction
to concepts and techniques of television production, through lectures, lab
exercises, and guided production projects. All 3 sections will meet together once a
week for a 50-minute lecture with the course director. Each section (@12 students) will then meet
once a week for a 3-hour lab session.
Course Eligibility*: Open to Senior, Junior & Sophomore
Communication majors
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
8
COMM 340:
HISTORY OF FILM I
32386 TuTh 2:30PM - 3:45PM Lecture, Machmer
Hall room E-37
32387 Tu 4:00PM - 6:00PM Lab (screening), Machmer Hall room
E-37
Instructor: Martin Norden Cap 50
Lecture,
lab (screening). A survey of key events and
representative films that mark the history of motion pictures in the
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIA
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
2
COMM 393C: S –
ISSUES IN WORLD CINEMA: WORLD MUSIC
& FILM
39131 TuTh 4:00PM – 5:15PM, Machmer Hall W-25
Instructor: Anne Ciecko Cap 40
Lecture,
discussion, screening. This course
will focus of the use of music in relation to the moving image, with an
emphasis on international and intercultural film and video. Topics to be
considered include film music (scores and soundtracks); onscreen performances
by musical artists; documentaries about musicians and music culture; musical
film genres (musicals, music videos, etc.); interconnections between music and
filmic elements such as narrative and editing; world/popular music and film
industries; inter-artistic collaborations; live musical accompaniment for film
screenings and multimedia events. This interdisciplinary film studies course
will be grounded in theory and development of critical and analytical skills,
and there will also be opportunities for hands-on practical and creative
projects. There is no additional lab screening section; students will be
required to attend a number of out-of-class screening/performance events
throughout the semester from a list of choices. (Course capacity is 40)
Course Eligibility*: All majors; no prerequisites.
Undergraduate UMass Film Studies
Certificate category: IIA or IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 5, 6
COMM 397B:
SPECIAL TOPIC-INTRODUCTION TO STUDIO DIRECTING
32456 Tuesday 11:15AM - 3:15PM, Herter TV Studio 21
David Maxcy Cap 10
Lecture,
studio. Students will learn basic concepts and
techniques of studio television production, with a focus on directing live
programs in a full-scale studio facility on the UMASS campus. The course includes lecture presentations,
production exercises, script-writing projects, and studio production
projects. Each student will write,
produce, and direct two live studio productions. (Course capacity is 10)
Course Eligibility*: Open to Senior, Junior & Sophomore
Communication majors only.
Course Notes: If have taken COMM 433 you CANNOT take this
course
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
8
COMM 397CC INTRODUCTION TO VIDEO ART PRODUCTION:
ADAPTATION
Bernadine Mellis
40214 Tues 5-7pm,
Fall 2009: “Adaptation”.
This course provides a foundation in the principles, techniques, and
equipment involved in making short video adaptations. Working with already
existing texts (short stories, plays, poems, novel excerpts, films, songs, news
stories, etc.), students will develop their own projects. The course will
introduce students to the following: developing a viable story idea and script
from another author’s text; working with actors; dramatic structure and its
relationship to cinematography; aesthetics and mechanics of shooting; the role
of sound; and the conceptual and technical underpinnings of digital
editing. We will do several very short
exercises early in the semester, working towards a longer final piece. The larger objective of the course is to gain
proficiency in the language of moving images by looking at other media through
the prism of film. In this way, we will
develop our ability to tell stories in cinematic terms. Registration by permission
of instructor. See the Comm 397CC
course listing at www.umass.edu/film for an application.
COMM 397AF: ST
– HISTORY OF AMERICAN FILM
39698 TuTh 9:30AM – 10:45AM
Instructor: Kevin Anderson Cap 25
Lecture,
discussion. In this course we will
study motion picture production in the
1880s on up
to contemporary forms of digital cinema. Our approach will be both aesthetic as well as social,
considering artistic and technical developments that advanced the
medium, as well as cultural and financial
trends that influenced films' production and reception. We
will thus consult a variety of research methods,
questioning their authors' interests and conclusions, as we
evaluate broader notions of recording history,
appreciating art, and understanding society through motion
pictures. (Course capacity is 25)
Course Eligibility*: Senior and Junior Communication majors and
others by permission of instructor
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies Major
category: 5
COMM 397UU:
SPECIAL TOPIC-WOMEN IN DOCUMENTARIES
<<<CANCELLED>>>
39616 Thursday 4:00PM – 7:00PM, location TBA
Instructor: Lisa Ades Cap TBA
Lecture,
discussion. This course examines women in documentary
film--as subjects and as storytellers. How does gender influence filmmaking?
How and why are particular stories told? Why are women drawn to non-fiction
filmmaking? How does documentary film
provide a voice for marginalized topics? With these questions in mind, we
explore the history of women in non-fiction film, methods and approaches to
documentary filmmaking, and how social, political and cultural movements have
shaped and been shaped by women’s storytelling.
Among the issues and themes addressed by the films screened in this course
are: health and environment, beauty and body image, sexuality, popular culture,
coming of age, mothers and daughters, war and human rights. Film selections
range from Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympiad to Kate Davis’s Southern
Comfort to Barbara Kopple’s
Course Eligibility*: Open to
Senior and Junior Communication majors and others by permission of instructor.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
4, 6
COMM 441:
PRINCIPLES & TECHNIQUES OF FILM-STYLE PRODUCTION
32394 Wednesday 2:30PM - 6:25PM
Instructor: Bruce Geisler Cap 12
Lecture,
studio. A hands-on introduction to
single-camera filmmaking using digital video camcorders (electronic field
production) or 16mm cameras and non-linear (computer-based) editing.
Students will learn concepts of pre-production, shot composition, lighting,
visual storytelling, continuity editing, and production & post production
audio as they plan, shoot and edit exercises and complete projects. A "real world" editing project
(scenes from an episode of "Highlander”) will also be included. (Course capacity is 12)
Course Prerequisites: COMM 231 or COMM 331 or permission of
instructor.
Course Eligibility*: Open to Senior & Junior Communication
majors
Course Notes: Junior and Senior COMM majors who have
completed either COMM 231 or COMM 331 may add this course through Spire. Others may add only by permission of the
instructor.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IV, V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
8
COMM 493E/1:
SEMINAR-SCREENWRITING
32395 TuTh
9:30AM - 10:45AM,
Instructor: Martin Norden Cap20
Lecture,
discussion. An examination of the art,
craft, and business of screenwriting from theoretical and practical
perspectives. Topics include
screenplay format and structure, story, plot and character development, dialog
and scene description, visual storytelling, pace and rhythm, analysis of
professional and student scripts and films, and more. Written work includes three screenwriting
projects. The focus is on writing for
narrative films and, to a limited extent, TV programs.
Prerequisite: COMM film
course
Course Eligibility*: Open to Senior & Junior Communication
majors only.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IV, V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
8
COMM 493E/2:
SEMINAR-SCREENWRITiNG
32481 TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM,
Instructor: Bruce Geisler Cap20
Lecture,
discussion. An examination of the art,
craft, and business of screenwriting from theoretical and practical
perspectives. Topics include
screenplay format and structure, story, plot and character development, dialog
and scene description, visual storytelling, pace and rhythm, analysis of
professional and student scripts and films, and more. Written work includes three screenwriting
projects. The focus is on writing for
narrative films and, to a limited extent, TV programs.
Prerequisite: COMM film
course
Course Eligibility*: Open to Senior & Junior Communication
majors only.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IV, V
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
8
COMM 493F:
SEMINAR-FILM DOCUMENTARY
Geisler 411
Machmer
40033 We
10:10AM - 1:00PM
Lecture,
discussion. This course combines critical analysis with a
hands-on introduction to producing a documentary. Students will view, analyze, and critique all
or part of fifteen works by filmmakers from Robert Flaherty ("Nanook of the North") to Morgan Spurlock
("Supersize Me"), to further their understanding of the
documentarian's craft and art. Students
will also do pre-production (research and scripting) on their own short
documentary, along with shorter hands-on exercises in writing narration,
interview techniques, use of archival sources, etc. (Course capacity is 20)
Course Prerequi¬site: COMM 240 or COMM 297D or COMM 340 or COMM 342
or COMM 493E or consent of instructor.
Course Eligibility*: Open to Senior & Junior Communication
majors or by consent of instructor
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IV, IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
4
COMM 497AB ST –
38808 TuThu 11:15 AM- 12:30 PM
Machmer W-26
Instructor: Demetria Shabazz Cap25
Lecture,
discussion. This course aims to inspire the development
of a critical vocabulary for analysis of the formal conventions of film,
especially as they bear on literary discourse. In addition, this course will
focus on cinematic and literary works that articulate or express specific
notions of American identity in terms of race, class, and gender. This class
will look specifically at how the film industry negotiates specific literary
narratives about identity within American society as a means of adapting the
texts to the big screen. (Course capacity is 25)
Course Eligibility*: Senior and Junior Communication majors or by
permission of instructor
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IV, IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
5, 6
COMM 497AD ST – CINEMATIC BODIES IN CROSS CUTURAL
PERSPECTIVE
40005 TuThu 1:00PM – 2:15PM
Machmer E-37
Instructor: Kevin Anderson Cap25
Lecture,
discussion. This course addresses
how culture affects body imagery in cinema. By examining feature, avantgarde, and documentary forms of cinema – from
countries around the world ‐ we will examine the relationship between specific
socio‐cultural definitions
for a variety of bodies (the masculine, the feminine, the erotic, the divine,
the diseased, the social, the reproductive, the cyborg,
etc.) and how these vary in different national cinemas. The course adopts an interdisciplinary
approach, drawing from writings in cinema studies, communication, anthropology,
art history, media studies, and science. (Course capacity is 25)
Course Eligibility*: Senior and Junior Communication majors or by
permission of instructor
Undergraduate UMass Film Studies
Certificate category: IIB, IV
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 6
COMM 497N:
SPECIAL TOPIC-ASIAN POP CINEMA
38811 TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM,
Anne Ciecko Cap 25
Lecture,
discussion, screening. This film studies course focuses on Asian
cinema, with a special emphasis on questions of genre and gender in films from
East, Southeast, and
Course Notes: There are no specific prerequisites but some
background in film studies and/or cultural theory is recommended.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB, IV
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 5, 6
COMP-LIT 350 FRENCH FILM (also French Studies 350)
Catherine Portuges, Donald
Maddox
38873 Lec 1 Mo 3:30PM -
6:00PM Herter Hall room 227 Cap 40 (in CL350), 120 combined
32648 Dis 1 Tu 9:30AM - 10:45AM Herter
Hall room 225
32649 Dis 2 Tu 11:15AM - 12:30PM Herter
Hall room 225
32650 Dis 3 Tu 1:00PM - 2:15PM Herter
Hall room 225
32651 Dis 4 Tu 2:30PM – 3:45PM Herter Hall room 225
Course taught in English
(with screenings). The
development of French film from the 1930s and its relations to French society. Analysis and reading of
specific films, the ideology of different film practices, and relevant aspects
of film theory, including questions of representations. Films by directors such as
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
5
COMP-LIT 381 SELF-REFLEXIVE AVANT-GARDE FILM
(AT) Levine Cap 120
32620 Lec. 1 – M 3:35-7:00pm, Herter Hall 231
32621 Dis.
1 – Tu 2:30-3:45, Herter Hall 207
32622 Dis.
2 – Th 2:30-3:45, Herter Hall 207
32623 Dis.
3 – Tu 4:00-5:15, Herter Hall 207
32624 Dis.
4 – Tu 6:00-7:15,
Herter Hall 207
Lecture,
discussion. Explores modern origin of
film experimentation in avant-garde modes such as Expressionism, Surrealism and
contemporary results of this heritage.
Trying to determine if film is the most resolutely modern of the media,
we'll look at cinema as the result of two obsessive concerns: 1) the poetic, dreamlike and fantastic, 2)
the factual, realistic and socially critical or anarchistic. Thus, we'll attempt to discover how modern
culture deals with avant-garde imperatives to always "make it new.” Films and filmmakers such
as Breathless (Godard), My Own Private Idaho (Lang), The American Soldier (Fassbinder),
others. Requirements: one 5-page paper for midterm, ten-page final
paper or project; attendance.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIA
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
6
COMP-LIT 381H SELF-REFLEXIVE AVANT-GARDE FILM (Honors section)
38875 Monday 3:35-7:00 Lecture , Herter Hall room 231
38876 Tuesday 2:30-5:30
Discussion,
Instructor:
Levine Commonwealth College
Honors section: Students must also enroll in Comp-Lit 381
We will apply ourselves to
the problem of vision itself as an acquired skill, learning to distinguish the
various ways in which Hollywood normative cinema has constructed a code both
visual and narrative which we accept, uncritically, as the standard by which
reality gets transposed to the screen.
This code is examined – how it differs from what we actually see with
the “naked” eye and how it, in turn, influences what we see (what we can see,
what we look for) in the world. Various
forms of avant-garde film are examined so that we come to imagine how it might
be otherwise (films by directors such as Dreyer, Lang, Man Ray, Bunuel, Vertov, Godard, Fassbinder, Egoyan,
and Van Sent). Students will attend a
large lecture and film screening: (once a week) and the next day, an intensive
seminar-style section of 2-3 hours. Here
we present and discuss new material, some from readings, and, occasionally,
screenings of additional films and film clips.
The course is incremental and there is thus, an absolute attendance
requirement. There will be a take-home
mid-term essay (5 pages) and final essay (10 pages), two 2-page analyses of
specific shots or scenes. This course
differs from ComLit 381 in the length of the section
(2-3 hours per week instead of 75 minutes), extra work-load and additional
readings. Recommended only for students
(at all levels) who have a keen interest in film.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIA
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 6
COMLIT 384
38878 Lecture: Monday 4:40PM
– 5:30PM & Wednesday 4:40PM – 8:00PM, Ag. Engineering Bldg rm 119
38883 Discussion01 Fr 10:10AM – 11:00AM
38885 Discussion02 Fr 12:20PM
– 1:10PM
38887 Discussion03 Fr 11:15AM
– 12:05PM
Instructor: Edwin Gentzier Cap90
Focus on "images"
of the war as presented in poetry, fiction, and film ,
often comparing the same image as it has been "rewritten" in
literature and film. How images are manipulated by (re)writers to reinforce or
subvert powerful cultural and political institutions. (Gen.Ed. AL,G)
Undergraduate UMass Film Studies
Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
5
COMP-LIT 385 RUSSIAN THEMES IN WORLD CINEMA
32619 Monday 7:00PM - 10:00PM
Lecture, Herter Hall 217
38889 Tuesday 2:30PM - 3:45PM
Discussion, Herter Hall 211
Laszlo Dienes Cap 30
Lecture/screening/discussion. A general introduction to the art
of cinema through Russian themes in world cinema. We will screen and
discuss mostly Western films (American, French, and Italian, but also some
Japanese and Indian) inspired by Russian culture, particularly by Russian
literary works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Some emphasis may
also be placed on selected contemporary themes and on comparisons of Russian
and Western approaches to film art. Requirements may include electronic quizzes,
film research, papers, and presentations. Prerequisites: none other than an
UMass computer account; no prior knowledge of things Russian (language,
history, literature) is expected. A significant portion of the course may use
resources on the Web; students may be expected to do some of the coursework
electronically.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 5
COMLIT 499D CAPSTONE COURSE <<<<CANCELLED>>>
38901 Monday 3:35PM-7:00PM
Lecture, Herter Hall 231
32646 Tuesday 2:30PM-5:30PM
Discussion,
Instructor:
Eligibility; Junior And Senior Honors Students Only
This 6-credit Capstone Course
fulfills the Commonwealth college culminating- experience requirement. We apply ourselves to the problem of
cinematic vision as both process and acquired skill. We learn to distinguish
the ways in which
Meets with
COMP-LIT 381. Students must remember to sign up for both
times
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIA, IV, V
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 6,7,
8
FRENCHST 350 FRENCH FILM
Catherine Portuges, Donald
Maddox
33679 Lec 1 Mo 3:30PM -
6:00PM Herter Hall room 227 Cap 40 (in CL350), 120 combined
33680 Dis 1 Tu 9:30AM - 10:45AM Herter
Hall room 225
33681 Dis 2 Tu 11:15AM - 12:30PM Herter
Hall room 225
33682 Dis 3 Tu 1:00PM - 2:15PM Herter
Hall room 225
33683 Dis 4 Tu 2:30PM – 3:45PM Herter Hall room 225
Course taught in English
(with screenings). The
development of French film from the 1930s and its relations to French society. Analysis and reading of
specific films, the ideology of different film practices, and relevant aspects
of film theory, including questions of representations. Films by directors such as
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
5
GERMAN 304 FROM
33841 TuTh
5:30PM – 6:45PM
Lecture,
33842 Mo
5:45PM – 7:45PM Lab (screening),
Instructor: Jonathan Skolnik, Delene White Cap200
An introduction to German
cinema, treating Weimar Expressionism, Nazi film and anti-Nazi exile cinema,
film in post-WWII East and West Germany, and German film since the fall of the
Berlin Wall.
Conducted
in English. (Gen.Ed.
AT)
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
5
JOURNAL 397L ST-DOCUMENTARY TRADITION IN LIT &
FILM
34379 Tuesday 2:30PM –
5:15PM, Bartlett Hall room 201
Instructor: Madeleine Blais Cap40
This course offers an in
depth exploration of the artistic and journalistic impulse to capture in words
and images what the Irish call the “music of what happens”. Sample pairings include Harvest of Shame shown in conjunction with the John Steinbeck
novel, Grapes of Wrath, Capturing the Friedmans
with the Susan Orlean essay, “Seriously Silly”, Dead Man Walking with Norman Mailer’s
great work of literary nonfiction The Executione’s Song.
We will examine the strengths and weaknesses of varying approaches to
what amounts to the same material, with a special emphasis on how the
author/director honors truth and fact simultaneously.
Open to Senior, Junior and
Sophomore Journalism majors only.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 4, 6
POLISCI 201 AMERICAN POLITICS THROUGH FILM
38924 MoWed
1:25PM – 2:15PM Lecture, Herter Hall 227
Instructor: Stuart Shulman Cap150
38926 Discussion01 Fri 9:05AM
– 9:55AM
38928 Discussion02 Mo 11:15AM
– 12:05PM
38931 Discussion03 Fri
10:10AM – 11:00AM
38934 Discussion04 Fri
11:15AM – 12:05AM
38935 Discussion05 Mo 10:10AM – 11:00AM
38936 Discussion06 Mo 9:05AM – 9:55AM
Motives used to explore the
development of American politics in the 20th century. The forces that shaped
our politics early in the century (immigration, reform, religion), the rise of
"big" government in the depression and World War II years (the new
roles of the federal government, the enhanced presidency, internationalism, and
anti-communism), and selected issues (race, gender, modern campaigns) prominent
since the 1960s. The meaning of political democracy in
Optional class viewing of
film mon. 9pm-11pm
Home(where possible) and library viewing of required films
is acceptable. Class viewings will
include late night post viewing debates and discussions
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 5
POLISCI 293A – S-POLITICS EUROPEAN FILM
38988 Wed 5:45PM – 8:45PM
& Thur 4:00PM – 5:15PM
Instructor: Nicholas Xenos Cap25
This course presents a series
of films for discussion and analysis of revolution and reaction as political
and aesthetic phenomena. The focus will
be on the European filmmakers who defined and redefined film form from the
early 1920s until the late twentieth century and the relationship between form
and content in their works.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB
Five College Film Studies
Major category:
5
SPANISH 497PP ST-SPANISH CINEMA: FROM BUNUEL TO
ALMODOVAR
36052 TuTh 4:00PM - 6:30PM location TBA
Instructor: Jose Ornelas Cap 30
Analysis of
several films by some of the most important Spanish directors from the sixties
to the present, in the context of Spanish history, society, culture and
politics. Special attention will be given to films by Buñuel, Saura and Almodóvar. Some of
the following topics will be analyzed: representation of gender; history;
filmic narrative; role of religion; sexual and sociopolitical repression;
violence and transgression. Taught in English.
Undergraduate UMass Film
Studies Certificate category: IIB, IV
Five College Film Studies
Major category: 5
************************************************************************
<< FALL 2009 GRADUATE FILM & VIDEO COURSES – UMASS
************************************************************************
COMP-LIT 695A INTERNATIONAL FILM NOIR
Levine
32625 W 3:35-7:35, Herter 222 Cap
20
Lecture. Often referred to as the only indigenous
American film style, "film noir" in its very appellation reveals that
its major effects (for certain modern conceptions of cinema) lay
elsewhere. We will examine film noir in
its American heyday (1945-1957) and how it came to be a major propelling force
in the new European cinema of the 1960's (Godard, and the Cahiers du
cinema). How film noir displaces
American social mores and their constitution of "reality" within the
imaginary and symbolic fields, and within the symptomatic concretization of
those fields that is normative (dominant) cinema. How film noir both makes film different and allows
already latent difference to be manifested.
How film noir takes shape in the U.S. as expression of the inexpressible
(and the ‘unheimlich”) or, at least, of the allusion
to it; which in the lens and on the screen of directors such as Godard and Fassbinder
becomes pseudomorphic, presenting a critique of
American imperialism both public (political) and private (psychic) – the
American way of death and love (or, as the title of one work would have it,
Love & Napalm: Export USA). Films by:
American directors such as Aldritch, Ray,
Fuller, Kubrick, Welles; Foreign agents such as Lang, Ophuls,
Siodmak, Sirk, Von
Sternberg; European directors such as Godard, Fassbinder, Wenders.
Note: undergrads with previous film experience may
register with instructor permission.
UMass Graduate Certificate
course: “International/intercultural”
category
Graduate students: for the complete list of Fall 2009 graduate film courses, please see the “Graduate Film & Video Course Guide”