About Film/Culture

MEDA 209 Film and Culture

What is film? Is it a product of the film industry or an expression of a collaborative team of creators? What can we learn from history? There will be a discussion of who made the movies and who censored them; introduction to ethnic, class and gender perspectives on the movies. Introduction to the development of film genres and the traditions associated with special types of storytelling. There will be an introduction to the basics of writing about film and attention given to formal analysis. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 211 The Language of Film

The poetics of film: Close reading techniques; advanced study and application of the essential vocabulary of film study. Advanced study in reading and interpretation of the film frame, editing strategies; formalists and realist codes of cinematic expression.Attention to the history/ development of filmic vocabulary and techniques. Attention to cultural variations. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 212 The Hollywood Western

This course is dedicated to one of the first and most representative American film genres. Horses, Indians, cowboys, guns, and epic fights: why do we love them? The will be an examination of the aesthetic, psychological, gender and semiotic implications of the genre; introduction to major texts, directors, and stars central to its creation. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 213 Studios and Stars in Hollywood’s Golden Age, 1930–1950

This course offers an in-depth study of the formative years of Hollywood as the film capital of the world; the rise of institutional glamour, the star system, the “Hollywood” story and the Hollywood production system. This in-depth historical study is of the major directors, stars, and genres and developments in cinematic language and technique of the period; may include the work and influences of Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Frank Capra. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 214 The Dark Genres: Film Noir, Science Fiction, Horror, and the Gangster Film

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Hollywood developed a number of special kinds of storytelling traditions that answered the question. Suspense, outer space, the supernatural, and crime all became metaphors for our worst secrets and nightmares. Study the psychology, aesthetics, gender and racial issues involved in the traditional Hollywood choices of image, stars, music, and stories for its dark genre. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 221 Masters of Film: Griffith, Welles, and Hitchcock

An introductory investigation of the careers and works of three giants of film history: D. W. Griffith, Orson Welles, and Alfred Hitchcock. Attention will be paid to the historical era of each director and to how each contributed to the dominant cinematic style of their own day; their influences upon contemporaries as well as filmmakers who followed; their personal artistic visions and the implications of their works for psychological, gender, genre and cultural studies. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 233 Film and Gender

Is there a woman in this movie or just a cultural fantasy? Is the hero forceful or sadistic? Selected film that highlight gender issues. Attention to the gender implications of cinematic language (film frame, sound, shot patterns,narrative structure); introduction to the major texts of gender criticism from, Laura Mulvey, 1977, to the present. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 235 Screen Comedy and Clowns

The first films ever made included comedies; the world needs to laugh, but comedy gives more than pleasure; it is also a cultural escape valve, allowing us to “joke” about forbidden subjects; study of stars and directors who made the world’s great films comedies; screening of great comedies from the golden days of silent films, through screwball comedy, the social comedies of the 1940s and 1950s, and the liberation comedies of the 1960s and 1970s to present. Discussion of the way comedy permits us to talk about race, gender, and class; discussion of the relationship between comedy and the unconscious. Prerequisite: ENGL 111. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 253 European Trends in Film

This class offers the rich traditions of the national film industries across the Atlantic; analysis of the complication love-hate relationship between French, British, Italian, German, Russian, 202 / Course Descriptions Spanish, Scandinavian cinema and Hollywood. (Other European works may be included.) There will be an introduction to historically important directors, stars, and films. Prerequisite: ENGL 111.3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 258 Fundamentals of Writing for Film and Television

This course is about the basic craft of storytelling for the screen; traditional dramatic structure in a visual medium. Issues addressed include the premise, dialogue, characterization, and narrative plot structure. Class work will include workshop discussion of short writing exercises, the examination of professional scripts, and discussion of exemplary professional films. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 359 Advanced Writing for Film and Television

This course is about storytelling for the screen; the use of basic visual and dramatic techniques to create short scripts. Issues addressed include use of the step outline and the treatment in drafting half hour film and television scripts. Class work will include workshop discussion of student scripts, examination of professional scripts. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.

MEDA 295 Topics in Media Studies

A special course offered on an occasional basis in response to special student and faculty interests in the field of film/ culture, journalism and radio and television. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs.