MACS 373

Spring 2013

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Special Topics in Film Studies
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Credit: 3 hours.

Same as ENGL 373. See ENGL 373.

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CRN Type Section Time Day Location Instructor Section Details
58622
Lecture-Discussion
S
2:00PM -3:50PM
TR
148 Armory
Newcomb, J
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
01/14/13-05/01/13
Section Title:
Haunted Cinema
Section Info:
Topic Section S: Haunted Cinema. In this section of ENGL 373 we will examine narrative films about haunting?featuring ghosts, vampires, demons, and other weird creatures - to explore the many ways in which cinema is itself a "haunted" cultural form with complex, fascinating, sometimes troubling psychic, emotional, religious, and political meanings. Our examination will range from some of the earliest cinematic haunting narratives to some very recent Hollywood films. We?ll consider these far-reaching questions, among others: How can cinema, that quintessentially 20th-century art form, reveal to us what forces and fears haunt the modern world? In what ways is cinema a "haunted" form, and the viewer of films both haunter and haunted? How can cinematic narratives of haunting provide us with powerful metaphors of hidden interconnection, even some degree of religious or spiritual experience, in the fragmented, skeptical environment of modernity? How do these narratives allow us to explore anxieties and fantasies involving identity, gender, and sexuality that often seem taboo in our everyday lives? Attendance at weekly screenings, multiple analytical essays, a final exam, and consistent class participation will be required.
56864
Lecture-Discussion
T
3:00PM -4:50PM
TR
160 English Building
Curry, R
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
01/14/13-05/01/13
Section Title:
The Disney Phenomenon
Section Info:
Topic Section T: The Disney Phenomenon from Cultural, Artistic and Global Economic Perspectives. Over the almost 90 years of its existence, "Disney" has become a household word not just in the U.S., but also internationally, particularly in recent decades through the global marketing of videos and extension of Disney theme parks abroad. This film topics course critically explores the distinctive contributions and widespread impact of "Disney" from multiple perspectives: as an artistic and narrative style; an American biography; a key component of the U.S. film industry; a factor in shaping American childhood and social values; an expansionary business model; and a crucial site at which to study textual representation of race, gender, and familial relations. We?ll consider the cultural, economic and political impact, domestically and abroad, of Disney productions from early cartoons, animated features, and live-action films to the corporation?s ownership and development of television, video games, and theme parks and model communities. We'll also briefly examine competitors and possible counter models to the Disney Corporation, e.g. Dreamworks and U.S. marketing of Japanese manga and anime. The central course goal is that students come to master key critical, historical and theoretical methods that enable a grasp of Disney's force as both a particular phenomenon and an exemplary case for studying 20th-21st century media and popular cultural production. Requirements: regular class attendance and participation; substantial reading; some assigned out-of-class viewing; and willingness to work to hone your writing skills through two short reports about out-of-class explorations of Disney manifestations, two ca. 3 pp. synopses of assigned readings, and a 5-6 pp. final research or interpretive essay (or a possible alternate creative assignment of comparable scope, with instructor approval). In lieu of a final, the course will have a three-quarters exam testing mastery of key terms, developments, figures, approaches and concepts studied through an objective "identifications/definition" section and an exam essay question.
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