ENGL 270

Spring 2022 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Jan 18-May 4

American Film Genres

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Credit: 3 hours.

Introduction to the study of the dominant genres or types U.S. cinema. Examines the elements that constitute genres (such as visual and narrative patterns), the formation and reshaping of genres by filmmakers and the entertainment industry, the social and cultural factors that influence the genre cycles and subgenres, and the landmark works of each genre. The course treats several genres in historical perspective or focus on a single genre.

May be repeated in separate terms up to 6 hours if topics vary.

This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in Fall 2022 for:

Humanities – Lit & Arts

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ENGL 270 class schedule data for spring 2022
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	61765	Lecture-Discussion	M	9:30AM -11:15AM	TR	148 Armory	Newcomb, J	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/18/22-05/04/22 Degree Notes: Humanities - Lit & Arts course. Section Info: SP22 ENGL 270 American Film Genres Course description and objectives: In this section of American Film Genres 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 do this by examining multiple examples of the following genres: vampire movies, demonic possession films, ghost stories, and slasher films. We’ll consider these far-reaching questions, among others: –How can cinema, the defining art form of the 20th century, 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 genres that feature 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 inaccessible or taboo in our everyday lives? –How do the narrative conventions and visualizing powers specific to cinema inspire, limit, and change the ways we imagine and experience the paranormal?