Film & Media Studies 488 - Early, Late Cinema

(Offered as ENGL 488 and FAMS 488.)  This course will examine questions of the origins of cinema and notions of its demise.  From its inception, cinema has shaped and informed a critical relationship to modern popular culture.  Recent technological innovations have dislodged the cinema from its position as a distinctive arbiter of public experience and aesthetic engagement, as new mediums and new methods of dissemination proliferate in our networked society.  Claims about the “death of cinema” and the predominance of “new media” will be investigated as they have changed over time.  The central project of the course is to make sense of the salient features of the cinema while considering the significance of new forms of moving-image practices.  Students will collectively research, plan, and curate a repertory theater series that reflects class discussion and alternative modes of film distribution and exhibition.

Recommended requisite: At least one foundational course in FAMS or an equivalent introductory film course.  Open to juniors and seniors.  Limited to 15 students.  Spring semester.  Dean’s Faculty Fellow Cornett.