English 389 - Experimental Cinema

(Offered as ENGL 389 and FAMS 356) This course explores the field of “experimental cinema,” a term that often refers to films and videos made by independent artists who work outside the commercial entertainment industry and who utilize creative methods that diverge from conventional forms of narrative and non-fiction filmmaking. We will engage a range of such filmmaking practices through weekly screenings of work by artists from different eras and cultural contexts who employ highly varied aesthetic strategies for divergent purposes. Our viewing activities will be guided by weekly readings from experimental cinema scholarship, artists’ writings, and interviews, which will provide us with critical frameworks for assessing the aesthetic, political, and conceptual debates that animate experimental film culture. Our regular class sessions will be supplemented by occasional field trips to local or regional film venues, as well as occasional class visits by artists, curators, or other figures who contribute to the world of experimental cinema. 

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Guilford.

How to handle overenrollment: Priority will be given to FAMS and English majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: weekly readings in critical scholarship, artists’ writings, and related discourses; weekly screenings of experimental film and video, including occasional visits to community arts centers located off campus; in-class discussions of course materials, including with visiting artists, curators, and other guests; regular writing assignments; audiovisual analysis; independent and group work.