Adv. Projects in Video Prod.

In this class, we will take the skills and insights gained in introductory production courses and develop them over the length of the semester through the creation of one short project, 10 minutes long. You may work individually or in pairs. We will learn by making work as well as by researching, reading, and watching films related to our projects. We may take this opportunity to delve into and learn the conventions of our chosen form. Or we may decide that our content demands formal experimentation and risk-taking. The course will be structured by the projects each student brings to it.

Bollywood Cinema

Indian popular film, known commonly as Bollywood, is usually understood to have weak storylines interrupted with overblown cinematic spectacles and distracting dance numbers. The course explores the narrative and visual structure of Bollywood for what scholar Lalitha Gopalan has called a "constellation of interruptions." We will analyze a selection of films closely, read scholarly articles, participate in debates, write guided assignments, and pursue independent research papers.

Stage to Screen

A study of ten to twelve plays and their film adaptations. Plays are drawn from a range of periods and genres, and films are chosen to show the scope of adaptive approaches from filmed play to radical re-imagining. The course will include readings on the theory and history of theatre-to-film adaptations. Playwrights will likely include Oscar Wilde, Susan Glaspell, Tennessee Williams, Lorraine Hansberry, Edward Albee, David Mamet, and August Wilson.

History of World Cinema

This course offers an historical survey of the cinema as a developing art form and a means of communication. We will examine the history of this international medium from its 19th-century beginnings through the mid-20th century. The national and thematic focus of the course shifts through the semester. For example, we will focus on U.S. film in studying the earliest developments in film technology and narrative, and on Soviet and French films to study the formal and social experimentation of the 1920s.

Introduction to Film

This course teaches the basic concepts, vocabulary, and critical skills involved in interpreting film. Through readings and lectures, students will become more informed and sophisticated observers of the cinema, key examples of which will be screened weekly. While the focus will be on the form and style of narrative film, documentary and avant-garde practices will be introduced. The class will also touch upon some of the major theoretical approaches in the field.

Lab: Community Action Resrch

In this course we will apply social psychological research practices to understand a social problem and work toward promoting positive social change. Specifically, we will use community-based participatory action research principles to investigate community concerns related to sexual and mental health, or community-identified pathways to promoting sexual and mental well-being. Students will develop a research project in partnership with community stakeholders, collect and analyze data, and produce a final product that is based on community priorities and is useful for community partners.

Practicum Seminar (Amherst)

This weekly seminar provides students with opportunities to design and discuss case studies involving adolescents in middle and secondary school settings, review researched-based models of instruction, and classroom management, and engage in dialogue with professionals regarding numerous aspects of teaching and student learning. Additional topics covered include reviewing the legal obligations of teachers, addressing the needs of students with disabilities, English language learners, and developing effective communication between home and school.

Teach: Sec/Mid Sch (Amherst)

Students participate in full-time student teaching in middle or secondary classrooms for 12 weeks. During this semester-long field-based placement, students hone classroom management skills, design and implement curriculum, and develop a wide range of assessment skills. Students work with classroom teachers and college supervisors to address Professional Teaching Standards as required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Pre-service Performance Assessment Program.

Latina Feminism(s)

What is Latina Feminism? How does it differ from and/or intersect with "other" feminisms? In this seminar, we will explore the relationship between Latina feminist theory, knowledge production, and social change in the United States. This interdisciplinary course explores Latina feminism in relation to methodology and epistemology through a historical lens. This will help us to better understand how Latina feminist approaches can inform our research questions, allow us to analyze women's experiences and women's history, and challenge patriarchy and gender inequality.
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