2008-09 Cinema Studies Courses

Fall 2008 Courses

Spring 2009 Cinema Studies Courses

Cinema Studies Introductory Core Course
Cinema Studies majors are required to take Cinema Studies 101 (Form, Style, and Meaning in Cinema), which is the foundation for future study in the discipline.

Prerequisites: Cinema Studies 101 has no prerequisites. Some spaces are reserved for first- and second-year students.

101. (11163) Form, Style, and Meaning in Cinema, 4 hours / 4HU
MWF 11:00-11:50 + Tu 7-10 pm + Sun 1-4, B. Doan
This course considers the cinema as a particular media form and explores issues and methods in cinema studies. The class focuses on questions of film form and style (narrative, editing, sound, framing, mise-en-scène) and introduces students to concepts in film history and theory (industry, auteurism, spectatorship, the star system, ideology, genre). Students develop a basic critical vocabulary for examining the cinema as an art form, an industry, and a system of culturally meaningful representation. Enrollment Limit: 45.

Introductory Cinema Studies Production Course
This is the preferred gateway to advanced production courses, which are listed in Advanced Cinema Studies courses below.

Prerequisites: Cinema Studies 101.

CINE 201. Sound and Image Workshop, 3 hours / 3HU
-01 (14199): M 1:30-4:30 (Mudd 443) + W 7:00-10:00 pm, R. Brown-Orso
-02 (14640): Tu 9:00-noon (Mudd 443) + M 7:00-10:00 pm, B. Kashmere
This workshop follows the idea that we may understand film by making as well as analyzing it. We will explore basic issues in cinema through hands-on experience, marrying critical study (How are movies structured and why? How do they affect audiences?) to production work (exercises and projects in cinematography, mise-en-scène, sound, and editing). In short, we will probe the broad question of how films generate meaning by composing with sounds and images. Serves as prerequisite for advanced production courses. Consent by instructor required. Prerequisite: CINE 101. Enrollment Limit: 12.

Cinematic Traditions Courses
Cinema Studies majors are required to take at least one Cinematic Traditions course taught by the Cinema Studies faculty or cross-referenced as such by the Cinema Studies Program. The Cinematic Traditions requirement must be met by a full semester course or the equivalent (two one-module courses).

Prerequisites: Cinema Studies 101 is strongly recommended as preparation for Cinematic Traditions Courses. Unless otherwise noted, Cinematic Traditions courses are open to students who have completed any Writing Intensive (WRi) course, or have gained Writing Certification (WR) in any course in the Humanities. They are also open to those who have achieved a 5 on the AP exam in English Language/Composition or English Literature/Composition, or a score of 710 or better on the SAT II writing test. Other students may be admitted by consent of the instructor, with the understanding that students should be able to demonstrate the ability to handle writing, discussion, and analysis in ways typically taught in Writing Intensive classes.

244 (14343).Masters Of World Cinema: Focus On Fellini 2 hours / 2HU
MW 3:30-4:20 + Tu 3:00-5:00, D. Goulding
First Module. A critical analysis and discussion of Federico Fellini's most celebrated films from his earlier films associated with post-war Italian neorealism to his internationally acclaimed baroque film fantasies of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Special emphasis will be placed on Fellini's ambiguous relationship to Italy's political left and neorealism and to the critical controversies surrounding his later films. The evolution of his distinctive and influential film style will be traced out in La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Juliet of the Spirits, Amarcord, and Intervista. Enrollment Limit: 40.

245 (14344).Masters Of World Cinema: Focus On Kieslowski 2 hours / 2HU
MW 3:30-4:20 + Tu 3:00-5:00, D. Goulding
Second Module. One of the leading figures in East European cinema of the 1970s and 1980s, Krzysztof Kieslowski was closely associated with Poland’s Cinema of Moral Concern which helped give birth to the Solidarity movement and the collapse of Poland’s Communist regime. He later gained international critical acclaim for his 1990s French/Polish co-produced film trilogy White, Blue, and Red. Kieslowski’s films receiving close critical attention include Blind Chance, the monumental Decalogue, and the tricolor trilogy, White, Blue, and Red. Enrollment Limit: 40.

270 (14200). Comics, Animation, and American Film Culture 4 hours / 4HU, WR
MWF 1:30-2:20 + Sun 4:00-7:00 pm, B. Doan
This class looks at the intersections of comics, animated films and live-action cinema in relationship to American film culture, and how all three forms offer their audiences a unique form of visual communication throughout the twentieth century. By thinking about these three forms in detail, we will also explore how what one artist has called "sequential literature" challenges paradigms of reading, and by extension, writing, criticism and theory. This course also counts towards the English major. Enrollment Limit: 30.

Intermediate Cinema Studies Core Course

299 (13923). Persistence of Vision: Approaches to Cinema Studies, 4 hours / 4HU, WR
TuTh 11:00-12:15 + Tu 7-10 pm + Sun 7-10 pm, W. P. Day
This course will explore a variety approaches to cinema studies as a discipline, including issues involving production. In addition to close discussion of a variety of movies, theoretical and critical readings will include works on aesthetics and the nature of cinema, the history of cinema as an art form and an industry, and cultural and social issues in cinema studies. We will also play close attention to the issue of writing about cinema. Prerequisite: The prerequisite for Cine 299 is Cine 101 and a Cinematic Traditions course or consent of instructor. N.B. Cinema 299 is required of all Cinema Studies majors. Enrollment limit: 25.

Advanced Cinema Studies Courses
Unless otherwise indicated, these 300- and 400-level courses taught by Cinema Studies faculty require as prerequisites CINE 101 and a Cinematic Traditions course or Cinema Studies 299; or CINE 101 and consent of the instructor.

~~320 (7539). Documentary Production, 4 hours / 4HU, WR~~ This course is cancelled.
MTu 7:00-10:00 pm, G. Pingree (Mudd 443)
This course explores documentary form in both critical and creative ways. The class introduces students to various ways to think about and understand documentaries (in terms of structure, purpose, audience, etc.) and then gives them the opportunity to practice basic documentary production (camera, lighting, sound, non-linear editing). After engaging in various individual and small group exercises, students spend the balance of the semester working together to produce a short documentary video. Completed application (download here) and consent by instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

322 (14162). Advanced Media Production, 3 hours / 3HU
Tu 1:30-4:30 (Mudd 443) + Th 7:00-10:00 pm, R. Brown-Orso
The course aims to activate and amplify students' creativity, and to stir passion for time-based media that transcend mainstream conventions. Students will be introduced to specialized production methods and techniques and post-production strategies; produce short experiments and exercises; and complete an individual studio project. Students will be exposed to a wide range of contemporary screen practices and hybrid forms, including the essay-film, auto-ethnography, abstract cinema, audiovisual collage, installation, speculative biography, animation, and experimental documentary. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

323 (14638): Exhibition Practices in the Media Arts 4 hours / 4HU, WR
TuTh 1:30-2:45 + W 7:00-10:00 pm, B. Kashmere
This course will introduce students to the methods, procedures, and decision-making processes of media art exhibition, providing an overview of curatorial practice within the stricter context of independent, short-format film and video. This will include a consideration of the critical, conceptual, and logistical aspects of curating. Throughout the semester, students will be responsible for designing and programming a weekly micro-cinema in the Oberlin community. Exhibition and festival case studies will also be examined. Consent by instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

376 (14346). Screening Spirituality, 4 hours / 4HU, WR
TuTh 11:00-12:15 + M 7:00-10:00 pm, J. Pence
Cinema is perennially concerned with the challenge of representing extraordinary experiences. Filmmakers and critics return repeatedly to the medium's capacity to evoke a profound sense of reality despite reason's doubts regarding the status of the represented world. We'll investigate selected treatments of the extraordinary and the challenges they present to critical theory and practice. This course also counts towards the English major for American, Post-1900. Enrollment limit: 25.

382 (14639). Documentary Workshop, 3 hours / 3HU
W 1:30-4:30 (Mudd 443) + Tu 7:00-10:00 pm, B. Kashmere
This course explores documentary form in both critical and creative ways, with an emphasis on nontraditional approaches. In this class we will question the role of the script and examine the function of research; recognizing improvisation as central to the process of filming, and writing as montage. Alternative modes (personal essay, web documentary) will be investigated. Class time will revolve around screenings, discussion, presentations, and critiques; each student is required to complete an individual project.Consent of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

399 (14149). Cinema Studies Practicum, 1-3 hours / 1-3 HU This course is cancelled.
W 9:00-noon (Mudd 443), R. Brown-Orso
Second Semester. This course allows qualified students to pursue independent projects in documentary work and other types of production within the collaborative context of a practicum. Students must demonstrate previous production training and experience, submit specific and feasible proposals, and receive permission from the instructor. Students will develop projects in consultation with the instructor and work in small groups to provide each other critical and technical support. Consent of the instructor required Enrollment limit: 15. Completed application (download here) and consent by instructor required.

Senior Tutorials, Seminars, and Honors Projects
Senior Tutorials and Senior Seminars are designed primarily for Cinema Studies majors, and fulfill the 400-level requirement for the Cinema Studies major. Rising senior Cinema Studies majors should apply for tutorials and seminars through a common application available at the Program office, not through individual instructors. Some places in seminars may be available for other qualified students after all Cinema Studies majors have been accommodated, by application to the Program.

Honors in Cinema Studies also fulfills the 400-level requirement for the Cinema Studies major; it is only open to invited students who have been admitted through the application process.

Prerequisite: Admission based on a completed application form. (Explanatory letter and application form can be downloaded here; they are also available in the Program office, Rice 130. Email the completed form to Director or drop it off in Rice 130.)

498. Senior Tutorial 1-4 hours / 1-4HU,WR
-01 (11719) J. Pence / -02 (14202) E.G. An / -03 (12956) R. Brown-Orso / -04 (14641) W.P. Day / -05 (13419) B. Doan / -06 (14642) B. Kashmere
Students should consult with the Director of the Program about arranging a Senior Tutorial. Prerequisite: Admission based on a completed application form (available at Program office). Consent of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 9.

499. (11351) Honors Project 1-4 hours / 1-4HU, WR
TBA, J. Pence
Honors in Cinema Studies is only open to invited students who have been admitted through the application process. Prerequisite: Admission based on a completed application form (available at Program office). Consent of instructor required.

995. Private Reading 0.5-3 hours / 0.5-3HU
-01 (14203) E. Hamilton / -02 (11040) J. Pence / -03 (11041)W.P. Day / -04 (12958) G. Pingree / -05 (12959) E.G. An / -06 (13420) R. Brown-Orso / -07 (14540) B. Doan , TBA
Consent of instructor required.

*Cross-Referenced Courses
These courses count towards the Cinema Studies major. Students should register for these courses using the number in the department or program of origin. For course description, please see the relevant department or program in this catalog.

Electives
These courses count as electives towards the Cinema Studies major.

ARTS059. (14578) Visual Concepts and Processes: Introduction to New Media Practices II, 3 hours / 3HU
TuTh 9:00-noon, A. Ozkal-Telhan
This class will lay the foundation for using the web as an expressive medium through interactive projects. An understanding will be gained of the fields of interactive media and time-based art, and web development skills to create art projects for the Internet. We will examine the social aspects of technology and media and its relationship to culture, politics and social change. The course will cover Adobe Flash, Dreamweaver, JavaScript and ActionScript. Prerequisites & Notes:ARTS 051-01 Intro to New Media Practices I. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 15.

ARTS067. (12929) Problems In: Margin Release: The Oberlin New Media Lectures, 3 hours / 3HU
MWF 10:00-noon, J. Christensen
Margin Release is a course divided into three sections, each exploring a different sub-genre within the over-arching enigmatic world of “new media.” Each section culminates in a public lecture and class visit from a prominent new media artist, who will discuss how their work relates to the genre. For the month leading up to each visit, students will study seminal videos, sound pieces, and texts relating to the upcoming lecture. This course is cross-listed with TECH 067. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

Cinematic Traditions
These courses count as Cinematic Traditions courses towards the Cinema Studies major. The Cinematic Traditions requirement must be met by a full semester course or the equivalent (two one-module courses).

EAST 109 (14698). Topics in Chinese Film 3 hours / 3HU, CD, WR
M 2:30-4:20, H-C. Deppman
A study of the booming contemporary cinema scenes in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. We will develop a contextualized critical vocabulary for film analysis, examine the history of popular Chinese cinema, and study the relationship between style and politics. Directors may include Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Wong Kar-wai, Stanley Kwan, Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Tsai Ming-liang. Enrollment Limit: 35.

MHST 332 - History of Film Music 3 hours /3HU, WR
C. Roust
A comprehensive survey of film music history from the silent era through the present day. Issues discussed will include compositional developments (growth of instrumentation; use of Leitmotivic structure; expansion of diegetic versus non-diegetic music); music as narrative aid (generating continuity; providing momentum; subliminal commentary); and using music as an iconographic character or plot device. Films viewed will include those with soundtracks by major 20th-century composers as well as specialized soundtrack composers. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 20.

RHET 104 - Writing about a Topic: Queering the Reel 3 hours /3HU, CD, COLQ, WR
J. Cooper
A course for first or second-year students interested in developing their skills in college writing by examining issues of sexual orientation and gender in film. Films addressing representation of sexual identifications, homophobia and heterosexism, and community building will provide topics for reading and writing. Students will explore these topics and their relation to race, class, and historical context through writing both personal and academic essays. CR/NE or P/NP grading. Enrollment Limit: 15.

RUSS 210 - Soviet Blockbusters 1-2 hours /1-2HU, CD, WR
A. Forman
A course that boldly goes where no traditional Soviet film course has gone before. Our mission: to seek out and explore those movies beloved by generations of viewers back in the USSR. These classics include war movies, musicals, Soviet “easterns,” comedies, and “chick-flicks.” Our goal: to determine the basis of their popularity through an examination of their aesthetics and their surrounding social and political context.

Fall 2008 Cinema Studies Courses

First-Year Seminars
First-year seminars do not count toward the Cinema Studies major, but are recommended as an introduction to deeper-level skills in reading, viewing, analysis, writing and discussion. The successful completion of a first-year seminar will serve as one of the ways to satisfy the prerequisite for Cinematic Traditions courses.

FYSP 128 (8002) Media and Memory, 4 hours/ 4HU, Wri
TuTh 9:35-10:50, J. Pence
Beyond offering different sorts of content and engagement for their audiences, various artistic forms and techniques can be understood to provide alternative models for individuals and groups to filter and process experience in general. This course will look at multiple artistic forms (e.g., painting, photography, film, literature), in light of their own technical developments and contrasts with each other across time, in order to develop a greater sense of the many ways medium matters. Enrollment limit: 14 first-year students only.

FYSP 157 (8011) The Sense of Time and Place, 4 hours/ 4HU, Wri
MWF 10:00-10:50 + Sun 1:00-4:00 pm, W. P. Day
We often treat time and place as background, focusing on characters and actions rather than their context. In this course we will read and view works that put time and place in the foreground to explore the relationship between our sense of self to time and place. We will also explore how artists characterize the relation between time and place. A second concern in this course is the nature of reading and viewing. Enrollment limit: 14 first-year students only.

Prerequisites: Cinema Studies 101 has no prerequisites. Some spaces are reserved for first- and second-year students.

101. (4729) Form, Style, and Meaning in Cinema, 4 hours / 4HU
MWF 11:00-11:50 + Tu 7-10 pm + Sun 1-4, B. Doan
This course considers the cinema as a particular media form and explores issues and methods in cinema studies. The class focuses on questions of film form and style (narrative, editing, sound, framing, mise-en-scène) and introduces students to concepts in film history and theory (industry, auteurism, spectatorship, the star system, ideology, genre). Students develop a basic critical vocabulary for examining the cinema as an art form, an industry, and a system of culturally meaningful representation. Enrollment Limit: 45.

Introductory Cinema Studies Production Course
This is the preferred gateway to advanced production courses, which are listed in Advanced Cinema Studies courses below.

Prerequisites: Cinema Studies 101.

CINE 201. Sound and Image Workshop, 3 hours / 3HU
-01 (7696): MW 10:30-12:00 + Th 7:00-10:00 pm, R. Brown-Orso (Mudd 443)
-02 (7812): MW 1:30-2:55 + W 7:00-10:00 pm, G. Pingree (Mudd 443)
This workshop follows the idea that we may understand film by making as well as analyzing it. We will explore basic issues in cinema through hands-on experience, marrying critical study (How are movies structured and why? How do they affect audiences?) to production work (exercises and projects in cinematography, mise-en-scène, sound, and editing). In short, we will probe the broad question of how films generate meaning by composing with sounds and images. Serves as prerequisite for advanced production courses. Consent by instructor required. Prerequisite: CINE 101. Enrollment Limit: 12.

260 (8044). The Musical and American Film Culture 4 hours / 4HU, WR
MWF 1:30-2:20 + Sun 4:00-7:00 pm, B. Doan
This course will offer an overview of the major historical periods, figures, and films of the musical genre, while also framing them within the broader historical, aesthetic and cultural moments out of which they arose. It will also explore how the musical’s unique blending of spectacle and narrative influenced other genres. We will concentrate primarily on American film musicals, although films from France and England, as well as stage productions, will also be included. Enrollment Limit: 30.

301 (7816). Sound and Image Workshop II, 3 hours / 3HU
TuTh 10:00-11:30, R. Brown-Orso (Mudd 443)
This is a studio production course in multimedia performance This workshop will incorporate video, sound, music, movement and installation. We will examine closely themes of myth and ritual through the art-making practice. We will look closely at the work of Meredith Monk, Bill Viola, John Cage, Maya Deren and others. We will be engaging in a variety of high- and low-tech media; both analog and digital will be employed in the development of series of projects and performances. Public presentations of the various stages of development will take place throughout the semester including the premiere of a final public presentation at the end of the semester. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 12.

320 (7539). Documentary Production, 4 hours / 4HU, WR
MTu 7:00-10:00 pm, G. Pingree (Mudd 443)
This course explores documentary form in both critical and creative ways. The class introduces students to various ways to think about and understand documentaries (in terms of structure, purpose, audience, etc.) and then gives them the opportunity to practice basic documentary production (camera, lighting, sound, non-linear editing). After engaging in various individual and small group exercises, students spend the balance of the semester working together to produce a short documentary video. Completed application (download here) and consent by instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

324 (7811). Production Workshop -- The Short, 4 hours / 4HU
MW 3:00-4:30 + Th 7:00-10:00 pm, G. Pingree (Mudd 443)
The short film is a distinct form, with its own limits and possibilities. Put another way, short films, whether fiction, non-fiction, or experimental, are not simply reduced versions of feature-length films. In this advanced production workshop, students will consider the Short in its historical, formal, and industrial contexts, but mostly they will practice the art of conceiving, producing, and exhibiting short films. Prerequisite: CINE 201 or an equivalent introductory production course and consent of instructor. Consent by instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

350 (7813). Framing French Non-Fiction Film, 3-4 hours / 3-4HU, CD, WR
MWF 10:00-10:50 + M 7:00-10:00 pm, E.G. An
This course addresses documentary and ethnographic cinema from France, from the invention of the Lumière cinématographe in 1896 to digital filmmaking at the beginning of the 21st century. As we study nature documentaries, early city symphonies, films made in the name of ethnology and anthropology, war documentaries, and biographical and autobiographical films, we will investigate the structures, techniques, and ideologies that identify these practices as non-fictional, and, when applicable, uncover their poeticity and artifice, particularly in narrative films that play with these representational strategies and test the limits of claims to truth and/or objectivity. Identical to FREN 350 (7814). Conducted in English. Prerequisites: FREN/CINE 250 or CINE 101. Enrollment limit: 25.

368 (8045). Movies & Melodrama, 4 hours / 4HU, WR
MWF 3:30-4:20 + Sun 7:00-10:00 pm, B. Doan
This course explores the history, cultural contexts, and critical challenges of melodramatic narrative cinema. We'll study the genre's origins, the rise and fall of its prestige, its identification as a "feminine" form, its adaptation to different historical and cultural contexts, and its contemporary challenges to cultural analysis. Enrollment limit: 25.

~~399 (7815). Cinema Studies Practicum, 1-3 hours / 1-3~~ HU This course is cancelled.
TuTh 11:40-1:10, R. Brown-Orso (Mudd 443)
This course allows qualified students to pursue independent projects in documentary work and other types of production within the collaborative context of a practicum. Students must demonstrate previous production training and experience, submit specific and feasible proposals, and receive permission from the instructor. Students will develop projects in consultation with the instructor and work in small groups to provide each other critical and technical support. Completed application (download here) and consent by instructor required. Enrollment limit: 15.

Honors in Cinema Studies also fulfills the 400-level requirement for the Cinema Studies major; it is only open to invited students who have been admitted through the application process.

498. Senior Tutorial 1-4 hours / 1-4HU,WR
-01 (4736) J. Pence / -02 (6374) E.G. An / -03 (6375) R. Brown-Orso / -04 (6534) W.P. Day / -05 (8085) B. Doan / -06 (8086) G. Pingree
Students should consult with the Director of the Program about arranging a Senior Tutorial. Prerequisite: Admission based on a completed application form (available at Program office). Consent of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 9.

499. (5783) Honors Project 1-4 hours / 1-4HU, WR
TBA, J. Pence
Honors in Cinema Studies is only open to invited students who have been admitted through the application process. Prerequisite: Admission based on a completed application form (available at Program office). Consent of instructor required.

995. Private Reading 0.5-3 hours / 0.5-3HU
-01 (4737) W.P. Day / -02 (4738) E. Hamilton / -03 (5776) J. Pence / -04 (7745) B. Doan / -05 (6377) E.G. An / -06 (6702) G. Pingree / -07 (8046) R. Brown-Orso, TBA
Consent of instructor required.

*Cross-Referenced Courses
These courses count towards the Cinema Studies major. Students should register for these courses using the number in the department or program of origin. For course description, please see the relevant department or program in this catalog.

Electives
These courses count as electives towards the Cinema Studies major.

THEA 326. (7961) Acting for the Camera, 3 hours / 3HU (M443)
TuTh 2:50-4:30, P. Moser
In weekly on-camera assignments, students will explore the particular challenges and opportunities entailed in making vivid acting choices in front of a camera. Work will include improvisation, monologues, and scene-work. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 12.

Cinematic Traditions
These courses count as Cinematic Traditions courses towards the Cinema Studies major. The Cinematic Traditions requirement must be met by a full semester course or the equivalent (two one-module courses).

AAST 361 (7774). African American Film II 4 hours / 4HU, CD, WR
Th 11:00-12:15 + W 7:00-10:00 pm, Caroline Jackson-Smith
This course will continue the inquiry in AAST 261, but will intensively focus on more recent films with Black subjectivity in both dominant and independent cinema. We will consider the legacy of both "Blaxplolitation" and the radical film movement of the early 1970's on artists of the 1980's and 90's. We will look at the ways in which popular music trends affect film techniques and consider new critical approaches to cinema studies. Though most attention will be given to narrative films, there will be some consideration of documentary and other experimental forms. The emphasis will be on the US cinema industry with some reference to other diasporan filmmakers. Short papers will be required every week with lengthier assignments at mid-term and finals. Students must be able to attend all morning classes and evening screenings. Enrollment Limit: 25.

EAST 109 (7842). Topics in Chinese Film 3 hours / 3HU, CD, WR
MWF 1:30-2:20, H-C. Deppman
A study of the booming contemporary cinema scenes in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. We will develop a contextualized critical vocabulary for film analysis, examine the history of popular Chinese cinema, and study the relationship between style and politics. Directors may include Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Wong Kar-wai, Stanley Kwan, Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Tsai Ming-liang. Enrollment Limit: 35.