Analysis of several novels and screenplays of different periods in comparison with their film versions in order to examine various modes of interpretation of the two media. Conducted in English. Students wishing to obtain credit for the French major, or the minor, must consult the instructor at the beginning of the course. For majors, novels must be read and papers must be written in French. No prerequisite. 1 unit.

Provides an introductory vocabulary and structure regarding the history of books, bibliography, textual materiality, and printing. Topics explored will include the rise of writing, the scroll, manuscript codices, the growth of literate culture, the invention of movable type and the impact of printing on scholarship, science, and religion, the distribution and marketing of books, the rise of a reading public, the shift from hand- to machine-powered printing, and the move from printed to electronic formats. (Meets the Critical Learning: HP requirement.) 1 unit - Richman.

Black Italian Cinema and Digital Performance is an introduction to issues of culture, “race,” identity, and citizenship in contemporary Italy drawing from documentary, film, and the new arena of the social media. An entire generation of Black Italians, in particular artists, entrepreneurs, bloggers (especially Millennials), have been affirming themselves in Italian culture and society, gaining progressively more visibility starting in the 1990s, thus entering the spotlight of the Global Black Diaspora. In this course we will ask questions such as: Which themes are most discussed among Black Italians? Which art forms do they cite and refer to? In which ways and through which channels do Black Italians engage with the Global Black Diaspora? How is this generation seeking to be included in the history and socio-economic system of a country that still refuses citizenship to children born on the Italian soil? What kind of cultural and artistic production has been emerging from “the new Italians”? Together with film-maker and activist Fred Kuwornu, we will explore his own work, and that of emerging artists such as Antonio Dikele Distefano, Ghali, and web-based projects such as “Afroitalian Souls.”

Learn to make movies in this exciting, hands-on course that covers the key aspects of film storytelling – planning, shooting, editing, and everything in between. Establish the fundamentals of pre-production, production and post-production via short film projects, culminating in a final public screening. Topics include framing and composition; cinematography, lighting, and sound; directing actors; storyboards and shot diagrams; editing tools and techniques; digital workflow; and the processes of giving and incorporating creative feedback.

Explores the history and craft of graphic narrative from the eighteenth century to the contemporary moment. Students will consider how the medium of comics negotiates both visuality and textuality by tracing the role of typography and iconography in the development of graphic narrative from its designation as pop cultural ephemera to high literary and artistic form. Considers writers and theorists such as Roland Barthes, Scott McCloud, W.J.T. Mitchell, Marshall McLuhan, Lynd Ward, Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Marjane Satrapi, Daniel Clowes, Chris Ware, Alan Moore, and Alison Bechdel. (Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement.) 1 unit - Richman

Survey of the Soviet and Russian Cinema by (or about) Russian women, starting with the early Soviet propaganda films and ending with the present Russian version of hyper-realistic films. The course traces the evolution of Russian women, their changing self-awareness; it explores the conflict between the externally imposed role, and the women's own conception of her self and her destiny. The movies are analyzed through the prism of semiotic and discursive approach. No knowledge of the Russian language is required. Those students who would like to advance their Russian proficiency and have the opportunity to watch, read, write and talk about these films in Russian may sign up for this course under RU311 after consultation with the instructor. Taught in English.

This course will survey the major works of French cinema from the outset of filmmaking to contemporary films. The French made the first films and we will examine various different genres and styles of French film in relation to their representations of French culture.

This course introduces students to a wide range of film comedies, from Chaplin’s silent film through screwball comedy to satire, black comedy, and romantic comedies. We will study theories of comedy from the ancient Greek komos to Freud and feminist theory. We will focus on close reading of film form and specific frames and will introduce basic formalist vocabulary about mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing. The result should be a better grasp of film genre and form and a better understanding of why comedy matters, in deeper philosophical and ideological ways.

This course focuses on Turkish German cinema, its history and aesthetic conventions, and also introduces students to literature, music, and cultural production at large along the Turkish German axis. We will discuss questions of identity, migration, mobility, nation, and belonging, and explore how these topics have been treated cinematically and across other genres. Special emphasis will also be placed on the cities of Berlin and Istanbul. Through on-site visits and field trips, we will explore firsthand the connections between historical context, cultural expression, social practices, and urban form, and trace the lasting impact of Turkish German entanglements and transnational cultural flows on the makeup and identity of those cities today. Sample filmmakers and other artists might include: Fatih Akın, Kutluğ Ataman, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Sabahattin Ali, and Ipek Ipekcioglu.