FTS 2050 B (CRN: 94648)

Film & Television Studies: Film/TV Theory (B)

3 credit hours

About FTS 2050 B

Intensive study of developments in film and/or television theory, such as realism, formalism, psychoanalysis, critical race theory, and feminism. Prerequisites: FTS 1300, FTS 1320, FTS 1420, FTS 1400, or FTS 1430.

Notes

Prereqs enforced by the system: FTS 1400 or FTS 1420 or FTS 1430 or FTS 1300 or 1320; FTS majors and minors and RDS minors only during the week of registration PACE students by permission and override

Section Description

What is an image? Is the image always illegitimate—merely a simulacrum, a deceptive copy to be mistrusted? Or does it hold a power of disclosure, illuminating truths that lie within and beyond reality? This course takes cinema as a privileged site to wrestle with such questions, focusing on the specificity of the cinematic image and its relationship to ideology, spectatorship, and truth.

We will trace classical and contemporary debates in film theory, including the psychoanalytic and Marxist film theories that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s and were rethought in the 1980s. From André Bazin’s defense of realism to Christian Metz’s psychoanalytic-semiotic account of spectatorship, and from Joan Copjec’s critique of apparatus theory to Slavoj Žižek’s interventions in psychoanalysis and ideology critique, students will encounter a range of theoretical approaches to the moving image. Our discussions will not remain abstract: they will be grounded in close readings of films from a wide range of national and historical contexts.

Alongside screenings and readings, students will learn to engage critically with film texts in writing. Short assignments and a midterm will build toward a final research paper in which students develop a sustained analysis of film form and narrative through the theoretical concepts explored in class.

By the end of the semester, students will not only have a grounding in key traditions of film theory but also the tools to interrogate what cinema, in its images and forms, reveals about the realities of modern life and its contradictions.
Content Advisory
Please note that some films screened in this course include sexually explicit content, scenes of violence, and depictions of self-harm or suicide. These materials are integral to the academic and critical aims of the course. Students who anticipate difficulties with this content are encouraged to contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss potential accommodations.

Section Expectation

We will watch one or two films per week. You will write weekly screening notes (300 words) as well as weekly response papers during those weeks that an essay is assigned.

Evaluation

Grade breakdown:
Screening Notes 20%
Reading Response: 25%
One-Time Exam: 20%
Final Paper: 25%
Attendance & Participation: 10%

Important Dates

Note: These dates may change before registration begins.

Courses may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Show your interest by enrolling.

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