Interested in Film Studies?  Scroll down for Spring 2010 Courses.

This interdisciplinary minor asks students to forge connections between the discipline of film studies and other disciplines, including literature, creative writing, rhetoric, music, communications, history, foreign languages, sociology, and political science, among others. Courses in the minor will address cinema within its social, political and cultural contexts including an understanding of how race, ethnicity, gender, religion and class are constructed through the cinematic image. Courses taken towards the minor must come from at least three different prefixes (ART, COMM, ENGL, GERM, MPRD, RUSS, SOCI, SPAN, or POLS). Other appropriate courses may be considered for inclusion as electives change or upon review by the director.

Minimum requirement for the minor in film studies is 24 s.h. of credit as follows:

1. Core - 6 s.h.

   Choose one of the following:

   ENGL 2900. Introduction to Film Studies (3) (F,S) (FC:HU) (P: 1000-level writing intensive course or advanced placement or consent of instructor)

   MPRD 2260. Image Theory and Aesthetics (3) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001,1002)

   Choose one of the following:

   ENGL 4530. Special Topics Seminar (3) (WI*) (F,S) (P: Consent of instructor; ENGL 1200)

   COMM 4060. Special Problems in Communication (3) (F,S,SS) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001, 1002)

2. Cognates - 9 s.h.

   Choose one from each cognate:

   Film Theory:

   ENGL 3920. Film Theory and Criticism (3) (WI) (FC:HU) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of the instructor)

   ENGL 4980. Topics in Film Aesthetics (3) (F) (May be repeated with change of topic for maximum 6 s.h.) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   SOCI 3025. Sociology of Mass Media (3) (FC: SO) (P: SOCI 2110)

   Film History:

   ENGL 3900. American and International Film History, Part I (3) (F) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 3901. American and International Film History, Part II (3) (S) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 4910. Survey of Film Styles and Movements (3) (WI*) (F) (FC:HU) (P: 6 s.h. of literature or consent of instructor)

   MPRD 2250. Classic Documentaries, 1900-2000 (3) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001,1002)

   MPRD 3660. History of the Moving Image (3) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001, 1002)

   Multicultural/Transnational/International Film:

   COMM 4040. Media, Culture, and Society (3) (F,S) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001, 1002; 15 hours COMM courses or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 4920. Contemporary American and International Cinema (3) (WI*) (S) (FC:HU) (P: 6 s.h. of literature or consent of instructor; RP: ENGL 4910)

   ENGL 4985. Issues in Cinema and Culture (3) (S) (May be repeated with change of topic for maximum 6 s. h.) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ETHN 3501. Selected Topics in Ethnic Studies: Humanities (3) (F) (FC:HU)

   GERM 3700. Special Topics (3) (May be repeated for maximum of 6 s.h. with change of topic) (P: GERM 2210 or 2211; or consent of instructor)

   POLS 3012. Politics Through Film (3) (S) (FC:SO)

   RUSS 3230. Russian and Soviet Film (3) (FC:HU) (P: RUSS 2120 or consent of instructor)

   SPAN 5445. Hispanic Cinema (3) (May be repeated for maximum of 6 s.h. with change of topic) (P: Consent of chair)

3. Electives - 9 s.h.
   Note: Courses taken for the core requirement or as cognates may not be repeated as electives.

   ART 3080. Introductory Video Art (3) (P for art majors: ART 1015, 1030; P for communication arts students: ART 2220)

   ART 3081. Intermediate Video Art (3) (P: ART 3080)

   COMM 4040. Media, Culture, and Society (3) (F,S) (Formerly COMM 4600; EMST 3530) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001, 1002; 15 hours COMM courses or consent of instructor)

   COMM 4060. Special Problems in Communication (3) (F,S,SS) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001, 1002)

   ENGL 2900. Introduction to Film Studies (3) (F,S) (FC:HU) (P: 1000-level writing intensive course or advanced placement or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 3660. Representing Environmental Crisis (3) (F) (P: ENGL 1200)

   ENGL 3900. American and International Film History, Part I (3) (F) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 3901. American and International Film History, Part II (3) (S) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 3920. Film Theory and Criticism (3) (WI) (FC:HU) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 4910. Survey of Film Styles and Movements (3) (WI*) (F) (FC:HU) (P: 6 s.h. of literature or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 4920. Contemporary American and International Cinema (3) (WI*) (S) (FC:HU) (P: 6 s.h. of literature or consent of instructor; RP: ENGL 4910)

   ENGL 4930. Film: The Writer’s Perspective (3) (S)

   ENGL 4980. Topics in Film Aesthetics (3) (F) (May be repeated with change of topic for maximum 6 s.h.) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 4985. Issues in Cinema and Culture (3) (S) (May be repeated with change of topic for maximum 6 s.h.) (P: ENGL 2900 or consent of instructor)

   ENGL 5350. Special Studies in Film (3)

   GERM 3700. Special Topics (3) (May be repeated for maximum of 6 s.h. with change of topic.) (P: GERM 2210 or 2211; or consent of instructor)

   MPRD 2250. Classic Documentaries, 1900-2000 (3) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001,1002)

   MPRD 2260. Image Theory and Aesthetics (3) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001,1002)

   MPRD 3235. Advanced Writing for Media (3) (P: COMM major or consent of instructor; COMM 1001,1002; MPRD 2210)

   MPRD 3660. History of the Moving Image (3) (P: COMM major or minor or consent of instructor; COMM 1001, 1002)

   POLS 3012. Politics Through Film (3) (S) (FC:SO)

   RUSS 3230. Russian and Soviet Film (3) (FC:HU) (P: RUSS 2120 or consent of instructor)

   SOCI 3025. Sociology of Mass Media (3) (FC: SO) (P: SOCI 2110)

   SPAN 5445. Hispanic Cinema (3) (May be repeated for maximum of 6 s.h. with change of topic) (P: Consent of chair)

Spring 2010 Courses

ENGL 2900: Introduction to Film Studies
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the broad field of film studies, including formal analysis, genre studies, film history and theory. This course is part of the required core for the film studies minor and is recommended before students take a 4000 level film course. 2 sections available:

Instructor: Dr. Anna Froula (ENGL2900, section 001)
Times offered: MWF 2:00-2:50 pm
Film screenings: M 6:30 pm
Films to be screened include: Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz), Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925), Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941), Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920), The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974), Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007), Breathless (1960, Jean-Luc Godard), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962), Miller's Crossing (Coen brothers, 1990), 12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995), 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002), This is Spinal Tap (Christopher Guest, 1984), Run, Lola, Run (Tom Tykwer, 1999)  
 




















Instructor: Dr. Jim Holte (ENGL2900, section 002)
Times Offered: T, TH 12:30-1:45 pm
Film Screenings: T 6:30-9:30 pm
Films to be screened include: Metropolis (1927, Fritz Lang), Stagecoach (1939, John Ford), The Maltese Falcon (1941, John Huston), Chinatown (1974, Roman Polanski), A Fish Called Wanda (1988, Charles Chrichton), Persepolis (2007, Marjane Satrapi), Slumdog Millionaire (2008, Danny Boyle) Pan’s Labyrinth (2006,Guillermo del Toro).


HNRS2116 Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar: At the Boundaries of the “Permissible”: Art, Politics, and Entertainment in Russian and American Contexts (3) (WI) (FC: HU)
Instructor: Dr. Elena K. Murenina
Times offered: W 2:00-5:00 pm
Film Screenings: W 6:30-8:30 pm (once a month)
Through cross-cultural examination of artistically powerful and nevertheless politically or otherwise controversial Russian and American films, books, documentaries, photography, and other mass media forms, this seminar in humanities will enable you to explore the boundaries of the permissible in the artists’, authorities’ and public’s understanding of freedom of expression and interpretation. By studying previously censored texts we will try to understand why, over the course of history, our civilization is inseparable from censorship of all kinds. Discussing the impact of state “thought control” on the shape of national media, film, and fiction in authoritarian regimes and liberal democracies, we will discuss how, in opposed political systems, the existence of censorship reflects the conflict between artistic freedom and language taboos, between human values and human desire, between “textual pleasure” and canonical art forms, between private and public discourse, between creative imagination and artistic responsibility. This course is taught in English and may count toward either Humanities requirement, or Honors credit, or Russian Studies interdisciplinary major/minor.
Films to be shown include: Doctor Zhivago (David Lean (USA), 1965), Lolita (Stanley Kubrick, 1962, USA), Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966, USSR), Solaris, (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972, USSR), Nostalgia (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983, USSR), Repentance (Tingiz Abuladze,1987, USSR), Russians Are Coming (Norman Jewison, 1966, USA), Borat (Sasha Baron Cohen, 2006, USA).



RUSI 2001 Introduction to Russian Studies: Humanities (3) (FC: HU)
Instructor: Dr. Elena K. Murenina
Times offered: T,TH 11:00-12:15 pm
Film Screenings: W 6:30-8:30 pm (twice a month)
This course will introduce you to one of the most exciting and mysterious cultures in the world. Over the length of one semester you will be able to “travel visually” through Imperial, Soviet and modern Russia, visiting Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volga, Urals and Siberia. Defining the basic patterns of Russian culture compared to Western civilization and American experience, we will focus on Russian cultural identity, Russian land and its people, evolution of national and social-cultural values, explored through film, animation, literature, media, fine arts and popular culture. This course is taught in English, and may count toward either Humanities requirement, or the Russian Studies interdisciplinary major/minor.
Films to be shown include: Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (V. Menshov, 1979), Ivan the Terrible (S. Eisenstein, 1944), Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (L. Gaiday, 1973), Onegin (M. Fiennes (UK), 1999), Barber of Siberia (N. Mikhalkov, 1998), Doctor Zhivago (D. Lean (USA), 1965), Burnt By the Sun (N. Mikhalkov, 1994), Ivan’s Childhood (A. Tarkovsky, 1967), Tycoon: A New Russian (P. Lungin, 2004).



NEW CLASS:
ENGL 3480:  Science Fiction Film Humanities (3) (HU)
Instructor: Dr. Joyce I. Middleton
Times offered: T,TH  2:00 – 3:15pm
Why is science fiction so popular today for so many different kinds of readers and film
audiences? Our class will explore a broad range of answers to this question. After reading
a few essays (posted online) that will help to introduce this fascinating literary genre,
students will screen several different kinds of contemporary films to generate lively class
discussions about science fiction in film. This course counts toward the ECU Humanities requirement.
Films to be shown include: The Time Machine (2002, Wells), The Fifth Element (1997, Besson), Children of Men (2006 Cuarón), The Matrix (1999, Wachowski), Star Trek IV (1991, Meyer), Galaxy Quest (1999, Parisot), Gattaca (1997, Niccol), Pan's Labyrinth (2007, del Toro), Johnny Mnemonic (1995, Longo), Strange Days (1995, Bigelow), Blade Runner, (1982, Scott),  Minority Report (2002), and I, Robot (2004, Proyas).

ETHN 3501: Hip Hop Culture: Film, Rhymes, and Politics
Instructor: Dr. Joyce I. Middleton
Times offered: T, TH 3:00 pm (screenings take place in class)
This class will focus on the films, language, and politics of hip hop culture. Students will learn to develop the skills necessary to critically analyze hip hop culture. We will examine three important academic topics in hip hop: (1) What is “hip hop,” and what are some of its essential connections to the blues and jazz music in American cultural production? (2) What are some international influences of hip hop and its social significance worldwide; (3) We’ll also think about a range of heated and debatable topics in hip hop: language and aesthetics, censorship, sexism, originality, violence, authenticity, cross-racial exchanges, corporate influences on culture, technology, and more.
Films to be studied include: 8 Mile, Amores Perros, Boiler Room, The Boondocks, Brown Sugar, Cadillac Records, Cider House Rules, City of God, Dave Chapelle’s show, HBO’s Def Poetry, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes, Morning Breath, Hustle & Flow, Krush Groove, The N-Word, Set It Off, Sucker Free City, and Tupac: Resurrection and various music videos







GERM 3550: Contemporary German-Speaking World: Metropolis Berlin
Instructor: Dr. Susanne Lenné Jones
Times offered: T,TH 12:30-1:45 pm
Film Screenings: TH 6:30-8:30 pm
Berlin, one of the most exciting European cities today, lures with a rich culture, unique history and vibrant diversity. As the capital of Germany, its history parallels in many ways major historical and cultural developments in Germany during the 20th and 21st centuries. In this course, we will focus on Berlin as a microcosm of German society, exploring the historical, political, literary, architectural and cinematic aspects of this vibrant city. We will explore how the City Berlin has been constructed and contested—as a political and cultural as well as physical site—through the prism of major events of the 20th and the 21st centuries. The course will conclude with a look at Berlin today (with a glimpse of its future) as it once again takes center-stage in European and world affairs. Please note: This course is taught in German.
Films to be screened include: The Making of Berlin (2008, Wieland Giebel), Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt (Berlin: Symphony of a Great City; 1927, Walter Ruttmann), Metropolis (1927, Fritz Lang), Rossenstrasse (2003, Margarethe von Trotta), Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire; 1987, Wim Wenders), Goodbye Lenin (2003, Wolfgang Becker), Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others; 2006, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck).



ENGL 4920: Contemporary American and International Cinema: Originals vs. Remakes
Instructor: Dr. Anna Froula
Times offered: M,W 3:30-4:45 pm
Film Screenings: M, 6:30 pm
What are the aesthetic, narrative, textual, and cultural issues involved in remaking movies? What do we gain (or lose) from remaking films often over and over again? How does the remake differ from other forms of adaptation and franchises? What are the industrial, textual, and critical concerns of the remake? And finally, do they actually improve upon the original? We will consider these and other questions as we compare contemporary remakes to original or earlier versions of the same film.
Films to be studied include: The Last House on the Left (Wes Craven, 1972; Dennis Iliadis, 2009), Ocean’s Eleven (Lewis Milestone, 1960; Steven Soderbergh, 2001), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner & Guess Who (Stanley Kramer, 1967; Kevin Rodney Sullivan, 2005), All That Heaven Allows & Far From Heaven (Douglas Sirk, 1955; Todd Haynes, 2002); Scarface (Howard Hawks & Richard Rosson, 1932; Brian DePalma, 1983), Seven Chances & The Bachelor (Buster Keaton, 1925; Gary Sinyor, 1999); Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978; Zack Snyder, 2004), Roxie Hart & Chicago (William A. Wellman, 1942; Rob Marshall, 2002); The Stepford Wives (Bryan Forbes, 1975; Frank Oz, 2004); Shaft (Gordon Parks, 1971; John Singleton, 2000)


English 5350: Special Studies in Film: A Semester of Horrors
Instructor: Dr. Jim Holte
Times Offered: W, 4:00-9:00 pm (screenings take place in class)
This course will provide students with the opportunity to examine the genre of horror from Apes to Zombies. Students will have the opportunity to explore film history, genre studies, film theory, and adaptation as they watch a variety of films from the early silent cinema to the post-modern present. Students are expected to attend lectures and showings, take part in discussions, and engage in a series of projects involved with writing and researching about film.
Films to be screened include: Nosferatu (1922, F W Murnau), Metropolis (1927, Fritz Lang), Dracula (1931, Tod Browning), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale), King Kong (Earnest Schoedsack, 1933), Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock), Dawn of the Dead (1976, George Romero), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992, Francis Ford Coppola), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Guillermo del Toro), The Nightmare Before Christmas (2003, Tim Burton), Shaun of the Dead (2004, Edgar Wright).