Film Theory and Criticism

Satisfies the required theory course in the Communication major This course is structured around the question of how visual media convey and influence the world in which they are created. By surveying some of the major questions raised by theorists from the beginnings of film as a medium to the present, students will gain critical lenses through which to historically and theoretically engage visual media. We will cover topics including: film aesthetics; Marxist, psychoanalytic, feminist, critical race, and queer theoretical approaches to film criticism; television studies; and new media theories. Students will learn how to analyze film on a formal level, taking into account how form creates meaning, and to think historically and theoretically about how film as art and commerce has contributed to shaping "smaller screen" media forms and understandings.