Department of English

This course will examine some of the major film theories from the practical standpoint of films themselves. We will use works by the Lumieres, Hitchock, Sayles, the Cohen brothers, and others to explore such concepts as �the gaze,� �suture,� �film language,� and �the Kuleshov effect.� At the same time, a series of demanding readings will introduce some of the problems and complexities involved in defining the cinema�s relationship to such issues as realism, aesthetic expression, narrative representation, time, modernity, political ideology and literary tradition. The amount of reading will be considerable for this course; students will engage challenging work by Eisenstein, Bazin, Metz, Kuleshov, Benjamin, Paul Smith, Stephen Heath, Laura Mulvey, Theresa de Lauretis, and others. Requirements will include a midterm and a final exam, plus one medium-length creative/analytical project.