"Problem" Bodies on Film

Catalog description

This course explores the complex relationship between the human body and the art of cinema, with a thematic focus on bodies that are often conceptualized as being or having "problems." Drawing on ideas from feminist theory and disability studies, the course begins with debates about how certain bodies have been represented as "to be looked at," and then moves into representations of disability, chronic conditions, and other non-normative bodily states. Students will examine the power dynamics involved in stigmatization and medicalization, as well as thorny questions about what our society considers a "normal" body or mind. Throughout, students will be exposed to a variety of cinematic styles that address social/medical issues in creative ways.