Film and Television Genres

Catalog description

This course will examine genre in film and television in several ways. First we will look at genre as an industrial phenomenon that allows producers to have a clear sense of audience demand, desire and expectation, while at the same time providing models for narrative construction, and often allowing for economies of scale as sets, wardrobe, and props can all be reused. But genre is also a cultural force, acting as an ever changing mythology, modeling issues of national identity, history, destiny and presenting the conflicts that reflect a specific time and place. Through readings, screenings, lectures, and discussion the student will come to understand the broad operation of genre, its relation to history, industry and society, but also develop an in-depth knowledge of a specific genre that will be the focus of an individual course. Course may be repeated with change of topic.