American Film Noir and Femme Fatale

Catalog description

This core course will trace the development of film noir and the femme fatale through the original cycle of noir films of the '40s and '50s to later and neo-films. We will look at the socio-historical contexts of these films in order to generate questions not only about the cultural origins and revisions of the genre, but also about the effectiveness and viability of contemporary representations of the femme fatale. Students will present submissions each week in response to films and assigned readings.