- Introduction to Film Theory and Criticism

Catalog description

A survey of major developments in film theory and methods of analyzing film from the invention of cinema to today. Working with the notion that cinema is an art form, a commodity, and a form of communication, we examine how historical, commercial, and aesthetic contexts influence film production and reception. Students read key texts in classical and contemporary film theory and criticism to develop an understanding of a film's narrative, visual structure, and place within established theoretical traditions. Subjects to be considered include formalism, realism, auteur theory, feminism, spectatorship, genre and star analysis, narratology, queer theory, cultural studies, post-colonialism, and critical race theory.