Summer 2023 Undergraduate Courses

Anna McCarthy
Mondays-Thursdays
12:30-4:30pm
Room TBA

CINE-GT 1202
Class # 4956
4 points

Mike Leigh (b. 1943) is considered notable among British filmmakers. His working method is unique and highly collaborative. His directorial vision, remarkably consistent across genres and media, is grounded in a deep understanding of the dramatic potential of ordinary, everyday lives. His subjects range from famous historical figures to middle class individuals to people on the margins of society, each film inviting the viewer to speculate on the human condition. This course's deep dive into one director's oeuvre is an opportunity to explore the nuances of craft, collaboration, and authorship through close analysis and discussion. 

Julian Cornell
Mondays-Thursdays
6:00-10:00pm
Room TBA

CINE-UT 30
Class # 6599
4 points

Walt Disney and Hayao Miyazaki are, arguably, the two best-known and widely acclaimed artists in the history of animated cinema.  Despite obvious differences in style, themes, politics and approach to the animated form, what unites the oeuvres of Disney and Miyazaki is their indelible influence on the aesthetics, narratives and cultural significance of animated film and films for children. Founders of two of the most successful independent production houses in cinematic history – the Walt Disney entertainment conglomerate and Studio Ghibli, their films provide insight into the role of autonomous studios in both domestic and global contexts. While Disney’s company has produced innovative films of high aesthetic quality, stunning animation and hegemonic values, Studio Ghibli has managed to equal those lofty artistic standards while crafting complex tales which question the very foundations of the culture from which they emerge.  This course will examine the works of these two artists, producers and production houses in the light of auteur and animation scholarship to interrogate how their respective filmic productions both exemplify and problematize the issue of cinematic authorship and illustrate the cultural function of animation.  Films to be screened will include Snow White, Fantasia, Pinnochio, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Frozen, Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and The Wind Rises.

David Mikics
Mondays-Thursdays
6:00-10:00pm
Room TBA

CINE-UT 206
Class # 6600
4 points

The films of Stanley Kubrick constitute one of the most innovative bodies of work in the cinema.  This course investigates Kubrick’s films in detail with emphasis on their narrative conceptions and structures.  The course will explore the uses of irony and voiceover, the relationship between humans and technology, the centrality of the topic of war, and questions of genre in his films.

Haneul Lee
Mondays & Wednesdays
12:30-4:30pm
Room TBA

CINE-UT 134
Class # 4952
4 points

This course is designed to survey Korean cinema aligned with topics related to the social, political, and cultural history of Korea and beyond: colonialism, war, modernity, dictatorship, anti-communism, civil movements, global capitalism, mobility, labor, gender, diaspora, national cries, etc. Selected fiction and nonfiction films from the colonial and post-Korean war era to the platform age will provide students an overview of the development of Korean cinema in a chronological sense. Paired with scholarly readings, we will analyze the films from various points at issue.

Ifeanyi Awachie
Tuesdays & Thursdays
12:30-4:30pm

CINE-UT 389
Class # 4953
4 points

Exploring films made between 1980 and the present day, this course aims to highlight Black filmmakers from a range of African, Caribbean, and European countries as well as the United States and United Kingdom whose films represent a variety of diasporic positions–whether those of recent immigrants, those based in diaspora for many generations, or those based on the African continent. Exploring films including Gessica Geneus’ Freda (2021), Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny (2022), and Martine Syms’ The African Desperate (2022) and informed by a queer, Black feminist lens, the course focuses heavily on the perspectives of women, representations of queerness, and other experiences outside of those of dominant groups. Rather than a definitive survey of contemporary African and Black diasporic film, the course offers a curated selection of works whose themes include girlhood, migration, spirituality, and the quotidian. Focusing on fiction films, the course will also engage experimental films and music videos. Class meetings will be enhanced by visits from filmmakers (TBC).

Anthony Dominguez
Mondays & Wednesdays
6:00-10:00pm
Room TBA

CINE-UT 412
Class # 3305
4 points

In their cyberpunk retrospective, Anthology Films Archives and Screen Slate dubbed 1995 “the year the internet broke” in reference to the smattering of pop-culture that brought forth the internet and the world of cybernetics into the mainstream. While 1995 saw the release of landmark cyberpunk films such as Ghost in the Shell, Hackers, and Johnny Mnemonic, the ensuing years leading up to the year 2000 were also part of the cultural zeitgeist known as “Y2K,” an event that heralded the apocalypse, promising that a global failure in computer systems would lead humanity back to the stone age. Retrospectively, however, Y2K has evolved beyond its cyberpunk roots and has now become a catch-all-phrase to reference the cultural movement of the time encompassing elements—the rise of reality television on MTV and the bubble-gum pop star a la Britney Spears, the invasion of Iraq which simultaneously shared the airwaves with American pop, the advent of Cool Japan and the rapid advancement in game technology, and the own technological shift in cinema heralded both by George Lucas’ embracing of digital technologies but also the dearth of independent directors who would find new creative powers in the mini d.v. Apocalypse / Utopia explores the cinema, aural, and visual culture of Y2K, beginning with 1995 and ending with 2007—the year which saw the release of the iPod touch, Facebook, and the seventh generation consoles, cultural elements that signaled the beginning of web 3.0. Throughout the semester, we will delve into topics such as American malls as places of nowhere and their subsequent death (Chain), the origins of Y2K culture and the interrogation of Technorientalism but also the simultaneous advent of a new Afrofuturism (Matrix Reloaded), or cyberspace as its own realm of queer flânerie (So Close). The last two sessions of the course move beyond 2007 to contrast Y2K with vaporwave (Rapture Adrenaline) which sought to create a utopia from the past—perhaps in light of Y2K’s failure—and the rebirth and remixing of Y2K through nostalgia.

CINE-UT 900 / Class # 3205      1-4 points variable
CINE-UT 902 / Class # 3206      1-4 points variable

A student wishing to conduct independent research for credit must obtain approval from a full-time faculty member in the Department of Cinema Studies who will supervise an independent study for up to 4 credits. This semester-long study is a project of special interest to the student who, with the supervising faculty member, agrees on a course of study and requirements. The proposed topic for an Independent Study project should not duplicate topics taught in departmental courses. This is an opportunity to develop or work on a thesis project.

To register, you must submit an Independent Study Form. Once the information from your form is verified by your faculty supervisor, you will receive a permission code.

CINE-UT 950 / Class # 3158      1-4 points variable
CINE-UT 952 / Class # 3159      1-4 points variable

A student wishing to pursue an internship must obtain the internship and submit the Learning Contract before receiving a permission code. All internship grades will be pass/fail.