Summer 2020 Graduate Courses

Bill Simon
May 26-June 14 / Mondays-Thursdays / 12:30-4:30pm
CINE-GT 1230 / class # 5134 / 4 points

This course will focus on the New York City films of Martin Scorsese.  We shall approach several of the films (e.g. Gangs of New York, The Age of Innocence) as filmic examples of historical fiction and most of the other films in terms of their socio-cultural representation of New York City phenomena (e.g. immigration, crime, the art and entertainment industries).  As well, we will be concerned with exploring Scorsese’s “narrative method” – his usages of film form and style – in relation to the above issues.

Claudia Calhoun
May 26-June 14 / Mondays-Thursdays / 6:00-10:00pm
CINE-GT 1127 / Class # 5218 / 4 points

The term "showrunner" has recently come into usage to describe the individual who is most responsible for the style and content of a television show, such as The Sopranos; David Chase, or Girls; Lena Dunham. This course will analyze and interrogate this new category of "showrunner" on U.S. television, looking at the stories that showrunners tell on-screen and the ideas of authorship that showrunners mobilize and challenge.  We will look at series from the 1950s to the present day, considering how individuals become authors in a collaborative medium and how conceptions of television authorship have changed over time. The writers and producers covered will include early television creators like Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy) and Jack Webb (Dragnet); network-era figures like Aaron Spelling (Charlie's Angels) and David Lynch (Twin Peaks); and contemporary writer-producers like Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag).

Julian Cornell
June 15-July 5 / Mondays-Thursdays / 6:00-10:00pm
CINE-GT 1204 / Class # 2217 / 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 oueveres 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.