Film & Media Studies

This course explores both the theoretical and practical components of Self-Portrait as a genre. Students learn to observe and reflect on how they see themselves and how others see them. Students explore personal identity using mixed media and film diaries of everyday lives. The course includes three small projects, one for each genre topic and students analyze both classic and contemporary works throughout the course.

From the magic lantern to the early cinema, this course explores the context of the 19th-century history of Europe and the United States, told through the various European avant-garde movements. Moving forward, it observes the modernization of filmmaking with a focus on contemporary French cinema, by combining aesthetic and narrative considerations. Learning outcomes include: knowing film history focusing on this major period of its history; mastering specific filmmaking vocabulary; acquiring film analysis and basic methodology. 

This course focuses on how certain elements, such as direction, cinematography, editing, color, and sound all contribute to the artistry and emotional impact of a film. The goal is to understand how directors use these tools to create a specific aesthetic and convey their message.

The diverse history of experimental film practice is examined in this course through a lecture-based pedagogy that supports practice-based learning. The course examines the history of experimental film with reference to avant-garde, experimental, and moving image artistic practices. The course considers movements in other fine art practice and focuses on film as a medium of artistic self-expression. The course balances theory, history, and practice to address sometimes difficult and unfamiliar films that can blend subjective expressions of lyricism, tradition, personal experience, participation, technology, appropriation, performance, and mediation. 

This course examines the many different ways that we might think about fans and fan cultures, from what they think about, talk about and produce, to the way they are seen by themselves, other fans, media industries, the culture more broadly. This course encourages students to observe the media around them and to assess it critically, including understanding economic and power dynamics, as well as the role that is played by gender, race, ethnicity, language, sexuality, and cultural and social capital.

This course examines the changing public sphere over time, from its early-modern emergence to the challenges of tabloid news and online fragmentation in contemporary media culture.

This course examines the role of media in cases of modern conflict, genocide, and peace processes. It covers media structure, content, framing and psychological responses during times of conflict and peace-making, and how media informs audiences and either foments or quells conflict.

This course examines feature film and the main traditions of film criticism. A series of significant films, from 1915 to the present, are explored in detail. The aim is to develop a historical perspective, an awareness of film-making as an art and an interest in the relationship between films and society, including debates about race, gender, censorship.

This course examines the complex interplay between politics and the media. This interplay shapes public discourse and political outcomes as political actors strategically leverage media platforms to influence public opinion, while the media frames and reports on political events. Students will focus on examining theories of political communication, the media’s influential role in agenda-setting, and the critical examination of phenomena such as misinformation, fake news, censorship, propaganda, the rise of celebrity politicians, political advertising, satire, citizen journalism, and permanent campaigning. 

This course explores ethical issues in the design and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). It examines ethical theories and practices from historical, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural perspectives relating to current and emerging ICTs. Students  study the major ethical frameworks such as consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics etc. They look at how they are applied to issues around privacy, security, social media interactions, access, health, game design, and so on. And they explore how the design of technological systems and structures can support ethical principles.