Film & Media Studies

This course examines news, media and current concerns of Quebec society and other French-speaking societies.

This course explores the historiography of media portrayal of crime in Ireland from the 1970s to the present. The course studies newspaper reporting of crime in Ireland; the broadcast media and emotive reporting; the role of the Garda Press Office; missing persons reportage; media ownership and white collar/blue collar crime; and the rise of the crime correspondent in both the print and broadcast media. Students also explore the blurred distinctions between fiction and reality in both US and Irish TV crime dramas; media stereotyping of crime and its influence on public discourse; and the complexities of media ownership in Ireland and the notion of ethical gate-keeping.

This course looks at key social movements from the 20th and 21st century and the ways in which culture and cultural expression have been central to representing social causes, communicating concerns, and engendering public support for social change. It examines how technologies have changed the shape of cultural expression, often defining the texture and possibilities of activist practices. The course explores a wide range of cultural practices and their relationship with activism including the visual arts, performing arts, and music. It draws from examples across time and geographic locations. 

From K-pop to Korean television series and cinema, South Korean culture has boasted its popularity both within the East Asian region and across the globe. Since the so-called South Korean film renaissance of the 1990s-2000s until the recent box office mega-hits such as TRAIN OF BUSAN, ALONG THE GODS, and PARASITE, the Korean film industry has been showcasing its versatility through its adapting to the changes of the global film industry and transforming of popular genre conventions. This course surveys the history of post-war Korean cinema since the 1950s to the present, in particular its relationship to urban space and gender, popular genre, trauma and history, and authorship.

This is a special studies course with projects arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific topics of study vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. The number of units varies with the student’s project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student’s special study project form.

This class introduces Korean contemporary films and relevant societal discourses. The course covers the role of film/moving images in contemporary society, the rhetoric of visual media in broader context, and lastly, Korean contemporary films in a more concrete realm. By writing critiques on each subject as well as sharing during class, students challenge their personal feelings and thoughts, broaden their knowledge, and deepen their insights on film media.

This course explores the creative and industrial process in developing a script for a television fiction. It discusses the different tools available for a television writer. Topics include: concept development; characters and the characterization process; development of plot lines; dialogues; the pitch.

The course introduces digital media and its theory, history, aesthetics, function, and impact on society. After an introduction to different theoretical perspectives on media (e.g. medium theory and medialization theory), the course turns to topics such as media archaeology and -materiality, digital publics and political communication, media use and participatory culture, misinformation and surveillance. It analyzes social media (e.g. Facebook and Twitter), digital visual media (e.g. photography), and other forms of digital media.

The course focuses on the consequences of media in armed conflicts and the importance of armed conflict for the media, in both historical and contemporary perspectives. The course provides tools to analyze and understand different cultural, social, and technical aspects of the relationship between the media and armed conflicts.