Film FILM
Instruction offered under the direction of the Faculty of Communication and Culture. For information visit the Faculty of Communication and Culture website, www.comcul.ucalgary.ca, or contact the Communication and Culture Faculty Office,(403) 220-6343.
Division Head: M. Khouri
Additional interdisciplinary courses are offered under the course headings African Studies; Canadian Studies; Central and East European Studies; Communications Studies; Development Studies; East Asian Studies, General Studies; Innovation Studies, Latin American Studies; Law and Society; Museum and Heritage Studies; Northern Planning and Development Studies; Science, Technology and Society; South Asian Studies; and Women's Studies.
Junior Course
Film 201 H(3-1)
Introduction to Film Studies
An introduction to the main issues involved in studying and analyzing film including medium, story, photography, mise-en-scene, movement, editing, sound, and acting. Intended to prepare students for further work in film studies.
Note: Credit for both Film 201 and Film 200 will not be allowed.
Senior Courses
Film 301 H(2-3)
Topic in National Cinema
Topics will explore various aspects of, or historical moments in, a particular nation's cinematic culture. Topics might include: Quebecois cinema, current British cinema, German cinema Between the Wars, Canadian cinema, the History of Chinese cinema, etc.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 305 H(2-3)
Topic in Genre
Topics will focus on the style, narrative form, and historical evolution of selected genres, for example, the Documentary, the Western, the Melodrama, the Musical, etc.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 307 H(2-3)
Topic in Cinema and Gender Studies
Topics will explore the representation of gender and sexuality in cinema. Topics might include: Images of Women in the American 1940s, Lesbian Images in Current Cinema, The Queer 1950s, Comparative Images of Women in American and French Cinema, etc.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 321 H(2-3)
History of Popular Cinema
An assessment of the various ways in which the history of film production can be approached, including the development of filmmaking technologies, evolutions in cinematic style and narrative traditions, particularly as they relate to popular cinema, and changing industrial practices.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Note: This course may not be offered every year. Until July 21, enrolment is restricted to Minors in Film Studies.
Film 323 H(2-3)
Issues in Film History
An introduction to key concepts in cinematic historiography. Emphasis will be placed upon non-traditional or non-canonical films and their relationship to dominant histories of filmmaking.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Note: This course may not be offered every year. Until July 21, enrolment is restricted to Minors in Film Studies.
Film 331 H(2-3)
Film Theory up to 1950
An introduction to theoretical perspectives on film before the mid twentieth century. Connects film with broader debates on aesthetics, medium specificity, genre, and realism. Includes theories developed in the first half of the 20th century related to Silent Film, Formalism, Montage, Critical Theory, and Auteur theories.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Note: Credit for both Film 331 and 300 will not be allowed.
Note: Until July 21, enrolment is restricted to Minors in Film Studies.
Film 333 H(2-3)
Film Theory after 1950
An introduction to theoretical perspectives on film developed since the mid-twentieth century, specifically Structuralism, Linguistics, Psychoanalysis, Feminism, Post-structuralism, Cultural Studies, Post-colonialism and Queer Theory.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Note: Credit for both Film 333 and 300 will not be allowed.
Note: Until July 21, enrolment is restricted to Minors in Film Studies.
Film 401 H(2-3)
Topic in Film Theory
Topics will be organized around particular theorists, schools of theory, historical issues in film culture, or contemporary thought on film. Topics might include: Psychoanalysis and/as Film Theory; Kaja Silverman and Teresa de Lauretis; Modernism and Postmodernism; Feminist Film Theory; Queer Theory and Film; Postcolonial Theory and Film; Semiotics.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 403 H(2-3)
Topic in the Director's Cinema
Topics will examine the distinctive style and concerns of a particular director or directors.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 405 H(2-3)
Advanced Topic in Film Genre
Topics will be organized around a specific film generic tradition.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 407 H(0-4)
Experiential Learning in Film
This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to combine interests in film studies research with experiential learning opportunities in the community and workplace (internships, paid employment or volunteer position).
Prerequisites: Film 201 and consent of the Faculty.
Note: Restricted to students registered in the BA in Film Studies.
Film 409 H(2-3)
Special Topic in Film Studies
See Master Timetable for current topic(s).
Prerequisites: Film 201.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 441 H(2-3)
The Film Festival
An exploration of the social practices (cultural tourism, tastemaking, identity formation, celebrity and star formation) and operational aspects (marketing, promotion, jurying, lobbying, audience cultivation) of film festivals. Students will be encouraged to participate in community service learning through volunteer opportunities with a particular festival.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Film 451 H(2-3)
The Canadian Film Industry: National and Global Perspectives
A study of the nature of the Canadian film industry. Emphasis will be on the evolution of the Canadian motion picture industry in the twentieth century and how it is situated in contemporary popular culture. Other topics include Canada's historic relationship to Hollywood, the audience for Canadian films, the role of the state in funding, distribution and production systems, the impact of new technologies, and how the structure of Canada's film industry compares with those of other countries.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Film 461 H(2-3)
Film Audience and Reception
The course maps aspects of spectatorship, audience, and reception approaches as they intersect with the experience and study of cinema. The course provides students with tools to appreciate film as an interactive medium of communication. It explores these approaches with emphasis on spectatorial agency, resistant and subversive reading, and hegemonic and counter-hegemonic readership and production.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Film 471 H(2-3)
Experimental Film and Video
The course explores the genre of experimental film and video. Particular emphasis will be given to the history and evolution of works in this genre with attention to Canadian contributions and the impact of digital and new media.
Prerequisites: Film 201.
Film 501 H(0-1T)
Research in Selected Topics
Independent study and directed reading or research for students in the Film Minor program in their third or fourth year. Students will produce a major essay or complete a significant research project.
Prerequisites: Students who wish to propose a Film 501 topic must secure a supervisor among the Film instructors and have the topic approved by the Coordinator of Film Studies. The deadlines are June 30 for Fall Session projects and November 30 for Winter Session Projects.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Film 591 H(3S-0)
Senior Seminar in Film Studies
With reference to a specific topic, this course explores the variety of ways in which film and the technologies of motion pictures connect with social life. Students will undertake a major project that will integrate their understanding of film theory, history, and genres. See individual course outlines for current topics.
Prerequisites: Two of Film Studies 321, 323, 331, or 333, or consent of the Faculty.
Note: Restricted to students registered in the BA in Film Studies.