• Home
• Major
• Minor
• Faculty
• Course Offerings
• Course Descriptions
• Film Culture at VU
• Film Competitions
• News and Events
• Contact Us
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a
• a

 

Course Descriptions

African American and Diaspora Studies

150. Reel to Real: Film Aesthetics and Representation. Oppositional cinematic practices of black filmmakers. Hollywood representations of blacks. The theoretical language of film criticism, styles, genres, periods.

Art Studio

120. Photography. A studio course in black-and-white photography. Composition, quality of
image, and photographic manipulation.
122. Digital Imaging. Creation of still, photo-based images using digital cameras, scanners,
and Photoshop software for digital output. Issues that affect contemporary art.
160. Digital Art. Art made with the aid of computers. Programs and processes vary. Digital
imaging, manipulation, motion, and interactivity.
170. Multimedia. Relationships of video, computer graphics, new materials, electronic
music, and performance. Technical processes and creative expression.
171. Video Art. Video as an art form. Group and individual productions. Viewing and discussion.
Project analysis and critique. Relationship to such traditional media as photography
and film.

Communication Studies

241. Rhetoric of Mass Media. A study of the nature, effects, reasons for the effects, ethics, regulation, and criticism of contemporary mass media communication. Political causes, news reporting, commercial advertising, and similar sources of rhetoric are included.
242. Communication, Culture, and Consciousness. The relationship between the primary means of communication in a culture and its influence on knowledge and subjectivity. Orality, literacy, print and electronic communication, with a focus on postmodern aesthetics.
243. Cultural Rhetorics of Film.

East Asian Studies

294B. Martial Arts Literature and Film: Traditions and Transformation. The development of martial arts narratives from pre-modern Chinese historical, fictional, and dramatic texts to twentieth-century literature and film.
212. Explorations of Japanese Animation. Introduction to the form and content of Japanese animation as globalized popular entertainment and as a speculative artistic medium that explores history and memory, nature and technology, human identity, carnivalesque comedy, and
gender relations.

English

265. Film and Modernism. Film in the context of the major themes of literary modernism: the divided self, language and realism, nihilism and belief, and spatialization of time.
267. Desire in America: Literature, Cinema, and History. The influence of desire and repression in shaping American culture and character from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.
268a. America on Film: Art and Ideology. American culture and character throughout film, film theory and literature.
268b. America on Film: Performance and Culture. Film performance in the construction od identity, gender, social meaning and narrative, public image and influence in America.
269. Special Topics in Film. Topics offered vary and are cited each semester in the Schedule of Courses.

European Studies

235. Filming World War II. French and German filmic representations of World War II. Relationship between history and media representation.

Film Studies

115F. Film Adaptations: Turning Source Material into Oscars.
125. Introduction to Film Studies. Introduction to the study of film, stylistic tendencies and narrative strategies, genres, and theoretical approaches. The course spans silent and sound eras and offers examples from both the Hollywood motion picture industry and diverse national cinemas.
130. Introduction to Documentary Studies. History and analysis of film and video practices; relationships to other genres and media; audiovisual conventions of "realism," their uses and problems; implementation of theory in documentary practice.
131. Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking.
201. Film Theory. Historical overview of the major analytical and critical approaches to the study of film as an art and cultural form, from classic film theory to contemporary perspectives, Prerequisite: 125.
280a-280b-280c. Internship and Research. Under faculty supervision, students intern on projects related to film and media in public or private organizations. Responsibilities include conducting background research and developing skills in film and media study and production.
288. Special Topics in Film. Topics offered vary and are cited each semester in the Schedule of Courses.
289a-289b. Independent Study. Projects are arranged with individual professors and must be confirmed by the director of Film Studies within two weeks of the beginning of classes; otherwise the student will be dropped from the rolls.
290. Senior Seminar. Advanced reading and research in film.
299a. Senior Honors Research. Acquisition, reading, and analysis of primary source research material. Open only to senior honors students.
299b. Senior Honors Thesis. Writing an honors thesis under the supervision of the thesis advisor.

French

210. The French and Francophone Cinema. The themes and art of film in France and the French-speaking world. Offered in French at Vanderbilt in France and in English at Nashville. When offered in English, this course does not count toward the minor, and writing must be done in French to count toward the major.

German

244. German Fairy Tales from Brothers Grimm to Walt Disney. The German fairy tale tradition
and its role in American culture. No German required.
270. German Cinema: Vampires, Victims, and Vamps. A survey of the German film with special attention to its sociocultural context and to pertinent theories of photography and of cinematic narration. No knowledge of German required.
273. Nazi Cinema: The Manipulation of Mass Culture. Nazi manipulation of mass culture through film (propaganda, musicals, westerns). Some comparison with American film of the era, additional examination of "fascist" aesthetic legacy in American culture today. No knowledge of German required.

History of Art

272a–272b. Survey of Film History. A survey of the development of the motion picture and analysis of its changing aesthetic through the study of acknowledged masterpieces.
272a: the beginnings in 1895 through 1941.
272b: 1941 to the present.
288. Artists on Film.

Italian

240. Modern Italian Cinema.

Music

183. Music, The Arts, and Ideas. This course is about intersections--not "appreciation." Or, if you insist, it is about the appreciation of intersections. Our premise will be that nothing in culture exists in isolation --at least not for long. Everything touches something else. Whether at the moment of its origin or at the moment it interacts with the knowledge and experience of its recipient, a cultural artifact is a wonderfully messy affair. For more information see the Music To Go summary.
264. Exploring the Film Soundtrack. This course is designed to help us understand how we perceive the film as a whole, with particular attention to how we react to the soundtrack. And since our attention is only rarely focused directly on the music itself, film requires a different type of listening. Our goal will be to develop some perspectives from which to understand the relationships between music, sound, dialogue, image, and narrative in movies. For more information see the Music To Go summary.

Philosophy

243. Philosophy of Film. Challenges posed by film forms to traditional aesthetics and the novel philosophical approaches created to deal with them. Topics include the nature of the film image, film and experiential time, cinematic genres, the problem of mass art, and feminist critiques of spectatorship. Weekly screenings.

Religious Studies

133. Asia on Film. Cinematic perspectives on Asian religion and culture, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Shinto, and Confucian traditions in India, Tibet, Vietnam, China, Japan, and the U.S. Politics and significance of representation and interpretation.
229. The Holocaust: Its Meanings and Implications. An interdisciplinary study of the systematic destruction of the European Jewish communities during World War II. Historical, social, political, cultural developments that led to it. Psychological and sociological dimensions of its aftermath. Philosophical and theological problems it raises for both Jews and Christians.

Russian

234. Russian Cinema. Socialist Realism of the 1930s to 1950s; masterpieces of the post-Stalin era in the 1960s and '70s; sex and violence of the Perestroika; new post-Soviet cinema. Films by such directors as Eisenstein, Pyryev, Romm, Tarkovsky, Mikhalkov, and Sokurov are studied and discussed within the political context. No knowledge of Russian required.
235. The Adultery Myth in Literature and Film: Anna Karenina .

Spanish

226. Film and Recent Cultural Trends in Spain. The cinema and Spanish cultural evolution during and after the Franco dictatorship. Prerequisite: 203, 212, or Vanderbilt in semester.

Theater

110. Introduction to Theatre Production. Contemporary concepts, methods, and practices
employed in the planning and implementation of stage scenery and lighting. Communication,
creative problem solving, and organizational management through research,
lecture, and class discussion.
170. Introduction to Filmmaking. Basics of motion picture production through the creation of four short video projects. Practical analysis of shorts, documentaries, and feature films. Emphasis on storytelling with a camera.
212. Scenic Design. Physical aspects of the theatre explored as an aid to understanding and critical evaluation of their role in the art of the theatre. Prerequisite: 100 or 115W (or consent of the instructor) and 110.
213. Lighting and Sound Design. Physical aspects of the theatre explored as an aid to understanding and critical evaluation of their role in the art of the theatre. Prerequisite: 100 or 115W (or consent of the instructor) and 110.
214. Costume and Makeup Design. Physical aspects of the theatre explored as an aid to understanding and critical evaluation of their role in the art of the theatre. Prerequisite: 100 or 115W (or consent of the instructor) and 110.
219. Acting I. The actor's role in the theatre with emphasis on acting as artistic self expression through improvisation and development of performance skills. Prerequisite: 100 or 115W or consent of the instructor.
227W. Screenwriting. An introduction to the techniques of screenwriting. Admission by consent of the instructor.
230. Play Direction. Play direction as an aid to critical understanding and appreciation of the theatre. Development of techniques. Prerequisite: 219 and 100 or 115W or consent of the instructor.
271. American Film Forms. A critical study of major forms of feature length motion pictures especially associated with American filmmaking. Representative examples of five major genres. SUMMER.
275W. Advanced Screenwriting. Advanced instruction in screenwriting. Emphasis on compelling
ideas, advanced story structure, dramatic character development, and dialogue.
Prerequisite: 227.
277. Advanced Filmmaking. Advanced instruction in filmmaking. Emphasis on film theory,
camera placement, editing, and sound design. Prerequisite: 170.
278. Advanced Production Workshop. Intensive advanced exercise in filmmaking. Students
participate as crew for significant video project. Admission by consent of instructor.

Women's Studies

272. Feminism and Film. Representations of gender, women, masculinity, femininity, sexuality, race, and class in Hollywood film. From early era to present, with discussion informed by readings in film theory, feminist theory, psychoanalytic theory, race theory, and queer studies. Genres will include film noir, "passing" films, and B-horror films.

For more information, please contact Paul Young.