Course Info: HACU-0259
| Course | HACU-0259 Melodrama and Film Noir |
| Long Title | Film Genre: Melodrama and Film Noir |
| Term | 2015F |
| Note(s) |
Prerequisites Required Textbook information |
| Meeting Info | Franklin Patterson HallüFranklin Patterson Hall 101üELH on WüM from 9:00-11:50ü7:00-10:00 |
| Faculty | Lise Sanders |
| Capacity | 25 |
| Available | 12 |
| Waitlist | 0 |
| Distribution(s) | |
| Cumulative Skill(s) | Writing and Research Independent Work |
| Additional Info | Prerequisites: Introduction to Film Studies or an equivalent course. Students are expected to spend 8-10 hours weekly in preparation and work outside of class time. |
| Description | This course examined classical Hollywood cinema of the 1930s-1950s, focusing on the parallel genres of melodrama and film noir. These genres shared a production context (the Hollywood studio system at its height), an emphasis on gender (for melodrama in the form of the "weepie" or woman's film, and for film noir in its depiction of hard-boiled masculinity and the femme fatale), and an engagement with the pressing social and political issues of the era. In this course we asked why these genres flourished during this period, how they resonated with contemporary audiences, and whether they transformed over time. In addition to weekly viewing journals, three formal essays were required: a 3-5 page explication of a theoretical article; a 4-6 page sequence analysis; and a 10-12 page research paper, with a draft to be revised in conjunction with a peer review workshop. |