CMST 120 - Film History

5 CR

This course examines the film as one of the most influential media within a changing cultural, political, and industrial context since its historical origin in 1880. Course discussion focuses on the aesthetic, type, and technological developments of filmmaking, and how those developments provide possibilities for artistic expression, propaganda, entertainment, as well as representations of culture and identities. Special attention is given to influential movements both within the US and around the world to show how the film can be a national, international, and global medium across different historical periods, as well as how current digital and virtual reality technology may further enhance film as an art form and a vehicle for stories.

Recommended: ENGL 101 and completion of any CMST Theory course.
Course Outcomes

Critically examine the aesthetic, type, and movement of filmmaking within the corresponding cultural, political, and industrial context
Articulate and analyze ways through which key figures (such as film-making pioneers, directors, and film critics) impacted the development of film
Articulate and critique the impact of technologies in filmmaking and how those impacts provide possibilities for artistic expression, propaganda, and entertainment
Critique film pieces in relation to major filmmaking movements (such as Italian neorealism and the French New Wave), key filmmaking concepts, communication studies theories (such as the functional analysis and the Narrative Paradigm), and film theories (such as the auteur theory and André Bazin’s concept of realism).

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