Symposium: Issues in RTVF (398-0-26)
Topic
Holocaust/Genocide in Film&TV
Instructors
Miriam B White
Meeting Info
Louis Hall 119: Tues 3:00PM - 4:50PM
Louis Hall 119: Thurs 3:00PM - 5:50PM
Overview of class
How do the aesthetic and rhetorical resources of cinema engage historical events of unspeakable horror? The class will consider documentary and narrative films focusing on genocides. The aim of the course is to understand how telling these stories in different registers offers diverse ways of understanding what happened. We will pay particular attention to the distinctive points of view and entrées to historical events afforded by various genres and modes of cinematic narration. The first part of the class will be devoted to films dealing with the World War II European Holocaust. The last four weeks will consider films representing other historic genocides: Armenian, Cambodian, Rwandan, and Yugoslav.
Registration Requirements
Registration (and preregistration) for the class is handled through CAESAR. Due to the challenging subject matter, this class will have a strict cap of 24 students to facilitate a respectful pedagogic environment. The class is cross-listed in Jewish Studies and seats have been allocated to both RTVF and Jewish Studies.
Evaluation Method
Class time will be devoted to screenings and discussion of the films in the context of reading assignments, supplemented by brief lectures on cinematic narration/point of view. In addition, each student will develop a research project, culminating in a final paper. These can address films that deal with other genocides or extend the range of films connected to those covered in the class.
In addition to the individual research project mentioned above, students will be asked to come to class with brief notes on things they found particularly interesting in the reading and screening material.
Class Materials (Required)
All assigned reading material will be available on Canvas. Screenings will be held in class. One class meeting per week is 3 hours long to allow for movies that run longer than two hours. For final projects, students will need access to films or other media materials; some of these may be available through the NU library, but access to other distribution resources may be needed.