Studies in Gender, Sexuality & Representation (307-0-20)

Topic

Queer Cinema

Instructors

Lakshmi Padmanabhan

Meeting Info

Meets in Non-General PurposeRm: Tues 1:00PM - 3:20PM
Annie May Swift Hall 109: Thurs 1:00PM - 2:50PM

Overview of class

This course will introduce students to the history of queer cinema, and to the basic concepts and debates within queer theory broadly construed. How does cinema allow us to theorize queer forms of belonging? What constitutes queer aesthetics today? What are the political possibilities for reimagining the boundaries of queerness in the present? And what are the ongoing tensions and fault lines around identity and desire that remain unaddressed through queer theory's political interventions? These are some of the questions we will grapple with in this course. Screenings will include early gay and lesbian cinema, "queer" film avant la lettre, the New Queer Cinema movement in the United States and Europe, as well as contemporary queer and trans film and video. We will pay particular attention to the aesthetic strategies of independent filmmakers and video artists, drawing out the connections between experimental aesthetic forms and politically engaged critique. Each week, we will develop a shared language of film analysis to address the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality through close readings of the visual texts.

Registration Requirements

Reserved for Radio/TV/Film Major and Minor Students until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites.

Class Materials (Required)

All readings will be provided as PDFs on Canvas. Students are expected to bring copies of the reading to class discussions.
All films will be screened at the Block Cinema.

Class Attributes

Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area