Topics in Literature, Film, and Media (215-0-01)
Instructors
Nicholas K Davis
847/491-3433
1897 Sheridan, Uh 215, Evanston, IL 60208
Meeting Info
Harris Hall 107: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
In this course, we will apply techniques of close-reading and evidence-driven argumentation to a range of films released in the last five years, including work from France, Senegal, South Korea, and the U.S. In so doing, we will blend "literary" interests in plot, theme, and character with aesthetic elements specific to film, especially cinematography, editing, and sound. In movies written directly for the screen, such as Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Tár, we will highlight how such cinematic artistry adds crucial dimension to these films' stories and concepts, without which any interpretation is inadequate. In adaptations from page to screen, such as If Beale Street Could Talk and Nomadland, we will compare aspects of perspective and structure in the written and the filmed versions. Selected scholarly readings furnish key cultural contexts informing such movies as Parasite and Atlantics. We will also read public-facing reviews of some of these films so as to understand, extend, and/or dispute the arguments advanced in these critiques.
By the end, students should amass new levels of confidence, insight, clarity, and curiosity about cinema made around the world in our own historical moment, including films that go out of their way to challenge us with provocative premises, ambiguous stories, and enigmatic styles.
Class Attributes
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Associated Classes
DIS - University Hall 112: Thurs 4:00PM - 4:50PM
DIS - University Hall 312: Thurs 4:00PM - 4:50PM
DIS - University Hall 418: Thurs 5:00PM - 5:50PM
DIS - University Hall 112: Thurs 5:00PM - 5:50PM
DIS - University Library 3722: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
DIS - University Hall 318: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
DIS - University Library 3722: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - University Library 3370: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - University Hall 218: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM
DIS - University Library 3722: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM
DIS - Locy Hall 106: Thurs 4:00PM - 4:50PM
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 4-410: Thurs 5:00PM - 5:50PM