Special Topics (395-CN-62)

Topic

Writers on Film

Instructors

Freda Love Smith

Meeting Info

Online: Mon 6:15PM - 9:15PM

Overview of class

What do you know about writers? Are they tortured artists, lone geniuses, the chosen few? Chances are these ideas come from media portrayals of writers and the writing process that you've seen and heard. This seminar will explore the depiction of writers in film and television, analyzing these portrayals through contemporary scholarship on creativity. We will unravel cultural assumptions and myths that surround our concept of the writer and discuss issues like writer's block, the origin of ideas and inspiration, and the challenges and benefits of collaboration. Weekly film and television screenings will be augmented with readings from the fields of communication studies, film studies, and creativity studies. Screenings may include Barton Fink, Shakespeare in Love, Bright Star, American Fiction, The Larry Sanders Show, and 30 Rock. Students will write short weekly response papers and present a final project on a film or television show that depicts a creative process.

Class Attributes

Synchronous:Class meets remotely at scheduled time