Radio/Television/Film Genre (322-0-20)

Topic

Melodrama

Instructors

Ariel Rogers

Meeting Info

Helmerich Auditorium: Tues 1:00PM - 2:50PM
Annie May Swift Hall 109: Thurs 1:00PM - 2:50PM

Overview of class

From BRIDGERTON (Chris Van Dusen, 2020-) to BARBIE (Greta Gerwig, 2023), films and television shows continue to use tried-and-true melodramatic methods to evoke strong feelings in their viewers. With last-minute rescues, triumphant underdogs, thrilling action, and tear-streaked confrontations, these works harness aesthetic spectacle to stir viewers' emotions, often by foregrounding social concerns and inequities. Focusing primarily on work produced within the United States, this course examines the history of screen melodrama and its persistence in contemporary media, interrogating the appeal melodrama continues to have for audiences as well as the ways in which its conventions have morphed over time and across platforms.

Learning Objectives

This course will provide students the opportunity to 1) analyze the ways in which historical and contemporary media draw on and transform the conventions of melodrama, 2) understand and employ key theoretical frameworks on screen melodrama, and 3) refine their critical and communication skills.

Class Materials (Required)

Course pack

Class Attributes

Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: REASON: Pre-registration is not allowed for this class. Please try again during regular registration.