Advanced Seminar in Film & Video (443-0-20)

Topic

Psychoanalysis & Cinema

Instructors

Lakshmi Padmanabhan

Meeting Info

Annie May Swift Hall G14: Thurs 10:00AM - 1:50PM
Helmerich Auditorium: Thurs 10:00AM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

What are the concepts, methods and approaches worth retaining from the field-defining encounter between Lacanian psychoanalysis and film theory, nearly half a century after its high point in the late 60s and early 70s? This seminar will provide an introduction to some key debates in the field of psychoanalytic film theory (readings will likely include essays by Joan Copjec, Stephen Heath, Colin MacCabe, Laura Mulvey, Hortense Spillers) and will conclude with contemporary interventions in psychoanalytic media criticism. Throughout, we will be elaborating on the proposition that the unconscious is a conceptual necessity for understanding the relations engendered by contemporary media and the social worlds they mediate. Each weekly meeting will consist of a screening and a discussion. Screenings will include a variety of genres and modes of filmmaking.
Familiarity with psychoanalytic theory is not required, though welcome. We will spend some time in the first sessions working through some key texts in Freud and Lacan to build a shared vocabulary for the course.

Class Attributes

PhD Course

Enrollment Requirements

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