Film Studies Major
Requirements and Course Descriptions
Preparatory Subject Matter
Students complete 20 units in Film, Visual and Popular Culture, Gender/Race/Ethnicity and Humanities and 0-20 units in a Language.
Introduction to Film Studies
FMS 1: Introduction to Film Studies (4)
Analysis of film form and narrative, including cinematography,
editing, and sound. Issues in film studies, including authorship,
stardom, race, gender, class, and cultural identity. Includes
introduction to selected cinematic movements and national film
traditions.
Language
A four course sequence in a single language or equivalent. Requirement can be satisfied with AP exam, Placement exam or transfer coursework equivalent to 4 quarters of a single language.
Visual and Popular Culture
One course from the following list.
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
AAS 15: Introduction to African American Humanities (4)
Critical examination of the historical, political, social, and
economic factors that have affected the development and status of
African-American people in contemporary society.
AAS 50: Black Popular Culture (4)
Survey of the African American images in popular culture (film,
television, comedy, sports and music).
ART HISTORY
AHI 5: Introduction to Visual Culture (4)
Development of visual literacy for an increasingly visual world.
Critical analyses focus on a wide variety of visual media—art,
television, film, advertising, the Internet—intended for a
diverse spectrum of audiences.
AMERICAN STUDIES
AMS 1A: Science and American Culture (4)
American science as a cultural system. Mutual influence and
interaction of that system with other cultural systems including
religion, social thought, art, architecture, literature, music,
and common sense.
AMS 21: Objects and Everyday Life (4)
Prerequisite: completion of subject A requirement. Material
culture (objects and artifacts ranging from everyday objects like
toys and furnishings to buildings and constructed landscapes) as
evidence for understanding the everyday (vernacular) lives
(gender, social class, ethnicity, region, age, and other factors;
collecting and displaying material.
AMS 30: Images of America and Americans in Popular Culture
(4)
Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Investigation of verbal and
visual discourses about American identity in various popular
culture products, including film, television, radio, music,
fiction, art, advertising, and commercial experiences; discourses
about the United States in the popular culture of other
societies.
ART
ART 30: Introduction to Contemporary Visual Culture (4)
Establishing visual literacy across the media of fine art,
photography, advertising, television and film; media culture;
focus on critical decoding of contemporary visual culture.
CHICANO STUDIES
CHI 50: Chicana and Chicano Culture (4)
Interdisciplinary survey of Chicana/o cultural representation in
the 20th century. Examines Chicana/o culture within a national
and transnational context. Explores how Chicano cultural forms
and practices intersect with social/material forces, intellectual
formations and cultural discourses.
CHI 60: Chicana and Chicano Representation in Cinema (4)
Introductory-level study of Chicana and Chicano representation in
cinema. Depiction of Chicana and Chicano experience by Chicana/o
filmmakers, as well as by non-Chicanos, including independent
filmmakers and the commercial industry.
DESIGN
DES 1: Introduction to Design (4)
Priority given to Design majors. Introduction to design
discipline through readings, writing, visual problem solving, and
critical analysis. Topics: design principles and elements,
vocabulary, color theory, Gestalt principles, conceptualization
strategies. Role of designer and products in contemporary culture
including social responsibility and sustainability.
FRENCH
FRE 50: French Film (4)
Introduction to the tradition of French cinema from its invention
by Méliès and the Lumière brothers through New Wave (especially
the works of Truffaut and Godard) and more recent developments in
French and Francophone film. Taught in English.
HUMANITIES
HUM 60: Narrative and Argumentative Approaches to Major Current
Issues in the Media, Culture, and Society (4)
Interdisciplinary approach to contemporary issues (abortion,
AIDS, civil rights, war and peace, welfare state) around which
individuals, communities and institutions define themselves in
American society, by applying principles of narrative theory to
the narratives where those issues are embedded.
ITALIAN
ITA 50: Studies in Italian Cinema (4)
Introduction to Italian cinema through its genres. Focus is on
cinema as a reflection of and a comment on modern Italian
history. Film will be studied as an artistic medium and as a form
of mass communication.
JAPANESE
JPN 25: Japanese Language and Culture (in English) (4)
Classification and communication of experience in Japanese
culture; principles of language use in Japanese society. Speech
levels and honorific language, language and gender, minority
languages, literacy. Role of Japanese in artificial intelligence
and computer science.
NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
NAS 32: Native American Music and Dance (4)
Introduction to the music and dance of the native peoples of the
Americas. Students will study secular native music and dance from
a cross-section of regions and tribes.
SOCIOLOGY
SOC 25: Sociology of Popular Culture (4)
Social mechanisms that shape modern popular culture. High, folk,
and mass culture: historical emergence of popular culture. Mass
media, commercialization, ideology and cultural styles. Theories
and methods for analyzing cultural expressions in pop music,
street art, film, television, and advertising.
TEXTILE AND CLOTHING
TXC 7: Style and Cultural Studies (4)
The multiple and overlapping influences of gender, sexuality,
ethnicity, and class on constructions of identity and community
are explored through the study of style in popular culture and
everyday life. Continuity and change in clothing and appearance
styles are interpreted.
WOMEN STUDIES
WMS 20: Cultural Representations of Gender (4)
Interdisciplinary investigation of how specific cultures
represent gender difference. Examine a variety of cultural forms
and phenomena including film, television, literature, music,
popular movements, and institutions.
WMS 25: Gender and Global Cinema (4)
The role gender plays in film history/culture in various
geographical contexts and in aspects of contemporary
globalization. Films from nations such as China, Colombia, Cuba,
Ethiopia, India, Iran, Korea, New Zealand, and the U.S.
Gender/Race/Ethnicity
One course from the following list.
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
AAS 10: African-American Culture and Society (4)
Critical examination of the historical, political, social, and
economic factors that have affected the development and status of
African-American people in contemporary society.
AAS 15: Introduction to African American Humanities (4)
Critical examination of the historical, political, social, and
economic factors that have affected the development and status of
African-American people in contemporary society.
AAS 50: Black Popular Culture (4)
Survey of the African American images in popular culture (film,
television, comedy, sports and music).
ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES
ASA 1: Historical Experience of Asian Americans (4)
Introduction to Asian American Studies through an overview of the
history of Asians in America from the 1840s to the present within
the context of the development of the United States.
ASA 2: Contemporary Issues of Asian Americans (4)
Introduction to Asian American Studies through the critical
analysis of the impact of race, racism, ethnicity, imperialism,
militarism, and immigration since post-World War II on Asian
Americans. Topics may include sexuality, criminality, class, hate
crimes, and inter-ethnic relations.
CHICANO STUDIES
CHI 10: Introduction to Chicana/o Studies (4)
Analysis of the situation of the Chicana/o (Mexican-American)
people, emphasizing their history, literature, political
movements, education and related areas.
CHI 50: Chicana and Chicano Culture (4)
Interdisciplinary survey of Chicana/o cultural representation in
the 20th century. Examines Chicana/o culture within a national
and transnational context. Explores how Chicano cultural forms
and practices intersect with social/material forces, intellectual
formations and cultural discourses.
CHI 60: Chicana and Chicano Representation in Cinema (4)
Introductory-level study of Chicana and Chicano representation in
cinema. Depiction of Chicana and Chicano experience by Chicana/o
filmmakers, as well as by non-Chicanos, including independent
filmmakers and the commercial industry.
CHI 65: New Latin American Cinema (4)
Historical, critical, and theoretical survey of the cinemas of
Latin America and their relationship to the emergence of U.S.
Latino cinema. Emphasis on representation and social identity
including gender, sexuality, class, race and ethnicity.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COM 12: Introduction to Women Writers (4)
Survey of fiction, drama, and poetry by women writers from all
continents. Concerns of women compared in light of their varied
social and cultural traditions. Literary analysis of voice,
imagery, narrative strategies and diction.
HISTORY
HIS 72B: Social History of American Women and the Family (4)
Social and cultural history of women, sex roles, and the family
in twentieth-century America, emphasizing female reformers and
revolutionaries, working class women, consumerism, the role of
media, the “feminine mystique,” changes in family life, and the
emergent women’s movement.
NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
NAS 1: Introduction to Native American Studies (4)
Introduction to Native American Studies with emphasis upon basic
concepts relating to Native American historical and political
development.
NAS 10: Native American Experience (4)
Introduction to the diverse cultures of Native American peoples
from North, Central, and South America. Emphasis on Native
American voices in the expression of cultural views and in the
experience of conflicting values.
NAS 32: Native American Music and Dance (4)
Introduction to the music and dance of the native peoples of the
Americas. Students will study secular native music and dance from
a cross-section of regions and tribes.
NAS 33: Native American Art in the U.S. (4)
Comprehensive survey of Indian art forms with emphasis upon
design, media, and function. Intent is to familiarize the student
with a wide range of styles and techniques.
WOMEN STUDIES
WMS 20: Cultural Representations of Gender (4)
Interdisciplinary investigation of how specific cultures
represent gender difference. Examine a variety of cultural forms
and phenomena including film, television, literature, music,
popular movements, and institutions.
WMS 25: Gender and Global Cinema (4)
The role gender plays in film history/culture in various
geographical contexts and in aspects of contemporary
globalization. Films from nations such as China, Colombia, Cuba,
Ethiopia, India, Iran, Korea, New Zealand, and the U.S.
WMS 50: Introduction to Women and Gender Studies (4)
Interdisciplinary introduction surveys and integrates
anthropological, artistic, cultural studies, historical, legal,
literary, philosophical, psychological, scientific, and
sociological perspectives on the study of gender and its
relationship to race, sexuality, class, and other aspects of
social experience.
WMS 70: Theory and History of Sexualities (4)
Key issues in the social construction, organization, and
reproduction of sexualities such as the intersection of sexual
identity with gender, race, ethnicity, and class, and the
relation between movements for sexual liberation and the
regulation of the body.
WMS 80: Special Topics in Women’s Studies (4)
In-depth examination of a women’s studies topic related to the
research interest of the instructor. May be repeated for credit
when topic differs.
Humanities
Two courses from the following list for a total of 8 units. Only one of these two courses may be from DES 15, 16, DRA 10, 21A, 21B or 24.
ART HISTORY
AHI 1A: Ancient Mediterranean Art (4)
Introduction to the art and architecture of the ancient
Mediterranean world, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and
Rome.
AHI 1B: Medieval and Renaissance Art (4)
Christian, Barbarian, Moslem, and Classical traditions in
European Art from the fourth through the sixteenth centuries.
AHI 1C: Baroque to Modern Art (4)
Survey of developments in western art and visual culture from
1600–present. Major artists and movements, theories of visuality,
focused study on changing interpretations of class, gender,
sexuality, and ethnicity from the Baroque period through
modernism, to the present.
AHI 1D and 1DV: Arts of Asia (4/5)
Introduction to major forms and trends in the arts and material
culture of Asia from the Neolithic to the contemporary
emphasizing the visual manifestation of secular and religious
ideas and ideals.
ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES
ASA 2: Contemporary Issues of Asian Americans (4)
Introduction to Asian American Studies through the critical
analysis of the impact of race, racism, ethnicity, imperialism,
militarism, and immigration since post-World War II on Asian
Americans. Topics may include sexuality, criminality, class, hate
crimes, and inter-ethnic relations.
CHINESE
CHN 10: Modern Chinese Literature (In English) (4)
Introductory course requiring no knowledge of Chinese language or
history. Reading and discussion of short stories and novels and
viewing of two films. Designed to convey a feeling for what China
has experienced in the twentieth century.
CHN 11: Great Books of China (in English) (4)
Selected readings in English translation are supplemented with
background information on periods, authors and the
interrelationships of culture, literature and social change.
Methods of analysis are introduced and applied in class
discussions.
CLASSICS
CLA 10: Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Mythology (3)
Examination of major myths of Greece, Rome, and the Ancient Near
East; their place in the religion, literature and art of the
societies that produced them; their subsequent development,
influence and interpretation.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COM 3: Major Books of Western Culture: The Modern Crisis (4)
Introduction, through class discussion and frequent written
assignments, to the major literature and thought of the late
eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century.
COM 4: Major Books of the Contemporary World (4)
Comparative study of selected major Western and non-Western texts
composed in the period from 1945 to the present. Intensive focus
on writing about these texts, with frequent papers written about
these works.
COM 5: Fairy Tales, Fables, and Parables (4)
An introduction to fairy tales, fables, and parables as recurrent
forms in literature, with such readings as tales from Aesop and
Grimm, Chaucer and Shakespeare, Kafka and Borges, Buddhist and
Taoist parables, the Arabian Nights, and African American
folklore.
COM 6: Myths and Legends (4)
Introduction to the comparative study of myths and legends,
excluding those of Greece and Rome, with readings from Near
Eastern, Teutonic, Celtic, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, African and
Central American literary sources.
COM 7: Literature of Fantasy and the Supernatural (4)
The role of fantasy and the supernatural in literature: tales of
magic, hallucination, ghosts, and metamorphosis, including
diverse authors such as Shakespeare, P’u Sung-Ling, Kafka,
Kawabata, Fuentes, and Morrison.
DESIGN
DES 15: Form and Color (4)
Priority given to Design majors. Understanding color, form and
composition as ways of communicating design concepts and content.
Color theory, color mixing, interaction of color. Explores a
variety of materials, media and presentation techniques.
DES 16: Graphic Design and Computer Technology (4)
Priority given to Design students. Introduction to computers in
design with emphasis on development of a general understanding of
graphic design, including theory, practice, and technology.
Includes principles of color, visual organization, visual
hierarchy, typography, image enhancement. Projects created on
Macintosh computers.
DRAMATIC ART
DRA 1: Theatre, Performance and Culture (4)
Introductory Introductory investigation of the nature of
performance, moving from performance theory to consideration of
various manifestations of performance including theatre, film and
media, performance art, dance, sports, rituals, political and
religious events, and other “occasions.”
DRA 10: Introduction to Contemporary Dance (4)
Introduction to basic issues and methods in contemporary dance.
Focus on preparing the student for dancing and dance-making
through basic techniques of improvisation and composition.
Consideration of dance as a cultural practice.
DRA 20: Introduction to Dramatic Art (4)
Understanding and appreciation of both the distinctive and
collaborative contributions of playwright, actor, director, and
designer to the total work of dramatic art. Study of plays from
the major periods of dramatic art in their cultural contexts.
DRA 21A: Fundamentals of Acting (4)
Physical and psychological resources of the actor. Experience in
individual and group contact and communication, theatre games,
advanced improvisation, sound and movement dynamics. Viewing of
theatre productions.
DRA 21B: Fundamentals of Acting (4)
Open to students planning to major in Dramatic Art. Theory and
practice of acting with emphasis on character analysis,
interpretation, and development. Acting in a student-directed
project. Viewing of theatre productions.
DRA 24: Visual Aspects of Dramatic Art (4)
Understanding and appreciation of the visual aspects of dramatic
art: theatre architecture, scenery, lighting, costume, and
makeup.
ENGLISH
ENL 43: Introductory Topics in Drama (4)
Close reading of selected works of British and American drama.
Range of historical periods. Focused on a topic. Frequent written
assignments.
ENL 44: Introductory Topics in Fiction (4)
Close reading of British and American Fiction. Short stories,
novellas, novels. Focused on a topic. Frequent written exercises.
GERMAN
GER 48: Myth and Saga in the Germanic Cultures (4)
Knowledge of German not required. Reading in English translation
from the Norse Eddas, the Volsung and Sigurd-Siegfried cycles,
and the Gudrun lays; literary mythology in German Romanticism
culminating in Wagner’s “total art-work” concept and The Ring of
the Nibelung cycle. May not be counted toward major in German.
HISTORY
HIS 4C: History of Western Civilization (4)
Development of Western Civilization from the Eighteenth Century
to the present.
HIS 10C: World History III (4)
Major topics from world history of the 19th and 20th centuries,
emphasizing the rise and fall of Western colonial empires; Cold
War and the superpowers; the spread of the nation-states; and
process of globalization.
HIS 17B: History of the United States (4)
The experience of the American people from the Civil War to the
end of the Cold War. Not open for credit to students who have
completed course 17C.
HIS 72B: Social History of American Women and the Family (4)
Social and cultural history of women, sex roles, and the family
in twentieth-century America, emphasizing female reformers and
revolutionaries, working class women, consumerism, the role of
media, the “feminine mystique,” changes in family life, and the
emergent women’s movement.
HUMANITIES
HUM 60: Narrative and Argumentative Approaches to Major Current
Issues in the Media, Culture, and Society (4)
Interdisciplinary approach to contemporary issues (abortion,
AIDS, civil rights, war and peace, welfare state) around which
individuals, communities and institutions define themselves in
American society, by applying principles of narrative theory to
the narratives where those issues are embedded.
JAPANESE
JPN 10: Masterworks of Japanese Literature (in English) (4)
Introduction to Japanese literature: readings and discussion in
English of important works from earliest times to the present.
MUSIC
MUS 10: Introduction to Musical Literature (4)
Introduction to composers and major styles of Western music.
Lectures, listening sections, and selected readings.
MUS 28: Introduction to African American Music (4)
Survey of African American music, such as spirituals, blues,
ragtime, jazz, theater, gospel, R&B, rap, and art music.
Emphasis on historical and sociocultural contexts, as well as
African roots.
NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
NAS 33: Native American Art in the U.S. (4)
Comprehensive survey of Indian art forms with emphasis upon
design, media, and function. Intent is to familiarize the student
with a wide range of styles and techniques.
Depth Subject Matter
Core Courses
Students complete 8 upper division core units in film History and Film Theory.
Film History
One of the following courses:
ENGLISH
ENL 161A: Film History I: Origins to 1945 (4)
Cultural and aesthetic history of filmmaking from its origins in
the 1890’s through 1945.
ENL 161B: Film History II: 1945 to present (4)
Cultural and aesthetic history of filmmaking from 1945 through
the present.
FILMS STUDIES
FMS 124: Topics in U.S. Film History (4)
Study of an aspect of American film history (such as the silent
era; the studio system; U.S. avant-garde cinema), including the
influences of technological, economic, regulatory, cultural, and
artistic forces.
Film Theory
One of the following courses:
ENGLISH
ENL 162: Film Theory and Criticism (4)
Film theory and criticism, with a study of ten major works of
international film art.
Fall 14 Course Information
FILM STUDIES
FMS 127: Film Theory (4)
Survey of the conceptual frameworks used to study film (including
semiotics, psychoanalysis, spectatorship, auteur, genre and
narrative theories). Historical survey of major film theorists.
WOMEN STUDIES
WMS 162: Feminist Film Theory and Criticism (4)
Historical overview of and contemporary issues in feminist film
theory, including representation, spectatorship, and cultural
production. Film stars, women filmmakers, and the intersections
of gender, race, sexuality, and class in films and their
audiences.
Upper Division Breadth and Thematic Emphasis
Students complete a course in 3 of the 5 thematic emphasis areas (12 Units) and 4 classes in a singe thematic emphasis area (16 units).
No course may be counted for more than one requirement for the major.
Thematic Emphasis Areas
Production and Performance
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
AAS 168: Black Documentary: History and Practice (4)
Study of Black documentary history and understanding of the use
of the documentary form for political purposes. A discussion of
documentary theory. Each student, singly or in a team, will
create and carefully edit a documentary project.
AAS 175A: Black Documentary: History and Theory (4)
Black documentary history and documentary theory. Use of black
documentary for political purposes.
AAS 175B: Black Documentary Practicum (4)
Creation of documentary projects, with students working in
production crews.
ART STUDIO
ART 110A: Intermediate Photography: Black and White Analog
(4)
Development of personal aesthetic and portfolio of black and
white prints.
ART 110B: Intermediate Photography: Digital Imaging (4)
Comprehensive introduction to all elements of digital
photography, including scanning, imaging software and printing.
ART 111: Advanced Photography: Special Topics (4)
Special topics related to photography and contemporary art
practice. Multiple projects in a variety of approaches.
ART 114A: Intermediate Video: Animation (4)
Exploration of animation. Relationship between drawing, digital
stills, and multiple images. Animation using traditional drawing
techniques, collage, and digital processes.
ART 114B: Intermediate Video: Experimental Documentary (4)
Experimental documentary practice. Use of interviews,
voice-overs, and still and moving images. Production of
alternative conceptual and visual projects.
ART 114C: Intermediate Video: Performance Strategies (4)
Use of video to expand performance art production. Exploration of
improvisation, direction, projection, and image processing in
real time.
ART 117: Advanced Video and Electronic Arts (4)
Independently driven video, digital, and/or performance projects.
Further development in the electronic arts ranging from video
installation to performance.
DESIGN
DES 154: Visual Communication: Message Campaign Design (4)
Principles and application of visual design strategies for
advertising. Emphasis on promotion of design for social change.
Creation of public visual-media campaign.
DES 170: Experimental Fashion Design (4)
Fashion design as a vehicle for contemporary self expression.
Emphasis on developing two-dimensional conceptualization of ideas
and translating them into one-of-a-kind garments utilizing new
fabric technologies and archetypal forms. Field trip required.
DRAMATIC ARTS
DRA 121A: Advanced Acting: Mask, Myth, and Tragedy (4)
Theory and practice of acting focused on the performance skills
necessary to enact verse plays. Specific concentration on
language as vocal and physical metaphor.
DRA 121B: Advanced Acting: Comedy from Farce to Manners (4)
Theory and practice of acting in comic plays. Specific issues
addressed will be comic characterization, physical mask, and
timing.
DRA 122B: Advanced Acting: Non-Realism (4)
Exploration of the acting techniques needed to perform a
non-realistic script. Different avant-garde movements will be
examined through performance of the scripts.
DRA 124A: Principles of Theatrical Design: Scenery (4)
Scene design processes, working drawings, sketching techniques,
scale models, methods and materials of scenery construction.
DRA 124B: Principles of Theatrical Design: Scenery (4)
Analysis of plays in terms of scene design, elements of design,
execution of designs for modern and period plays.
DRA 124C: Principles of Theatrical Design: Lighting (4)
Theories of lighting the stage, equipment and control systems,
execution of lighting plots.
DRA 124D: Principles of Theatrical Design: Costume (4)
Source materials for theatrical costuming, selecting fabrics,
elements of design, analysis of plays in terms of costume design,
execution of designs for modern and period plays.
DRA 124E: Costume Design for Film (4)
Theory and practice of the art and business of film costume
design. Script analysis, costume research, developing design
concepts, budgeting, and current production practices and
methods. Execution of designs for period and contemporary films.
Viewing of current films.
DRA 127A: Principles of Directing (4)
Director’s creative approach to the play and to its staging.
DRA 127B: Principles of Directing (4)
Director’s creative approach to the actor.
DRA 130: Approaches to Theatrical Design: Practice and Theory
(4)
Advanced scenic design study in specific areas including but not
limited to: research, design styles and concepts, new materials
and techniques, photography, projections, computer technology,
spectacle and special effects, and alternative theatre forms and
genres.
DRA 160A & 160B: Principles of Playwriting (4-4)
Analysis of dramatic structure; preparation of scenarios; the
composition of plays.
DRA 170: Media Theatre (3)
New media and application of theatre design and performance.
Emphasis on collaborative process in relationship to integration
of emerging technologies and formation of new theatrical works.
Development of collaborative performance through lecture,
demonstration, improvisation and experimentation.
MUSIC
MUS 107A: Computer and Electronic Music (3)
Studies in electronic and computer music composition. The
principles and procedures of composition in various electronic
media are explored through compositional exercises.
MUS 107B: Computer and Electronic Music (3)
Continuation of course 107A.
MUS 115: History of Film Music (4)
Film music from silent films to movies of the past decade. How
music supports and shapes film narrative and structure. Use of
jazz, rock and classical music in film.
TECHNOCULTURAL STUDIES
TCS 100: Experimental Digital Cinema I (4)
Experimental approaches to the making of film and video in the
age of digital technologies. Opportunities for independent
producers arising from new media. Instruction in technical,
conceptual and creative skills for taking a project from idea to
fruition.
TCS 130: Fundamentals of 3D Computer Graphics (4)
A foundation course that teaches students the theory of three
dimensional computer graphics, including modeling, rendering and
animation. Development of practical skills through the use of
professional software to create computer graphics.
TCS 150: Introduction to Theories of the Technoculture (4)
Major cultural theories of technology with emphasis on media,
communications, and the arts. Changing relationships between
technologies, humans, and culture. Focus on the evolution of
modern technologies and their reception within popular and
applied contexts.
TCS 152: New Trends in Technocultural Arts (4)
Current work at the intersection of the arts, culture, science,
and technology including biological and medical sciences,
computer science and communications, and artificial intelligence
and digital media.
TCS 158: Technology and the Modern American Body (4)
The history and analysis of the relationships between human
bodies and technologies in modern society. Dominant and eccentric
examples of how human bodies and technologies influence one
another and reveal underlying cultural assumptions.
TCS 170: Advanced Technocultural Workshop (1)
Workshops in advanced technocultural digital skills: (A) Digital
Imaging; (B) Digital Video; © Digital Sound; (D) Web Design;
(E) Topics in Digital Production.
TCS 175: Small Scale Film Production (4)
Lecture and intensive workshop teaching small-scale film
production. Appointments as a(n) director, director of
photography, actor, writer, lighting designer, sound designer and
other critical positions are used to produce and submit a short
film to a film festival.
TCS 191: Writing Across Media (4)
Introduction to experimental approaches to writing for different
media and artistic practices. How written texts relate to the
images, sounds, and performances in digital and media production.
FILM STUDIES
*FMS 189: Special Topics in Film Studies (4)
Group study of a special topic in film, focusing on a national
tradition, a major filmmaker, or a specific era.
*FMS 190X: Upper Division Seminar (4)
Study of a special topic in film studies in a small class
setting.
*FMS 192: Internship (1-12)
Supervised internship off and on campus in areas of Film Studies.
*When topics are appropriate and approved by advisor
Movements and Traditions
ANTHROPOLOGY
ANT 136: Ethnographic Film (4)
Overview of the use of film in anthropology and its advantages
and limitations in comparison to written ethnographic
descriptions. Essential features of ethnographic films. Film
production in anthropological research and problems encountered
in producing films in the field.
CHICANO STUDIES
CHI 160: Mexican Film and Greater Mexican Identity (4)
Prerequisite: intermediate Spanish. Survey of the role Mexican
cinema plays in consolidation and contestation of
post-revolutionary Mexican state and in the formation of a
greater Mexican cultural identity including Chicana/o identity.
Showcases genres, periods, auteurs, movements, and emphasis on
gendered and sexualized narratives.
CLASSICS
CLA 102: Film and the Classical World (4)
The Classical World as portrayed in films. Viewings and
discussions of modern versions of ancient dramas, modern dramas
set in the Ancient Mediterranean world, and films imbued with
classical themes and allusions
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COM 100: World Cinema (4)
A comparative, cross-cultural study of a topic, theme, or
movement in world cinema beyond the boundary of a single national
tradition. Topics may include “postsocialist cinemas in East
Europe and Asia,” “cinema and globalization,” and “popular Asian
cinemas.”
COM 110: Hong Kong Cinema (4)
Hong Kong cinema, its history, industry, styles, genres,
directors, and stars. Special attention to its polyglot,
multicultural, transnational, colonial, and postcolonial
environment.
DRAMATIC ARTS
DRA 114: Theatre on Film (4)
Study of six/eight plays on film, using mixed casts and raising
issues of diversity. Focus: sociohistorical context for
production and reception, interpretation and analysis of topics
(gender, ethnicity, age, politics, philosophy), and filming,
screenwriting, design, and acting/directing for film.
DRA 115: Advanced Study of Major Film Makers (4)
Analysis of the contribution of some outstanding film creators.
Study of diverse aesthetic theories of the cinema and their
application to selected films.
EAST ASIAN STUDIES
EAS 113: Cinema and Society in China (4)
Knowledge of Chinese not required. Viewing and analysis of one
Chinese film with English subtitles each week, followed by
discussion and short essays. Cinematic technique, social values
and film topics from 1930s to today.
ENGLISH
ENL 160: Film as Narrative (4)
A study of modern film (1930 to present) as a storytelling
medium.
ENL 161A: Film History I: Origins to 1945 (4)
Cultural and aesthetic history of filmmaking from its origins in
the 1890’s through 1945.
ENL 161B: Film History II: 1945 to present (4)
Cultural and aesthetic history of filmmaking from 1945 through
the present.
ENL 162: Film Theory and Criticism (4)
Film theory and criticism, with a study of ten major works of
international film art.
FILM STUDIES
FMS/ITA 121: New Italian Cinema (4)
Italian cinema of the 21st century in the context of profound
cultural and social changes in Italy since World War II.
Productions by representative directors such as Amelio, Giordana,
Moretti, Muccino are included. Knowledge of Italian not required.
FMS 125: Topics in Film Genres (4)
A study of one or more of the film genres (such as the
documentary, the musical, film noir, screwball comedy, or the
western), including genre theory and the relationship of the
genre(s) to culture, history, and film industry practices.
FMS 127: Film Theory (4)
Survey of the conceptual frameworks used to study film (including
semiotics, psychoanalysis, spectatorship, auteur, genre and
narrative theories). Historical survey of major film theorists.
FMS/ RUS 129: Russian Film (4)
History of Russian film; film and social revolution, the cult of
Stalin, dissident visions; film and the collapse of the Soviet
empire; gender and the nation in Russian film. Course taught in
English; films are in Russian with English subtitles.
GER/FMS 176A: Classic Weimar Cinema (4)
German Weimar (1919-1933) cinema. Fritz Lang, F.W. Murnau, and
G.W. Pabst among others. Influence on world-wide (esp. Hollywood)
film genres such as film noir, horror, science fiction, and
melodrama.
FMS 176B: Postwar German Cinema (4)
Exploration of German cinema from 1945 to 1980, when the Nazi
past was a central theme. Includes study of postwar “rubble
films,” escapist “homeland films,” and New German Cinema of the
1970s (including films by Fassbinder, Kluge, Syberberg, and
Herzog).
GERMAN
GER 119: From German Fiction to German Film (4)
Examines a number of film adaptations of major German prose works
and plays to ascertain the types of changes involved in the shift
in medium and the positive and negative effects achieved by such
transferences.
GER/FMS 142: New German Cinema (4)
German filmmakers of the 1960s-1980s such as Fassbinder, Herzog,
Syberberg, Brückner, Schlöndorf, Kluge, Wenders. Knowledge of
German not required.
ITALIAN
ITA 150: Studies in Italian Cinema (4)
Introduction to Italian cinema through its genres. Focus on
cinema as a reflection or a comment on modern Italian history.
Film as an artistic medium and as a form of mass communication.
JAPANESE
JPN 106: Japanese Culture Through Film (4)
Aspects of Japanese culture such as love, the family, position of
women, growing up, death, and the supernatural as portrayed in
films by Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Ichikawa, Ozu, and Itami. Lectures,
discussion, and readings in English. Films with English
subtitles.
MUSIC
MUS 115: History of Film Music (4)
Film music from silent films to movies of the past decade. How
music supports and shapes film narrative and structure. Use of
jazz, rock and classical music in film.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
RST 135: The Bible and Film (4)
Examination of the uses of the Judeo-Christian scriptures in
film. Topics include dramatic depictions of biblical stories, the
tension between science and religion, allegorical treatments of
biblical themes, and the problems of religious conviction.
RUSSIAN
RUS 129: Russian Film (4)
History of Russian film; film and social revolution, the cult of
Stalin, dissident visions; film and the collapse of the Soviet
empire; gender and the nation in Russian film. Course taught in
English; films are in Russian with English subtitles.
SPANISH
SPA 148: Cinema in the Spanish-Speaking World in Translation
(4)
Analysis of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world through
film in translation. Emphasis on the cultural information
illustrated by the films; no prior knowledge of cinematography
required. Films with subtitles.
SPA 173: Cinema and Latin American Culture (4)
Understanding Latin American cultures through cinema. History and
critical analysis of Latin American film. Focus on a national
cinematic tradition. Comparative experiences in different parts
of Latin America and/or a particular era. Conducted entirely in
Spanish.
TECHNOCULTURAL STUDIES
TCS 155: Introduction to Documentary Studies (4)
Recent evolution of the documentary. The personal essay film;
found-footage/appropriation work; non-linear, multi-media forms;
spoken word; storytelling; oral history recordings; and other
examples of documentary expression.
Visual and Popular Culture
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
AAS 150B: Afro-American Visual Arts Tradition: A Historical and
Cultural Study (4)
Afro-American visual arts tradition, folk and formal, in
historical and cultural context, from Reconstruction to the
present.
AAS 169: History of African-American Television (4)
History of the representation of African Americans in television;
how the representations reflect social and political forces in
American society. Role of African Americans in actively shaping
their representation.
AAS 175A: Black Documentary: History and Theory (4)
Black documentary history and documentary theory. Use of black
documentary for political purposes. Offered in alternate years.
ART HISTORY
AHI 185: Avant-Gardism and its Aftermath, 1917-1960 (4)
Social, cultural, aesthetic, and theoretical development for
artists and their audiences in the context of larger issues like
the Mexican, Russian and German revolutions, WWI, the Depression,
WWII, etc., and a critical-theoretical inquiry into questions of
modernism, modernity, and avant-gardism.
AHI 186: Art After Modernism, 1948–Present (4)
Social, cultural, aesthetic, and theoretical developments for
artists and their audiences in the context of such larger issues
as McCarthyism, the New Left, free love, feminism, Reaganomics,
globalization, etc., and a critical-theoretical inquiry into
questions of neoavantgardism, postmodernism, and postmodernity.
AHI 189: Photography in History (4)
Social, cultural, aesthetic and technical developments in the
history of photography including patronage and reception,
commercial, scientific, political and artistic applications, and
a critical-theoretical inquiry into photography’s impact on the
social category “art” and the history of subjectivity.
ART STUDIO
ART 147: Theory and Criticism of Photography (4)
Development of camera vision, ideas, and aesthetics and their
relationship to the fine arts from 1839 to the present.
ART 150: Theory and Criticism of Electronic Media (4)
Study of electronic media, focusing on critique, application, and
relationship to art practice. Analysis of the conceptual basis of
electronic media as an artistic mode of expression.
AMERICAN STUDIES
AMS 130: American Popular Culture (4)
American popular expression and experience as a cultural system,
and the relationship between this system and elite and folk
cultures. Exploration of theories and methods for discovering and
interpreting patterns of meaning in American popular culture.
AMS/WMS 139: Feminist Cultural Studies (4)
The histories, theories, and practices of feminist traditions
within cultural studies.
CHICANO STUDIES
CHI 155: Chicana/o Theater (4)
Examination of the formal and thematic dimensions of Chicana/o
theater in the contemporary period with special emphasis on El
Teatro Campesino and Chicana Feminist Theater. Bilingual
readings, lectures, discussions, and writing in Spanish.
CHI 165: Chicanas, Latinas and Mexicanas in Commercial Media
(4)
The portrayal of Chicanas, Latinas and Mexicanas in commercial
media. The relation between the representation of Chicana,
Latina, and Mexicana women in commercial television and cinema
and the role of women in Mexican and U.S. societies.
COMMUNICATION
CMN 170: Communication, Technology, and Society (4)
Survey of how communication technologies transform our lives at
the individual and society levels. Topics include human-computer
interaction; social media; the effects of communication
technologies in education, health and business; and social and
political implications of technological development.
CMN 172: Computer-Mediated Communication (4)
Uses and impacts of computer-mediated communication. Theories and
research findings pertaining to how computer-mediation affects
various aspects of human interaction including impression
formation, development of personal relationships, group decision
making, collaborative work, and community building.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COM 110: Hong Kong Cinema (4)
Hong Kong cinema, its history, industry, styles, genres,
directors, and stars. Special attention to its polyglot,
multicultural, transnational, colonial, and postcolonial
environment.
DESIGN
DES 143: History of Fashion (4)
History of fashion from the earliest times to the present with
emphasis on both aesthetic and functional aspects.
DES 145: History of Visual Communication (4)
Historical developments of visual communication, concentrating on
the technological and aesthetic development of graphic design;
origins and manifestations of current issues in visual
communication; provide framework for analysis of current and
future trends in visual communication.
DRAMATIC ARTS
DRA 150: American Theatre and Drama (4)
The history of the theatre from Colonial times to the present.
Readings of selected plays. Offered in alternate years.
DRA 154: Asian Theatre and Drama: Contexts and Forms (4)
Selected Asian plays and performance forms in their cultural and
artistic contexts; myth, ritual and the theatre; performance
training, visual presentation of the text; political theatre;
intercultural performance—the fusion of Asian and Western
traditions.
DRA 155: Representing Race in Performance (4)
Representation and performance of “race” in American culture
featuring different sub-headings such as “African American
Theatre” or “Asian-Americans on Stage.”
DRA 159: Contemporary Experimental Performance, Theatre and Drama
(4)
Evaluation and examination of the “New Theatre”—its experimental
and innovative nature since the 1960s. Dance, film, stage,
performance art and public acts of a performative nature.
GERMAN
GER 112: Topics in German Literature (4)
Investigation of significant themes and issues within their
European context. Knowledge of German is not required.
JAPANESE
JPN 109: Japanese Popular Culture (5)
Japanese popular culture, from its medieval/early modern
precedents to contemporary incarnations. Emphasis on the major
forms of twentieth-century popular culture, including genre
films, popular theater, TV manga (cartoons), animation and
science fiction.
MUSIC
MUS 105: History and Analysis of Jazz (4)
Jazz and the evolution of jazz styles in historical and cultural
context.
MUS 106: History of Rock Music (4)
Rock and the evolution of rock styles in historical and cultural
context.
MUS 129A: Musics of the Americas (4)
Survey of music cultures from North, Central, and South America,
including the Caribbean, with emphasis on the role of music in
society and on the elements of music (instruments, theory, genres
and form, etc.). Introduction to ethnomusicological theory,
methods, approaches.
MUS 129B: Musics of Africa, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent
(4)
Survey of music cultures with special emphasis on the role of
music in society and on the elements of music (instruments,
theory, genres and form, etc.). Introduction to
ethnomusicological theory, methods, approaches.
MUS 129C: Musics of East and Southeast Asia (4)
Survey of music cultures from Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and
Indonesia, with special emphasis on the role of music in society
and on the elements of music (instruments, theory, genres and
form, etc.). Introduction to ethnomusicological theory, methods,
approaches.
MUS 129D: Folk Musics of Europe (4)
Survey of folk musics from all of Europe, with emphasis on the
role of music in society and on the elements of music
(instruments, genres, form, etc.). Introduction to
ethnomusicological theory, methods, approaches.
NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
NAS 125: Performance and Culture Among Native Americans (4)
Interdisciplinary study of public expressive forms among Native
Americans. Comparative analysis of music, dances, rituals, and
dramas from throughout the Americas in their social and cultural
contexts.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
POL 165: Mass Media and Politics (4)
Organization of and decision making within the media; media
audiences and the effect of the media on attitudes and behavior;
the relationship of the government to the media (censorship,
secrecy, freedom of the press, government regulation); the media
in election campaigns.
SOCIOLOGY
SOC 125: Sociology of Culture (4)
Sociological approaches to study of historical and contemporary
culture and mass media, and their structuring in relation to
social actors, institutions, stratification, power, the
production of culture, audiences, and the significance of culture
in processes of change.
SOC 175: Mass Communication (4)
Examines the relationship between the media and social
structures. History of media–state relations. Media as reflector
and shaper of values. Emphasis on current European and Marxist
and pluralist theories rather than on content analysis.
HISTORY
*HIS 176B: Cultural and Social History of the United States
(4)
Study of social and cultural forces in American society in the
twentieth century with emphasis on social structure, work and
leisure, socialization and the family, social reform movements
and changes in cultural values.
TEXTILE AND CLOTHING
*TXC 107: Social and Psychological Aspects of Clothing (4)
Social and cognitive factors influencing management and
perception of personal appearance in everyday life. Concepts and
methods appropriate to the study of meaning of clothes in social
and cultural contexts.
*When topics are appropirate and approved by advisor.
Sexuality and Gender
CHICANO STUDIES
CHI 165: Chicanas, Latinas and Mexicanas in Commercial Media
(4)
The portrayal of Chicanas, Latinas and Mexicanas in commercial
media. The relation between the representation of Chicana,
Latina, and Mexicana women in commercial television and cinema
and the role of women in Mexican and U.S. societies.
GERMAN
GER 114: From Marlene Dietrich to Run, Lola Run: German Women and
Film (4)
Knowledge of German not required. Women in German film from the
Weimar Republic to present, with special emphasis on
conceptualizations of gender, historical and political context,
aesthetic and filmic innovations.
WOMEN STUDIES
WMS 160: Representations of Women of Color in Cinema (4)
The representations of women of color in commercial and
independent films from a feminist perspective.
WMS 162: Feminist Film Theory and Criticism (4)
Historical overview of and contemporary issues in feminist film
theory, including representation, spectatorship, and cultural
production. Film stars, women filmmakers, and the intersections
of gender, race, sexuality, and class in films and their
audiences.
WMS 164: Topics in Gender and Cinematic Representation (4)
Examination of a specific topic within the broad rubric of gender
and cinema. Possible topics include Latinas in Hollywood; gender,
nation, cinema; and gender and film genre. Topics vary.
WMS/AMS 139: Feminist Cultural Studies (4)
The histories, theories, and practices of feminist traditions
within Cultural Studies.
AFRIAN AMERICAN STUDIES
*AAS 185: Topics in African-American Film (4)
Intensive study of special topics in African American film.
ENGLISH
*ENL 188: Topics in Literary and Critical Theory (4)
Intensive examination of theories addressing a particular
problem, topic, or question.
FILM STUDIES
*FMS 189: Special Topics in Film Studies (4)
Group study of a special topic in film, focusing on a national
tradition, a major filmmaker, or a specific era.
*FMS 190X: Upper Division Seminar (4)
Study of a special topic in film studies in a small class
setting.
ITALIAN
*ITA 145: Special Topics in Italian Literature (4)
Study of special topics and themes in Italian literature, such as
comic literature, epic poetry, pre-twentieth century theater,
fascism, futurism, women and literature, and the image of
America, etc.
NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
*NAS 191: Topics in Native American Studies (4)
Selected topics in Native American ethno-history, development,
culture, and thought.
WOMEN STUDIES
*WMS 195: Thematic Seminar in Women’s Studies (4)
Group study of a topic, issue or area in feminist theory and
research involving intensive reading and writing. May be repeated
for credit when topic differs.
* When topics are appropireate and approved by advisor.
Ethnicity
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
AAS 150B: Afro-American Visual Arts Tradition: A Historical and
Cultural Study (4)
Afro-American visual arts tradition, folk and formal, in
historical and cultural context, from Reconstruction to the
present.
AAS 168: Black Documentary: History and Practice (4)
Study of Black documentary history and understanding of the use
of the documentary form for political purposes. A discussion of
documentary theory. Each student, singly or in a team, will
create and carefully edit a documentary project.
AAS 170: African-American Film and Video (4)
Comparative approach in the study of fictional film and video
dealing with the African American experience drawing on film and
cultural studies to examine and discuss selected works.
AAS 171: Black African and Black European Film and Video (4)
Comparative approach in the study of dramatic films and videos
that treat black life in Africa and Europe. Critical attention
will focus on the imaginative construction of ethnicity, race,
nationality, gender, and sexuality in each particular work.
AAS 175A: Black Documentary: History and Theory (4)
Black documentary history and documentary theory. Use of black
documentary for political purposes.
AAS 175B: Black Documentary Practicum (4)
Creation of documentary projects, with students working in
production crews.
AAS 185: Topics in African-American Film (4)
Intensive study of special topics in African American film.
ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES
ASA 100: Asian American Communities (4)
Presentation of the analytical skills, theories, and concepts
needed to describe, explain, and understand the diversity of
Asian American communities within the larger, dominant society.
CHICANO STUDIES
CHI 160: Mexican Film and Greater Mexican Identity (4)
Survey of the role Mexican cinema plays in consolidation and
contestation of post-revolutionary Mexican state and in the
formation of a greater Mexican cultural identity including
Chicana/o identity. Showcases genres, periods, auteurs,
movements, and emphasis on gendered and sexualized narratives.
CHI 165: Chicanas, Latinas and Mexicanas in Commercial Media
(4)
The portrayal of Chicanas, Latinas and Mexicanas in commercial
media. The relation between the representation of Chicana,
Latina, and Mexicana women in commercial television and cinema
and the role of women in Mexican and U.S. societies.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COM 100: World Cinema (4)
A comparative, cross-cultural study of a topic, theme, or
movement in world cinema beyond the boundary of a single national
tradition. Topics may include “postsocialist cinemas in East
Europe and Asia,” “cinema and globalization,” and “popular Asian
cinemas.”
DRAMATIC ARTS
DRA 155: Representing Race in Performance (4)
Representation and performance of “race” in American culture
featuring different sub-headings such as “African American
Theatre” or “Asian-Americans on Stage.” Offered in alternate
years.
ENGLISH
ENL 188: Topics in Literary and Critical Theory (4)
Intensive examination of theories addressing a particular
problem, topic, or question.
FILMS STUDIES
FMS/ITA 121: New Italian Cinema (4)
Italian cinema of the 21st century in the context of profound
cultural and social changes in Italy since World War II.
Productions by representative directors such as Amelio, Giordana,
Moretti, Muccino are included. Knowledge of Italian not required.
FMS 120: Italian-American Cinema (4)
Exploration of representations of Italian-American identity in
American (U.S.) cinema. Analysis of both Hollywood and
independently produced films, especially as they represent
ethnicity, gender, and social class of Italian Americans.
*FMS 189: Special Topics in Film Studies (4)
Group study of a special topic in film, focusing on a national
tradition, a major filmmaker, or a specific era.
*FMS 190X: Upper Division Seminar (4)
Study of a special topic in film studies in a small class
setting.
JEWISH STUDIES
JST 120: Cinema and the American Jewish Experience (4)
Examination of American cinema to reveal how Jewish identity is
expressed and submerged, tracing the relations between religion,
identity, race, politics, and art.
NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
NAS 125: Performance and Culture Among Native Americans (4)
Interdisciplinary study of public expressive forms among Native
Americans. Comparative analysis of music, dances, rituals, and
dramas from throughout the Americas in their social and cultural
contexts.
*NAS 191: Topics in Native American Studies (4)
Selected topics in Native American ethno-history, development,
culture, and thought.
SPANISH
SPA 173: Cinema and Latin American Culture (4)
Understanding Latin American cultures through cinema. History and
critical analysis of Latin American film. Focus on a national
cinematic tradition. Comparative experiences in different parts
of Latin America and/or a particular era. Conducted entirely in
Spanish.
WOMEN STUDIES
WMS 160: Representations of Women of Color in Cinema (4)
The representations of women of color in commercial and
independent films from a feminist perspective.
WMS 164: Topics in Gender and Cinematic Representation (4)
Examination of a specific topic within the broad rubric of gender
and cinema. Possible topics include Latinas in Hollywood; gender,
nation, cinema; and gender and film genre. Topics vary.
*WMS 195: Thematic Seminar in Women’s Studies (4)
Group study of a topic, issue or area in feminist theory and
research involving intensive reading and writing.
*When topics are appropoiate and approved by advisor.
Honors
Qualified students who complete 20 units in one of the emphasis areas and have an overall GPA of 3.500 may choose the senior thesis option (194H-196H) for 8 of those 20 units.