F S 114 - Criminals and Gangsters: Intro to Film Noir

5 Credits

This course deals with post-WWII American crime movies known as noir film or dark films. We will be looking at films that focus on social corruption and moral ambiguity. We’ll examine how the genre of film noir addresses social issues of the time: social changes; the psychological effects of the war; class, gender, and the crisis of the ‘American Dream’. In addition, we will take an extended look at the legacy of film noir as it applies to film’s today.

Fees

Quarters Typically Offered

Fall Day

Designed to Serve

Student seeking humanities distribution credits and film studies majors.

Active Date 20190610T09:30:46

Grading System Decimal Grade
Class Limit 38
Contact Hours: Lecture 55
Total Contact Hours 55
Degree Distributions:
AA

Humanities Area I

Course Outline

The course will cover three main topics:

Crime Films prior to WWII - This section will look at how crime and the criminal underworld were viewed with special emphasis on morality during the era of the production code.
Classic Film Noir - This section will cover development of film noir as a uniquely post-war product.
Neo Noir - This section will examine the impact film noir had on the visual and narrative styles of films made in Hollywood during the 1970s and up to the present. There will be special emphasis placed on the theme of crime.

Student Learning Outcomes
Identify the aesthetic style and narrative tropes associated with film noir

Identify and discuss the basic elements of cinematography.

Analyze how narratives function in specific scenes within films.

Appraise the cultural and historical value of a film by establishing the context of individual films to their respective historical milieu.