F S 116 - Horror and Fantasy in Film

5 Credits

Horror and fantasy films are often relegated as ‘light’ or insubstantial entertainment. While they can certainly provide amusement, these films often reveal much about the culture from which they emerge. In this class, then, we will be looking closely at these very important cultural subtexts. Some of the specific subgenres that may be covered include: science fiction, thrillers, slasher films, zombie films, etc.

Fees

Quarters Typically Offered

Winter Day

Designed to Serve Student seeking humanities distribution credits and film studies majors.

Active Date 20190610T09:30:45

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

Humanities Area I

Course Outline

Basic film literacy - learning the language of film and how to approach film analysis that goes beyond basic plot descriptions
Genre - go over what makes up a genre in general and the specifics of the course’s specific genres
Historical contextualization - establish historical and cultural backgrounds for the specific films as well as the chosen film genres
Analysis - Introduce analytical concepts such as (but not limited to) psychoanalysis, formalist film theory, feminist theory, etc.

Student Learning Outcomes
Differentiate specific film genres in order to identify key narrative tropes.

Identify and discuss the basic elements of cinematography.

Analyze films by applying principles of cinematic theories (such as psychoanalysis, feminist film theory, marxist film theory).

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