Instructor: David Witzling

Satisfies GER-Art Requirement

Still from Pat O’Neill: Trouble in the Image (1996).

Course Topic
In this class, we’ll look at the arts and culture between 1850 and 1950 — during a period called Modernism — and evaluate the impact of Modernism on the conventions of film art. Additionally, we’ll examine ways that film art is fundamentally inseparable from industry, and consider the impact of technology on film aesthetics.  The final project will ask students to use creative means to engage with course themes (though it will not require access to camera equipment).

NOTE FOR GER STUDENTS: The final project is explicitly designed to that it is possible for non-majors to receive a good grade.

Sample Screenings

• Maya Deren: Ritual in Transfigured Time (1946)
• Marx Brothers: Duck Soup (1933)
• Man Ray: L’Etoille de Mer (1928)
• William Burroughs & Anthony Balch: Towers Open Fire (1962)

Sample Readings

• André Breton: excerpt from “The First Manifesto of Surrealism” (1924)
• Mary Shelley: selection from Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus (1818)
• Pablo Picasso: “Picasso Speaks” (1923)

Class Time and Attendance
Class meets once a week and is a mixture of lectures, screenings, and discussion. Some weeks, we’ll watch several short films, while other weeks we’ll focus on a feature. Because the films screened in class are the class’s primary texts, regular attendance is essential.

Assignments
In addition to attending screenings and participating in discussions, you will be expected to complete various readings, to give a short presentation, and to complete several short written assignments. Written assignments should be 500-750 words.

Grading Components

• Attendance: 20%
• Discussion: 10%
• Quizzes: 5%
• Midterm Presentation: 10%
• Written Assignments: 25%
• Critique: 5%
• Final Project: 25%