Film theory and film criticism: part 1
D Williams
10 points * 3 hours per week * First semester * Clayton
This subject is primarily a reading course that will consider aspects of contemporary film theory. Students will be required to engage with arguments around notions of postmodernism in the works of Baudrillard, Lyotard and Jameson. A major portion of the course will be devoted to Deleuze's philosophy of the image. Other areas of debate, including narratology and discourse theory, will be considered as they pertain to film and television. Film texts for exploration will include Australian, American, European and Asian cinemas.
Assessment
Essay (3000 words): 40% * Longer essay (4500 words): 50% * Seminar participation: 10%
Preliminary reading
Stam R and others New vocabularies in film semiotics: Structuralism, post-structuralism and beyond Routledge, 1993
Prescribed texts
Baudrillard J The evil demon of images Power, 1988
Foster H (ed.) Post-modern culture London Press, 1987
Macdonell D Theories of discourse: An introduction Blackwell, 1986
Shaviro S The cinematic body U Minnesota P, 1993