USC
University of Southern California
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Courses of Instruction

Critical Studies (CTCS)

190 Introduction to Cinema (4, FaSp) Gateway to the majors and minors in cinema-television. Technique, aesthetics, criticism, and social implications of cinema. Lectures accompanied by screenings of appropriate films.

191 Introduction to Television and Video (4, FaSp) Exploration of the economic, technological, aesthetic, and ideological characteristics of the television medium; study of historical development of television and video including analysis of key works; introduction to TV/video theory and criticism.

192m Race, Class, and Gender in American Film (4, Sp) Analyzes issues of race, class and gender in contemporary American culture as represented in the cinema.

200 History of the International Cinema I (2, Fa) The development of international cinema from its beginnings to World War II. Lectures, screenings, and discussions. Required for majors; recommended for non-majors.

201 History of the International Cinema II (2, Sp) The development of international cinema from World War II to the present. Lectures, screenings, and discussions. Required for majors; recommended for non-majors.

367 Global Television and Media (4, Irregular) Studies in the global configurations of television industries and cultures, including new technologies and the textual and sociological analysis of global media events and programming.

392 History of the American Film, 1925-1950 (4, Sp) Screenings of American film classics and their relationship to society. Lectures and discussions.

393 History of the American Film, 1946-1975 (4, Fa) Cinematic and extra-cinematic determinants of Post-Classical and Modernist Hollywood studio and independent genres, styles, and the star-phenomenon and their relationship to American history and culture.

394 History of the American Film, 1977–present (4, Sp) Cinematic and extra-cinematic determinants of Postmodernist Hollywood studio and independent genres, styles, and the star-phenomenon and their relationship to American history and culture.

400 Non-Fiction Film and Television (4, Fa) An international survey of documentary, informational, and independent experimental film, video and television.

402 Practicum in Film/Television Criticism (4, max 8, FaSp) Exercise in writing film and television criticism using new and classic films and television programs. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

403 Studies in National and Regional Media (4, FaSp) Detailed investigation of traditions, achievements, and trends of film and/or electronic media in a particular country or region.

404 Television Criticism and Theory (4, Sp) The evaluation of television programs and their reception from various theoretical perspectives which may include cultural studies, race and ethnic studies, psychoanalysis, gender and queer studies, and semiotics. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

406 History of American Television (4, Fa) History of television as an entertainment, information, and art medium. Emphasis on programming and institutional history, including issues of regulation, censorship, aesthetics and activism.

407 African American Cinema (4, Irregular) Intensive survey of African American cinema; topics include history, criticism, politics, and cinema's relationship to other artifacts of African American culture.

408 Contemporary Political Film and Video (4) Examination of a variety of politically engaged films and videotapes recently produced in the U.S. and abroad, with particular emphasis on aesthetic strategies.

409 Censorship in Cinema (4, Fa) An inquiry into the practice and patterns of censorship in cinema.

411 Film, Television and Cultural Studies (4, FaSp) Detailed examination of film/television from the perspectives and insights of Cultural Studies; focus on the production and reception of cultural texts, practices, and communities.

412 Gender, Sexuality and Media (4, Irregular) Examines how gender and sexuality are figured in cinema and television with an emphasis on the development of feminist media theory.

464 Film and/or Television Genres (4, max 8, FaSpSm) Rigorous examination of film and/or television genres: history, aesthetics, cultural context, social significance, and critical methodologies.

466 Theatrical Film Symposium (4, max 8, FaSp) Lectures and readings on creative problems in the motion picture industry; current films; interviews with visiting producers, directors, writers, performers.

469 Film and/or Television Style Analysis (4, max 8, FaSpSm) Intensive study of the style of an auteur, studio, film or television making mode in terms of thematic and formal properties and their influences upon the art of film.

473 Film Theories (4, FaSp) Influential ideas and theoretical approaches that have shaped the making and study of film. Students are encouraged to take this course in their junior year. Prerequisite: CTCS 190.

478 Culture, Technology and Communications (4, FaSp) Cultural study of communications technology and its relationship to society. Evaluation of the social and cultural impact of technologies from the telegraph to the Internet.

494 Senior Seminar (4, FaSp) Rotating topics involving detailed study of the historical, cultural and aesthetic analysis of film, television, and new media technologies. Open only to majors in the School of Cinema-Television.

495 Honors Seminar (4, Sp) Advanced work in the historical, cultural and aesthetic analysis of film, television, and new media technologies. Open only to students in the CTCS Honors program. Prerequisite: CTCS 473.

499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8, FaSpSm) Detailed investigation of new or emerging aspects of cinema and/or television; special subjects offered by visiting faculty; experimental subjects.

500 Seminar in Theory and Textual Analysis (4, Fa) Introduction to classical and contemporary film theory; exploration of their relationship to close textual analysis and filmic experimentation.

501 History of the International Cinema Before World War II (2, Sp) Historical survey of international film from its beginning to the advent of World War II.

502 History of the International Cinema After World War II (2, Fa) Historical survey of international film from the beginning of World War II to the present.

503 Survey History of the American Sound Film (2, Sp) A survey history of the American film from 1927 to the present, with emphasis upon film as art form, economic institution, technology, and cultural product.

504 Television, New Media and Culture (2, Sp) An exploration of the historical, cultural, business, creative, and technological aspects of commercial television and the new interactive media.

505 Survey of Interactive Media (2, Fa) A survey course exploring the historical, cultural, business, creative and technological aspects of the new interactive media.

506 Critical Studies Colloquium/Professional Seminar (1-2, max 4, FaSp) Provides orientation to the profession, opportunities for academic and professional growth and development. Recommended for entering students, two semesters enrollment required.

510 Case Studies in National Media and/or Regional Media (4, max 8, FaSp) Seminar on media's impact in defining nation and/or region in specific cultural contexts. Also addresses issues of exile, diaspora, transnationalism and globalism. Departmental approval required.

511 Seminar: Non-Fiction Film/Video (4, Sp) Aesthetic, rhetorical, and ideological issues in non-fiction film and video.

518 Seminar: Avant-Garde Film/Video (4, Irregular) Aesthetic, historical and ideological issues in avant-garde film and video.

564 Seminar in Film and Television Genres (4, max 8, FaSp) Advanced study of a selected genre of film and/or television – its relationship to history, society, and culture, as well as to genre theory.

567 Seminar in Film/Television and a Related Art (4, max 8, Irregular) Historical, critical, aesthetic, and theoretical issues raised by a comparison of cinema and television and other allied art forms.

569 Seminar in Film and Television Authors (4, max 8, Irregular) Seminar in the style of an auteur, studio, filmmaking, or televisual mode in terms of thematic and formal properties and their influences upon the art of film and/or television.

585 Seminar in Film/Television Critical Theory and Production (4, Irregular) A conjoint theory/production seminar, in which the study of media texts will be combined with media production informed by the theoretical study. Specific themes and area of focus may vary. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

587 Graduate Television Seminar (4, Sp) Detailed investigation and discussion of various aspects of television.

599 Special Topics (2-4, max 8, Irregular) Detailed investigation of new or emerging aspects of cinema; special subjects offered by visiting faculty; experimental subjects.

673 Topics in Theory (4, max 8, FaSp) Contemporary theoretical frameworks and their relationship to film and television studies. Topics differ from semester to semester. Prerequisite: CTCS 500 and departmental approval.

677 Cultural Theory (4, FaSp) Seminar in theoretical approaches to cultural studies; focus on interdisciplinary research of media and audiences, covering a range of methods and theoretical frameworks; concentration varies. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

678 Seminar in Film Theory and Medium Specificity (4, Irregular) Explores the way film has been theorized in relationship to traditional media that preceded it and electronic media that followed. Prerequisite: CTCS 500, departmental approval.

679 Seminar in Genre and/or Narrative Theory (4, Irregular) Seminar in theoretical issues concerning genre and/or narrative as they pertain to media, literature or cultural forms. Areas of focus vary from semester to semester. Departmental approval required.

688 Seminar in Historiography (4, Fa) Seminar in theories and methods of film and television history; focus on interpretation in history and reception studies. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

690 Special Problems (1-12, FaSpSm) Field production; organization and administration of local film-producing units; experimental aspects of film communication; advanced work in film history and criticism; teaching cinema. Graded CR/NC.

699 Special Topics (2-4, max 8, FaSpSm) Seminars on special subject areas; focus on advanced research in film, television, literature, and culture. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

790 Research (1-12, FaSpSm) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

791 Historical and Critical Research Methods (2, max 4, FaSp) Methods and procedures for historical and critical research in the visual media. Required tutorial with Ph.D. student's dissertation committee chair, designed to assist initial work on dissertation. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0, FaSpSm) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.