Courses of Instruction
Critical Studies (CTCS)
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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 200 History of the International Cinema I (4, Fa) The development of international cinema from its beginnings to World War II. Lectures, screenings, and discussions.
CTCS 201 History of the International Cinema II (4, Sp) The development of international cinema from World War II to the present. Lectures, screenings, and discussions.
CTCS 303 Japanese Anime (2) Explores the visual, dramatic and social conventions of Japanese animation in film and television. Examines anime fan communities, manga and their impact.
CTCS 306 Research Practice Seminar (2, max 4) Theories and case studies of contemporary issues in film, television and digital media research. Students will be required to design their own undergraduate research projects. Not open to freshmen.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 373 Literature and Film (4) (Enroll in COLT 373)
CTCS 379 Nationalism and Postcolonialism in Southeast Asian Cinema (4) (Enroll in COLT 379)
CTCS 392 History of the American Film, 1925-1950 (4, Sp) Screenings of American film classics and their relationship to society. Lectures and discussions.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 400 Non-Fiction Film and Television (4, Fa) An international survey of documentary, informational, and independent experimental film, video and television.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 403 Studies in National and Regional Media (4, max 8, FaSp) Detailed investigation of traditions, achievements, and trends of film and/or electronic media in a particular country or region.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 409 Censorship in Cinema (4, Fa) An inquiry into the practice and patterns of censorship in cinema.
CTCS 411 Film, Television and Cultural Studies (4, max 8, 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.
CTCS 412 Gender, Sexuality and Media (4, max 8, FaSp) Examines how gender and sexuality are figured in cinema and television with an emphasis on the development of feminist media theory.
CTCS 414 Chicana/o Cinema (4, Irregular) Examination of Chicana/o cinema and the Chicana/o movement; technology; and the politics of race, class, gender, sexuality and international relations.
CTCS 462 Critical Theory and Analysis of Games (4, FaSp) Enroll in CTIN 462.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 467 Television Symposium (4, FaSp) Lectures and readings on creative problems in the television industry; study of current and historical trends, interviews with producers, directors, writers and performers.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 494 Advanced Critical Studies Seminar (4, max 8, FaSp) Rotating topics involving detailed study of the historical, cultural and aesthetic analysis of film, television, and new media technologies. Not open to freshmen.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 500 Seminar in Film Theory (4, Fa) Introduction to classical and contemporary film theory; exploration of their relationship to filmic experimentation.
CTCS 501 History of Global Cinema Before World War II (2, Sp) Historical survey of global cinema from its beginnings until the advent of World War II.
CTCS 502 History of Global Cinema After World War II (2, Fa) Historical survey of film from a global perspective from the beginning of World War II until the present.
CTCS 503 Survey History of the United States Sound Film (2, Sp) Survey history of the United States film from 1927 to the present, with emphasis upon film as art form, economic institution, technology, and cultural product.
CTCS 504 Survey of Television History (2, Sp) An exploration of the historical, cultural, business, creative, and technological aspects of television.
CTCS 505 Survey of Interactive Media (2, Fa) A survey course exploring the historical, cultural, business, creative and technological aspects of the new interactive media.
CTCS 506 Critical Studies Colloquium/Professional Seminar (2, Fa) Provides orientation to the profession, opportunities for academic and professional growth and development. Recommended for entering students.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 511 Seminar: Non-Fiction Film/Video (4, Sp) Aesthetic, rhetorical, and ideological issues in non-fiction film and video.
CTCS 517 Introductory Concepts in Cultural Studies (4, Fa) Introduction to central concepts, key theories, and/or leading figures in cultural studies, particularly as they relate to issues of popular culture and visual media.
CTCS 518 Seminar: Avant-Garde Film/Video (4, Irregular) Aesthetic, historical and ideological issues in avant-garde film and video.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 587 Seminar in Television Theory (4, max 8, Sp) Detailed investigation and discussion of various aspects of television, including genre, textual analysis, production and distribution systems and audience studies.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 677 Cultural Theory (4, max 8, 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 679 Seminar in Genre and/or Narrative Theory (4, max 8, 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.
CTCS 688 Seminar in Historiography (4, Fa) Seminar in theories and methods of film and television history; focus on interpretation in history and reception studies.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 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.
CTCS 794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0, FaSpSm) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.