Film Studies

Introduces film analysis skills that focus on technical details of the cinematic medium, and how they influence narration, character and theme. Highlights important topics in film history and film theory. Offered once every three years.

Did you know that Disney's Beauty and the Beast is based on a Latin novel written almost 2,000 years ago? Or that Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club bears a striking resemblance to Sophocles' Oedipus Rex? Each week, students will read a selection of ancient literature and pair it with a screening of modern film to assess the continued influence that ancient narratives still exert across multiple genres.

Investigates the relationship between philosophical ideas and visual narratives. Examines the philosophical foundations of various theories of film and interprets visual narratives in terms of philosophical ideas. Prerequisite: Earlham Seminar.

Provides a basic understanding of the theory, technologies, and practice of video production. Students will collaborate to conceptualize, record, and edit several video projects over the semester.

Bringing to bear written texts, music, film and other media sources, this course explores the definition and moral significance of Hip Hop as a religious and cultural phenomenon within popular culture. Specific issues explored in this course include the syncretism of religious symbols and sensibilities in Hip Hop; the racial, ethnic, sex-gendered, and class dynamics of Hip Hop; as well as the language and aesthetics of Hip Hop.

Topics determined by the instructor might consider particular filmmakers or cinematic movements and interdisciplinary or thematic concerns. It may be taken more than once with different topics.

A survey of Japanese cinema from early films to anime, comparing the development of Japanese cinema with other national contexts. Develops analytical skills that focus on technical details of films and how they inflect narration, character and theme.

This course combines traditional approaches to composing and arranging for the Western symphony orchestra with a software-based approach using MIDI and sampled acoustic instruments. Both approaches will be taught in conjunction with analyses of classic and contemporary film scoring techniques. Projects can be realized using either traditional music notation or the MIDI system. Final project will include the scoring of an original short video or a video in public domain.