Courses / Undergraduate

Spring 2014

  • Doomed Loved in the Cinema

    108 | CCN: 31669

    Instructor: Mary Ann Doane

     In this course we will examine the many films–across different historical periods and in different genres–in which the failure of a love relationship is the principal focus of narrative structure. Is this frequency the result... More
  • Global Genres and East Asian Cinema

    108 | CCN: 31686

    Instructor: Weihong Bao

    This course explores East Asian Cinema from the perspective of film genre. In particular, the course examines East Asian genre films as active interaction with the circulation of global film genres as well as mass mediated engagement... More
  • Documentary Film

    128 | CCN: 31687

    Instructor: Linda Williams

     This course surveys the history, theory and practice of the documentary, aka “non-fiction,” film and video. We will explore the term and examine the ways its forms and ethics have changed since the beginning of cinema. We... More
  • Understanding Film Sound

    140 | CCN: 31696

    Instructor: Mark Berger

    This course will explore the nature, evolution, use, and abuse of sound in cinema. From the first silent films, which weren’t presented in silence at all, to current action films, the relation between sound and image... More
  • Special Topics in Film: Hitchcock Adaptations

    140 | CCN: 31699

    Instructor: Eileen Jones

    Director Alfred Hitchcock’s reliance on literary works is a lesser-known factor in his filmmaking, in part because of Hitchcock’s famous “authorship” of his films, which he forcefully publicized. Yet Hitchcock was a frequent adapter of acclaimed novels... More
  • Special Topics in Film: Color Theory

    140 | CCN: 31705

    Instructor: Eileen Jones

    In the introduction to Color: The Film Reader, Brian Price argues that until recently film studies scholars have suffered from “chromophobia,” neglecting to address in any comprehensive way “the centrality of color to the experience and technology... More
  • German Exiles in Hollywood: From Horror to Noir

    160 | CCN: 31720

    Instructor: Anton Kaes

     This course deals with the American films of German and Austrian filmmakers who fled to the United States when Hitler came to power. Complicating the notion of a national cinema, the films of these refugees negotiated... More
  • Beginning Screenwriting

    180A | CCN: 31726

    Instructor: J. Mira Kopell

    Prerequisites: Declared film majors with at least 60 semester units completed. Professor approval required; enrollment limited. Explores the art and craft of writing a feature length, narrative screenplay. Participants present three story ideas to the class, develop... More
  • Advanced Production of Narrative Short

    187 | CCN: 31732

    Instructor: J. Mira Kopell

    In Film 187 student filmmakers write, direct and edit one narrative short, 10 – 12 minutes in length. The class emphasizes the collaborative process of filmmaking so, in addition to developing their own projects, students will continually workshop each other’s... More
  • Field Study at the Pacific Film Archive

    197A | CCN: 31774

    Instructor: Nancy Goldman

    Mandatory group meetings on Tuesdays at the PFA Library. Students must schedule three hours of fieldwork per week in addition to the group meetings. Prerequisites: Declared film majors with at least 60 semester units completed. Interning at the Pacific... More
  • Film Curating Internship

    197C | CCN: 31780

    Instructor: Kathy Geritz

    Meet at Conference Room, Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. Prerequisites: Declared film majors with at least 60 semester units completed. Professor approval required; enrollment limited. Experience “behind-the-scenes” at PFA! Interns will learn about film curating through creating... More
  • The History of Film (Sound Era)

    25B | CCN: 31633

    Instructor: Eileen Jones

     In this introductory survey course we will examine the history of cinema from the silent-to-sound revolution of the late 1920s through the international development of film as a transformative technology, art form, and commercial medium up to... More
  • The Craft of Writing: Technologies of Time: the Mediation of History, Memory, and Narrative

    R1B - 001 | CCN: 31603

    Instructor: Justin Vaccaro

    Can we know time without the help of a medium? This is the second part of the Reading and Composition requirement. We will continue to work on writing analytical, argumentative papers but with an added emphasis on research.... More
  • The Craft of Writing

    R1B - 002 | CCN: 31609

    Instructor: Dolores C. McElroy and Jennifer Blaylock

    The primary goal of this course is to teach practical skills in college writing with a special emphasis on research. The topic of this R1B will examine the monster as cultural object. Course material will address zombies... More
  • The Craft of Writing: Cinema and the Aesthetics of Surrealism

    R1B - 004 | CCN: 31621

    Instructor: Linda witkowski and Eliot Bessette

    This course will combine the formal aesthetic analysis of cinema with theoretical texts to investigate the ways that surrealism has been used in film. Part of our work will be to contrast theories of surrealism with theories... More