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The Craft of Writing – Film Focus – The Medium of Memory
R1B 001 | CCN: 24208
Yvonne Lin
Location: Dwinelle 134
Date and Time: TU, TH 9:30am - 10:59am
4 Units
The development of film and photography radically shifted what we remember of the past and how we remember it. Not only does film technology make possible new forms of recording and storing actual events, it also changes how we think about memory itself. This course explores the questions that arise at the interplay of film and memory: How does film interrogate the linearity and (un)reliability of memory? How might personal memory cause a sense of self to cohere or fracture? How do cinematic spaces and exhibition practices participate in public remembrance? How does film function as an archive? How might potential answers to the previous questions shift with the advent of digital technology?
Through frequent in-class writing activities and lively discussion, students will hone their ability to read critically and analytically, pose interesting questions, and construct convincing arguments based on visual analysis. By the end of the course, students will write a 10-12 page final research paper on a topic drawn from our class discussions. A passing grade in this class satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition (R&C) university requirement.
This course requires weekly film screenings in addition to reading scholarly and theoretical secondary literature.