Courses / Undergraduate

Spring 2015

  • The Craft of Writing – “You Must Remember This”: Memory and Media

    R1B - 005 | CCN: 31627

    Lisa Jacobson and Renee Pastel

    Date and Time: MWF 11-12P, 215 DWINELLE

    4 Units

    This course focuses on the relationship between memory and moving images. How can film capture and reproduce a memory? What role can film play in shaping memory, both on an individual and collective level? What claims does the medium make about accurately presenting the past? We will build on the analytical work of the R1A courses by learning to support claims with original research. Through close analysis of film, television, and digital media augmented by research, we will practice making textually-grounded arguments about specific works while thinking about the broader implications for understanding media and memory. Our material spans a variety of time periods and genres, from silent film to 21st century Hollywood and European cinema, science fiction to contemporary documentary. Together we will explore the multifaceted nature of memory through its cinematic representation, and consider how remembering (and forgetting) shapes a narrative, both on and off the screen.