COM 316 - Film and Genre

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): COM 216 or COM 235.
This class functions as a critical study of generic categories such as the western, horror, comedy, film noir, melodrama, or the musical. This course will introduce students to the concept of genre through rotating cinematic genres. By focusing on the representative genres and engaging them with screenings and discussions, we explore both thematic and theoretical issues such as film narrative, spectatorship, gender, race, ethics, national identity, and representation. When investigating generic conventions and developments, we also look at how a certain genre is “invented,” contested, evolved, translated or perished, thereby creating a historicized view of the genre and of the film industry.