This course is devoted to the critical study and possible production of moving-image art. It should engage students in the history, theory, and/or production of cinema. We will examine the moving image across a range of industrial and artisanal contexts and will understand cinema as an art, business, and technology. We will explore the narrative, artistic, cultural, economic, and political implications of the cinema.

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Think of your favorite movie. Was it the story you liked? Or the characters? The action? How about the look of it? Digging deep into your gut feelings about movies is just the beginning of film studies.

If movies mean more to you than just an evening out with your friends, this could be the class for you. You’ll learn how to discuss and write about films critically. You’ll also learn about the connections movies have to history and national identities. You’ll even learn what all those people listed in the credits actually do, like a gaffer is a lighting technician.

We will watch a wide variety of movies...covering many genres. We will take a historical or chronological approach, starting with a film from the early 1900s until now.

1940's

The Mummy's Tomb

Maltese Falcon

​The Mummy's Hand

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Who Done It?

​Casablanca

Holiday Inn

Rockin' in the Rockies

It's a Wonderful Life

Miracle on 34th Street

1950's

The Day the Earth Stood Still

African Queen

Strangers on a Train

Singin' in the Rain

From Here to Eternity

On the Waterfront

Rear Window

Lady and the Tramp

Rebel Without a Cause

To Catch a Thief

The Red Balloon

Old Yeller

The Blog

Vertigo

The Shaggy Dog

​North by Northwest

Some Like It Hot

1980's

The Empire Strikes Back

Airplane!

This Is Elvis

Indiana Jones & the Raiders of the Lost Ark

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

​Poltergeist

Ghostbusters

Karate Kid

Red Dawn

Footloose

Back to the Future

Breakfast Club*

Stand by Me*

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

​Top Gun

Spaceballs

Adventures in Babysitting

Throw Momma from the Train

Beaches

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Beetlejuice

​Big

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1990's

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

City Slickers

A League of Their Own

My Life

Mrs. Doubtfire

​Nightmare before Christmas

The Pagemaster

The Little Rascals

Forrest Gump

Toy Story

When We Were Kings

Twister

Matilda

Mulan