FAMS 101: Introduction to Film & Media Studies
This is a foundational course that introduces students to basic concepts, theories and methods that are central to film and media studies. We will study the histories and genres of cinema and formal techniques such as lighting, editing and sound to develop a critical understanding of film as a dominant mode of representation. We will also study other forms of electronic media to gain a better understanding of the perspectives and practices of emerging technologies and forms of distribution. Through required weekly screenings, readings, writing and regular discussion, we will analyze these various kinds of screen medias as they influence our world. No prerequisites. Nandini Sikand. TR 1:15-2:30 PM (class) & M 7:00-10:00 PM (lab)
FAMS 201: Making Media I
This hands-on course introduces students to the creative and technical aspects of media production, and models foundational practices in productive collaboration and ethical media making. The course provides a basic understanding of framing, composition, and storytelling through the use of sound and images. Students work with lighting, audio recording, digital video cameras, and non-linear editing through a series of hands-on assignments, readings, screenings, discussion of assigned exercises, and workshops with digital equipment. Prerequisite: FAMS 101 or permission of instructor. Andy Smith. TR 2:45-4:00 PM
FAMS 202: Making Media 2
This hands-on production course is the second course in the media production sequence begun in FAMS 201 and builds on the fundamentals of lighting, sound, camera, and editing. Students will further develop their digital filmmaking techniques through increasingly complex projects. They will work on individual and collaborative media assignments that will culminate in a public screening at the end of the semester. Prerequisite: FAMS 201 or permission of instructor. Adam MacHose. TR 1:15-2:30 PM class
FAMS/PHIL 241: Philosophy of Art
An examination of the fundamental philosophical questions about the arts, including: What is art? Are there standards in the evaluation of artworks? Do the arts require or convey knowledge, and if so, what kind? What is the connection between art and emotion? What are the possible relationships between art and morality? Readings are drawn from both classical and contemporary philosophical writings. Staff. MW 12:45-2:00 PM www.fams.lafayette.edu or smitham@lafayette.edu for more information
FAMS 255: Women Make Movies/Movies Make Women
This non-production course examines the work of women filmmakers and how women have historically been constructed (and not constructed) in cinema. We will examine issues of gender, spectatorship, sexuality, race, representation and authorship as they intersect with images of women such as savior, victim, femme fatale, mother and artist. (W) Prerequisite: FAMS 101 or WGS 101 or permission of instructor. Nandini Sikand. MF 12:45-2:00 PM (class) & W 12:10-2:00 PM (lab)
FAMS/THTR 271: Media Criticism
In this course we will analyze and learn to write various forms of effective reviews of film and theater. We will also learn to distinguish between simple summaries and more sophisticated reviews that analyze style, technique, and quality. We will conduct research to contextualize film and theater – historically, artistically, and generically – in order to kick our reviews up a notch into works of criticism. (W) No prerequisites. Suzanne Westfall. MWF 10:00-10:50 AM
FAMS/EVST 363: Green Screen—Film and Environment
This course is an exploration of the intersections between filmmaking and the environment. We will employ critical concepts from cinema studies and ecocriticism/ecomedia to investigate diverse cinematic representations of the non-human world, the human place within the natural world, and larger environmental issues. Screening film genres ranging from animation to documentary to narrative to experimental, likely topics include utopias and dystopias; race, gender and the environment; consumption and waste; domestication and wildness; colonial gazes; nature as commodity and spectacle; mainstream and alternative cinematic visions; ecotraumas; animals; and environmental ethnographies. The course includes steady and active class discussions based on weekly film screenings and relevant readings. Students will do blogwork and paper writing, plus make their own short environmental films, which we will screen at semester’s end. Prerequisite: FAMS 101 or EVST 101 or permission of the instructor. Andy Smith. TR 1:15-2:30 (class) & T 7:00-10:00 PM (lab)
FAMS 420: Capstone
This required course for FAMS majors is a chance for students to synthesize their course of study into one major individual project. The capstone is a workshop-based experience where students design and complete either a critical or creative (or some combination of the two) film and/or media project that results in a public presentation of their most advanced work as FAMS majors. Open only to Senior FAMS majors. Nandini Sikand. TR 9:30-10:45 AM
ADDITIONAL FAMS-RELATED ELECTIVE COURSES FOR FALL 2014
ART 155: Digital Photography (G. Brubaker) – MW 7:00-9:50 PM
ART 155: Digital Photography (G. Brubaker) – TR 9:00-11:30 AM
ENG 231: Journalistic Writing (K. Parrish) – TR 1:15-2:30 PM
ENG 251: Screenwriting (A. Ohlin) – TR 2:45-4:00 PM
GER 424: Lit & Film in 20th C (M. Lamb-Faffelberger) – MW 7:00-8:15 PM
FAMS AND FAMS-RELATED ELECTIVE COURSES FOR SUMMER 2014
FAMS 120: Filmmakers—Scorsese’s America – Session 1: WR 9:00 AM-12:30 PM
ART 196: Basic Photography – Session 1: TR 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
ENG 116: Film & Literature – Session 2: TR 9:00 AM-12:30 PM