FAMS 201: Making Media I
This course introduces students to the creative and technical aspects of media production, and is designed to provide a basic understanding of framing, composition, audio and storytelling, through the use of sound and image. Students will learn the fundamentals of lighting, audio recording and digital video cameras. We will also study aspects of pre-production and production through hands-on assignments, readings, screenings, discussion of assigned exercises and in-class workshops with camera and lighting equipment. No prior production experience necessary. Prerequisite: FAMS101 or permission of instructor. Nandini Sikand. TR 9:30-10:45 AM
FAMS 260: Film Genres
This non-production film course is a tour through cinema via several influential genres or film types. Focusing on 3 or 4 important film genres, we will look closely at formal or stylistic elements, as well as the films’ cultural impact and role in cinematic history. How are genres established, stretched, or subverted? What political or social uses have certain genres served and what new kinds of cinema emerge when genres combine? Among the possible genres studies are: Horror Film, Film Noir, the Western, the Musical, Screwball Comedies, Road Movies, the Gangster film. Prerequisite: FAMS101 or permission of instructor. Andy Smith. TR 2:45-4:00 PM class/M 11:00 AM-1:00 PM lab
FAMS 270: World Cinemas
In this class we will study various cinemas of the world and the cultural and historical contexts from which they emerge. Through required weekly screenings, complementary readings, case-studies and guided discussion we will develop an understanding of the theoretical debates as they relate to concepts of “national,” “global,” and “third” cinemas, and explore different systems of production and distribution. We will look at how cinema across the world can be a means of expression, a form of entertainment, and an instrument for political change. Finally, we will examine the ways in which films reflect the cultures from which they emerge and how they, in turn, influence those cultures. Nandini Sikand. TR 1:15-2:30 PM class/T 7:00-9:50 PM lab
FAMS/A&S 234: Fantasy
This course investigates how fantasy shapes the human condition. Rather than assuming fantasy to be superfluous to everyday life, we explore how fantasy – including television shows, romance novels, video games, blog fiction, pornography, warfare, and monetary value – impacts people’s lives, decisions, and perceptions of the world. Within these topics, we will pay close attention to how and when “reality” or “realism” is attributed, asking: what power is involved in this labeling? What is described as less than real and how does it matter in people’s everyday lives? This cross-listed course will ethnographically investigate media and pop cultural to ask, specifically, how is media an experience? How do people live through and live with media? How are fantasy objects constructed through, and in relation to, the media? Allison Alexy. TR 8:00-9:15 AM
FAMS/PHIL 345: Philosophy of Film
This course is an examination of philosophical questions on the nature, interpretation, and evaluation of film. Topics may include: the distinctive nature of the moving image compared to other forms of representation; the issue of whether film is an art form; film authorship; the essence of film narrative; the role of the imagination in understanding and appreciating film; identification and emotional engagement with characters; film and morality; film and knowledge. Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy or permission of the instructor. Alessandro Giovannelli. W 7:00-9:50 PM class/M 7:00-9:50 PM lab
ENG 251: Screenwriting
This course is an intensive workshop in writing for film. Screenings, papers, and a digital video filmmaking assignment also required. Prerequisite: permission of Professor Ohlin. If you wish to take the course, email Professor Ohlin (ohlina@lafayette.edu) as soon as possible. [W] Alix Ohlin. TR 11:00-12:15 PM
ART: Digital Photography I
Greta Brubaker. TR 1:10-4:00 PM
ART 330: Studio Theory & Practice
Karina Skvirsky. MW 1:10-4:00 PM
ART/THTR 371: DADA—Visual & Performing Arts
Suzanne Westfall & Ed Kerns. MW 11:00-12:15 PM