FAMS 101: Introduction to Film & Media Studies
This is a foundational course that introduces students to the basic concepts, theories, and methods in film and media studies. We will study the histories and genres of cinema as well as formal techniques, including cinematography, editing, and sound, to develop a critical understanding of film as a mode of representation. We will also study other forms of contemporary moving-image 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. CCS HUM. Katherine Groo. TR 2:45-4:00 PM, M 7:00-9:50 PM, Landis Cinema (101) – Buck Hall.
FAMS 102: Integrated Practice I
This course introduces students to the creative, theoretical, and practical aspects of media production and is designed to provide a foundational understanding of audio-visual storytelling. Students will learn the technical fundamentals of composition, lighting, audio recording, digital video cameras, and non-linear editing. The class will be grounded in discussions of theory, ethical media-making and responsible practices that move between past, present, and future. Prerequisite FAMS 101 or permission. Drew Swedberg. TR 1:15-4:00 PM, Media 1 (102) – 248 N. 3rd St.
FAMS 103: Foundations Writing & Research
This course will introduce students to the practice of writing and researching in the discipline of Film and Media Studies. Students will learn to develop strong research questions, identify relevant scholarly sources, draft a bibliography and write a literature review, conduct archival research, and write and revise a research paper. They will develop these skills as we explore media-historical case studies from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and participate in site visits. This course is designed to be a genuinely collaborative endeavor. Students will contribute to the course materials through their research; they will learn about moving image technology and teach others what they learn. Prerequisite: FAMS 101. CCS (W). Katherine Groo. F 1:15-4:00 PM, Media 2 (121) – 248 N. 3rd St.
FAMS 120: Filmmakers – Martin Scorsese
This course is a deep dive into the films of Martin Scorsese, one of the most prolific and distinctive filmmakers in American Cinema. Part of the New Hollywood of the early 1970’s, Scorsese has since produced numerous feature films that offer a fascinating way to encounter the elements and evolutions of film form, history, and theory. Some of the titles are legend: Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Goncharov, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman, and Killers of the Flower Moon. In addition to studying these and lesser-known films, we will examine Scorsese’s documentary work and presence on other platforms, as well as his role as a champion of film preservation. We will adopt useful cultural and theoretical frameworks through which to read Scorsese’s work, and we will use his films to explore issues such as toxic masculinity, race and ethnicity, class, family, faith, violence, deviance and salvation. No prerequisite. CCS HUM. Andy Smith. TR 9:30 AM-12:15 PM, Landis Cinema (101) – Buck Hall.
FAMS 140: Media and Mass Incarceration
In this course, held primarily inside Northampton County Jail in Easton, we will learn about the prison industrial complex in the United States and the ways in which media has contributed to, reified, and resisted the discourse around mass incarceration. The course introduces students to basic, but critical concepts of the PIC and similarly, basic concepts, and methods central to film and media studies. Through required weekly screenings, readings, writing, regular discussion, and peer presentation, we will gain a better understanding of our community in the Lehigh Valley. No prerequisites. CCS GM1, HUM, V. Nandini Sikand. T 7:00-9:50 PM, Media 2 (121) 248 N. 3rd St. & Northampton County Jail.
FAMS/PHIL 240: Philosophy of Art
What is art? And how should art be interpreted and evaluated? What is the nature of artistic representation? What is the connection between art and emotion? What role does form play in art? Can art ever be a source of knowledge or of moral growth? This course examines these and other fundamental questions by looking at the classical theories of art as well as contemporary philosophical writings. Examples are drawn especially from painting, photography, and cinema. No Prerequisite. CCS HUM, V. Alessandro Giovannelli. MW 11:40 AM-12:55 PM, Pardee 320A.
FAMS 250/DOC 250: Documentary Storymaking Bridge
Documentary Storymaking Bridge places students’ original documentary projects at the center of the class. The metaphor of a bridge links us to Documentary Storymaking theoretical discourses, research practices, and creative production, as well as to ethically-minded documentary connections and partnerships in the community. The course is a meaningful bridge to larger projects for those students working toward a senior capstone or toward the next step after college, and offers support for complex media projects that are too large to fit into one class or one semester—integrating students’ foundational work in media making with the advanced work to come. Designed for students working above the introductory level, projects will evolve within a context of essential engagement with the study and practice of documentary rights and responsibilities. Prerequisite: DOC 150 or instructor permission. Andy Smith. TR 1:15-2:45 PM, Landis Cinema (101) – Buck Hall.
FAMS 302 Topics in Integrated Practice III – Experimental Cinema
Experimental cinema has been described in many ways; “poetic”, discordant”, “dream-like”, exploratory”, “sub-cultural” and “innovative’ but it is an aesthetic that has always challenged the norm. In this course, we will develop an understanding of filmic principles that explore and challenge mainstream narrative and/or documentary structures, collectively known as experimental or avant-garde cinema. Using digital cinema and possibly 16 mm film, we will focus on a theoretical understanding to “experiment” with content, structure, technique, and style, with an emphasis on developing a unique way of representation, and ask what it means to develop such an “experimental” sensibility in our work. Prerequisite: FAMS 102 required, FAMS 202 recommended. Nandini Sikand. MW 1:15-4:00 PM, Landis Cinema (101) – Buck Hall.
FAMS/PHIL 345: Philosophy of Film
This course is an examination of fundamental questions on the nature, interpretation, experience, and evaluation of film. Special attention will be paid to film’s essential nature, and to how such nature affects how films engage the viewer, hence perhaps how movies should be evaluated. Topics will include: the distinctive nature of the moving image compared to other forms of representation; cinema as an art form; film authorship; colorization; the nature of film horror; and the relationship between film and ethics. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or permission of the instructor. CCS HUM, GM2, V, W. Alessandro Giovannelli. MW 2:45-4:00 PM, Pardee 320A.
FAMS 385: Educating the Ear
This course traces sound ideas and concepts across twentieth- and twenty-first century moving images. From the sound obsessions and anxieties of silent cinema to the disruptive sound experiments of the Fluxus collective to the expansive field of contemporary sound art and its remixture of the historical archive, this course considers the aesthetic, political, and epistemological possibilities of sound. Prerequisite: FAMS 101 or permission of instructor. FAMS T & CCS course. (HUM) Katherine Groo – TR 11:00-12:15 PM, Media 2 (121) – 248 N. 3rd St.
FAMS 421: Capstone Praxis
praxis (noun)–“the process of using a theory or something that you have learned in a practical way; practical application or exercise of a branch of learning; an idea translated into action.” This course asks junior and senior FAMS students to begin translating their ideas into action and transition their previous work to the larger community of media makers, scholars, and educators. Praxis has a dual focus: 1) to enhance the skills individual students need to shape and effectively present themselves for post-college opportunities, and 2) to work collectively to create and manage offerings and events that enhance campus and local communities. Praxis students will sharpen their individual portfolios, web presence, and presentation skills, while working with speakers, networking with alums, curating work, and designing and implementing outreach efforts that connect their FAMS study to their post-Lafayette plans. Open to FAMS juniors and seniors. Andy Smith. TR 2:45-4:00 PM, Media 2 (121) – 248 N. 3rd St.