COMM 330 Film And History
Film disproportionately shapes our understanding of history. At the same time, historians turn to film to better understand the past. This course studies international film and 20th century world history in three ways. First, we examine major debates in film history alongside the aesthetic and narrative techniques that films use to represent themselves as authoritatively “historical.” Second, we interrogate history as film, asking if we can ever truly understand historical events, especially extraordinary and traumatic ones, and ask how international cinemas have attempted to represent such events. Third, looking at both experimental films and social media technology, we ask how film helps us look with fresh eyes at our daily existences, and learn what is being done to preserve the films of the past for the future. Screenings include films from France, Japan, Romania, Iran, and England. Course requirements include three creative projects, attendance and participation, a screening journal, and a final paper.