Upcoming Courses

TR 10:30-11:45 am + Lab: M  5-7:30 pm, Cheever

Alternatively called “pictures,” “movies,” and “films,” the feature film is a vibrant and influential cultural practice that first emerged in early 20^th century and has continued to evolve into the 21^st. Introduction to Film Studies examines feature filmmaking as simultaneously an art form and a culture industry, considering 1) the formal components that make up feature films (such as the narration, mise en scène, composition, editing, etc.) and 2) the industrial practices that shape its production and exhibition. We begin by exploring early examples of narrative film from the US and Europe to discover how stylistic innovations—such as the use of close ups to communicate a character’s emotion or the deployment of cross-cutting to allow for greater narrative complexity—became filmic conventions that still structure contemporary filmmaking.

We then consider how filmmakers use movies to comment upon important cultural concepts by examining two major methodologies in film analysis: genre studies and director studies. We will ask: what unites a group of films under the category of a genre? Or as the product of a director’s cinematic imagination? How does the gangster film invite us to think about American ethnic and racial subcultures, the twinned concepts of justice and criminality, and ideologies of the American dream? And in what way do Alfred Hitchcock’s films question midcentury American ideas about gender and class, and love and obsession? By the end of the course, students will have learned important concepts and methodologies of film studies, developed their skills in visual analysis and argumentative writing, and will be prepared to take upper-level courses in Film Studies and the English Department.

MW 9-11 am, Bertucci

This introductory course offers a hands-on exploration of fiction filmmaking, covering camera operation, sound, lighting, screenwriting, and editing while fostering both creative and critical skills. Through readings, screenings, workshops, and collaborative exercises, students engage with cinema’s expressive and narrative potential.

MW Noon-1:15 + Lab, T 5-7 pm, Bertucci

Ready to take your filmmaking skills to the next level? In this hands-on course, you’ll direct, produce, shoot, and edit your very own short film—culminating in an end-of-semester screening. Gain real-world experience as you rotate through key crew roles, from director to cinematographer to sound designer to editor. Whether behind the camera or in the editing suite, you’ll have full creative control while mastering the tools of audiovisual storytelling. You’ll learn to thrive as an independent creator and as a vital part of a collective team.

TR 12:00-1:15pm

American Culture / American Film considers twentieth century American cinema in the context of key cultural, historical and/or ideological movements and events. In spring 2026, we will investigate conspiracy films and their relation to what Richard Hofstadter called “the paranoid style” in American political and cultural life. Our investigation begins with the Cold War and the communist conspiracy films of the 1950s—a period when Hollywood was under intense governmental scrutiny as a potential source of “dangerous” propaganda—analyzing films such as Kazan’s On the Waterfront (1950), Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1955),  Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964) alongside contemporaneous works of sociology, political science, and journalism to explore how postwar filmmakers created a conspiratorial aesthetic in response to government pressure on the industry.

We then consider the evolution of conspiracy films during the late 1960s and 1970s as Hollywood responded to both the upheavals of countercultural protest and the industry-wide turmoil created by studio conglomeration. Under this lens, films such as Pakula’s The Parallax View (1974), Dixon’s The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973), Forbes’s The Stepford Wives (1975), and Borden’s Born in Flames (1983), emerge as key opportunities for filmmakers to reflect on the emergence of late-stage capitalism and the dramatic social upheaval created by the Watergate crisis, rising Black nationalism, and the women’s movement. Taken as a whole, the course explores why and how conspiracy films emerge as a aesthetic response to the complicated political, cultural, and economic changes that define the second half of the twentieth century. 

MW 10:30-11:45 am + Lab W 5-7:30 pm, Bozzato

Study Italian film, one of the most popular and critically acclaimed national cinemas. This course offers an in-depth exploration of Italy’s cinematic tradition, emphasizing its influence on world cinema through the lens of history, aesthetics, and cultural studies. Key topics include Italian Neorealism, the Spaghetti Western, Mafia portrayals, and the "cinema d’autore." Students will analyze films by renowned directors such as Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone, and Lina Wertmüller, while also gaining insights into Italian social issues like migration, gender, race, and organized crime. The course is taught in English and is cross listed with LLC 397.