Courses > 2006 Spring

Graduate Courses

CINE 591 - Contemporary Film Theory

ARTH 593
401 | R 1:30-3:30pm

What are we to do with film theory when some scholars consider us to be in a “post-theory” moment? What kind of theory do we need for reflecting upon this medium that stands on the verge of its own obsolescence? What does the emergence of so-called “new media” reveal about “old media”? How have the foundational texts and concepts of film theory been challenged, rejected, embraced or retooled in recent years, and what is the role of the film theorist in the early twenty-first century? First, we will look at some of the key texts that have shaped film theory since 1968. Then, we will examine some of the current issues preoccupying film theorists today, including corporeality, post-coloniality, and the nature of the medium. And finally, we will consider the future of film theory as well as theory’s relationship to time.