Overview
Film and Genre looks at the historical, economic, political and social factors that influence filmmaking, particularly genre films. The course explores the possibilities and the limitations of genres, and looks at some of the criticism that has dealt with the area over the years. Two of the primary questions that recur throughout the course are, “What constitutes a film genre?” and “How do we identify genres, and how does this identification influence what we see on the screen?” The course concludes by examining specific genres that illustrate the complex issues that arise when we look at so-called escapist films.
Outline
- Unit 1: The Usefulness of Genre
- Unit 2: Genre History and Literary Precedents
Note: A short paper is due after Unit 2. - Unit 3: The Effects of Economics and Social Change on Genre
- Unit 4: Genre Development and Instability
Note: A short paper is due after Unit 2.
Choose two units from Units 5 through 8
- Unit 5: The Role of the Individual Artist in Genres
Note: A major essay is due after completion of Unit 5. - Unit 6: International Variations in Genre
- Unit 7: Transcendence and Failure: Nongenre and Cult Films
- Unit 8: Against Grains: Experimental and Cross-genre Films
Note: A major essay is due after the eighth completed unit.
Choose two units from Units 9 through 12
- Unit 9: Possibilities and Parameters in Science Fiction
- Unit 10: Possibilities and Parameters in Mystery/Suspense
- Unit 11: Possibilities and Parameters in Horror
- Unit 12: Possibilities and Parameters in Comedy
Note: A major essay is due after the eighth completed unit.
Evaluation
To receive credit for CMNS 425, you must complete all of the assignments, achieve a minimum mark of 50 percent on assignment number three, and obtain a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent). There is no final examination for this course. The weighting of the composite mark is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Short Paper (due after Unit 2) | 20% |
| Major Essay (due after fifth completed unit) | 35% |
| Major Essay (due after eighth completed unit) | 45% |
| Total | 100% |
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Grant, Barry K., ed. Film Genre Reader IV. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2012.
Other Materials
Other than the videos, which students will choose for themselves, the rest of the course materials are online, including additional readings and unit study guides.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the CMNS 425 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination.
| Activity | Weight |
| Part I: Take home essay | 40% |
| Part II: Online exam | 60% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form