CINEMA AND CULTURAL STUDIES
Required and optional courses for the Cinema and Cultural Studies major and minor are also offered from a variety of departments. Please see the department website or the director of Undergraduate Studies for further information.
CCS 101-B IMAGES AND TEXTS: UNDERSTANDING CULTURES
The images and texts of advertising, television, art, writing, film, and performance and how they come to characterize and shape our everyday lives. Using case studies, students learn how to recognize, read, and analyze culture within a particular social, cultural, or political context, touching upon such important issues as race, gender, class, ideology, and censorship.
101.01 MW 2:20PM-3:15PM LEC - JAVITS Rm 109
101.01 TU 6:50PM-8:50PM LAB - JAVITS Rm 103
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CCS 201 WRITING ABOUT CULTURE: WORDS AND IMAGES
This course has two goals: to enable students to develop their skills in textual analysis, critical thinking, argumentation, writing, and research; and to explore relations between words and images. Materials to be studied include religious and philosophical texts, literature, cinema, visual arts, and advertising. This course is designed for CCS majors. In addition to the prerequisite described below, this course must be taken after CCS 101 and before CCS 301.
Prerequisite: Completion of D.E.C. Category A
MW 11:45AM-12:40PM LEC - MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
M 3:50PM-5:50PM LAB - MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
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CCS 301-G THEORIZING CINEMA AND CULTURE
This course situates movies, television, and other forms or cultural production within structures of power among communities, nations, and individuals. We will discuss how film, literature, and other forms are cultural rather than purely “aesthetic” phenomena, how cultural modes beyond the aesthetic enter into popular visual media, and how media construct spectators. Films include Vertigo, A Touch of Evil, On the Waterfront, and Night of the Living Dead.
Prerequisites: Two courses toward the major in cinema and cultural studies.
MW 2:20PM-3:15PM LEC - TBA
W 5:20PM-7:20PM LAB - MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
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CCS 311-G GENDER AND GENRE IN FILM: INVESTIGATING MASCULINITY AND FILM NOIR
In this course, we will explore the use and construction of the categories of ‘genre’ and ‘gender.’ How do these categories function within the field of cinema studies? Our focus will be film noir and its representation of masculinity. The films that we will analyze are mostly American productions of the 1940s and 1950s, but we will also review a few European examples of the genre.
Prerequisite: CCS 201 or HUM201 or 202 or THR 117
TUTH 12:50PM-1:45PM LEC - MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
TH 5:20PM-7:20PM LAB - MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
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CCS 475 UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING
PRACTICUM I
Work with a faculty member as an assistant in one of the faculty member’s regularly scheduled classes. The student is required to attend all the classes, do all the regularly assigned work and meet with the faculty member at regularly scheduled times to discuss the intellectual and pedagogical matters relating to the course.
Prerequisites: U3 or U4 standing; permission of instructor and department
by appointment I. KALINOWSKA-BLACKWOOD
CCS 487 - INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
Intensive readings and research on a special topic undertaken with close faculty supervision. May be repeated.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and department
by appointment I. KALINOWSKA-BLACKWOOD
CCS 488 - INTERNSHIP
May be repeated up to a limit of 12 credits, but only 3 credits may be applied toward the cinema and cultural studies major.
Prerequisite: Permission of program advisor
by appointment R. CHI
CCS 495 - SENIOR HONORS PROJECT IN CINEMA AND CULTURAL STUDIES
A one-semester project for CCS majors who are candidates for the degree with departmental honors. The project involves independent study under close supervision of an appropriate faculty member, and the written and oral presentation to the department faculty colloquium of an honors thesis.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and undergraduate program director.
by appointment I. KALINOWSKA-BLACKWOOD
CLASSICS
CLS 215-I CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
An introduction to the study of myth, including the mythology of the ancient Greeks. We will examine the influence of classical mythology on later literature, art and philosophy, and also how myth in general informs the contemporary world.
Advisory Prerequisite: One course in literature.
215.01 MW 11:45AM-12:40PM JAVITS Rm 110
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REC 01 FRI 11:45AM-12:40PM - TBA
REC 02 FRI 11:45AM-12:40PM - TBA
REC 03 FRI 11:45AM-12:40PM - TBA
215.02 MW 3:50PM-5:10PM SB UNION Rm 237
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CLS 447 DIRECTED READINGS
Intensive study of a particular author, period, or genre of Greek and Latin literature in translation under close faculty supervision. May be repeated.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
by appointment TBA
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Some courses offered in Africana Studies (AFS), Art, History (ARH), English (EGL), European Languages, Literatures and Cultures (FRN, GER, ITL, RUS), and Hispanic Languages and Literatures (SPN) may be used to fulfill the Comparative Literature (CLT) major or minor requirements. Students are urged to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
CLT 212-I LITERARY SURVEY: ENLIGHTENMENT THROUGH MODERN
Historical and analytical study of literature from the late 17th century, the neoclassical era, the romantic revolution through the 19th century (realism, naturalism, symbolism), leading to the culmination of modernism. We will also examine selected literature from Asia, Africa, and South America for comparison.
Advisory Prerequisite: Completion of D.E.C. Category A.
MF 12:50PM-2:10PM - JAVITS Rm 108
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CLT 220-J NON-WESTERN LITERATURE: MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
Introduction to representative literary works in the twentieth century China. Readings cover three major geographical categories: Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. By closely examining literary works by authors such as Lu Xun, Zhang Ailing, Bai Xianyong, and Wang Zhenhe, we will explore the following questions: What is Chinese modernity? How has cultural/national identity of “Chinese” been conceived/imagined in the literature? How has literature become social expressions during the 20th century? All readings, discussions and assignments will be in English.
Advisory Prerequisite: Completion of D.E.C. category A
MWF 9:35AM-10:30AM MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
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CLT 235-K AMERICAN PLURALISM IN FILM AND LITERATURE
A thorough examination of issues central to American history for nearly two centuries. How “others”-the Irish, Italians, African Americans, Latinos, and people from cultures outside Western Europe-have been portrayed in American literature and film. Radings include slave narratives from the 17th and 18th centries and literary texts from the 19th and 20th centuries; films from the last 100 years are included. Particular emphasis on the historical period from the Civil War to the present.
Advisory Prerequisites: Completion of D.E.C. Categories I and J
TUTH 9:50AM-10:45AM LEC - MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
TU 5:20PM-7:20PM LAB - MELVILLE LIB Rm N5004
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CLT/EGL 266-G THE 20TH CENTURY NOVEL: ASIAN AMERICAN FICTION
Selected readings in novels and other texts written by and/or about Asian Americans in the twentieth century. Issues to be explored include written vs. oral language; translation; voice; individual and social identifications; real and imagined traditions; gender, sexuality, and body; and “experience”. Authors may include Carlos Bulosan, Frank Chin, Jessica Hagedorn, Gish Jen, Maxine Hong Kingston, Chang-rae Lee, Bharati Mukherjee, John Okada, and others.
Prerequisite: Completion of D.E.C. Category A
Cross listed with EGL 266
MW 2:20PM-3:40PM - PSYCH A Rm 146
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CLT 335-G REPRESENTING SOCIAL CHANGE IN LATIN AMERICAN FILM AND LITERATURE
In this course we will study a selected group of Latin American films produced between the onset of New Latin American Cinema in the 60s and the present as well as a group of Latin American novels that make film and filmmaking a central part of their plots. We will read each of them as both artistic and political products, which participate in and reflect the social crises experienced by the societies where they are produced during second part of the 20th century.
Prerequisite: U3 or U4 standing
Advisory Prerequisites: One course in literature; HUM 201 or 202 or THR 117
TUTH 2:20PM-3:15PM LEC - SB UNION Rm 231
TU 5:20PM-7:20PM LAB - JAVITS Rm 108
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CLT 362-G LITERATURE AND IDEAS: “WORLD WOMEN WRITERS”
This course examines works by women writers from classical times through the Renaissance and to contemporary literature, focusing mainly on Western tradition and culture, but exploring also writings by South American and South Africa authors. We will analyze selected texts to determine what have been, in various centuries and nations, the roles of women in world literature, and the ongoing process of awareness of the feminine self-expression. The study of themes, voices, and theoretical approaches will contribute to the reconstruction of a tradition of women writers separate and parallel to prevailing literary currents.
Prerequisite: U3 or U4 standing
Advisory Prerequisites: Two courses in literature
MW 2:20PM-3:40PM - SB UNION Rm 231
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CLT 476 UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING PRACTICUM II
Work with a faculty member as an assistant in one of the faculty member’s regularly scheduled classes. The student is required to attend all the classes, do all the regularly assigned work, and meet wit the faculty member at regularly scheduled times to discuss the intellectual and pedagogical matters relating to the course. In CLT 476, students assume greater responsibility in such areas as leading discussions and analyzing results of tests that have already been graded. Students may not serve as teaching assistants in the same course twice.
Prerequisites to CLT 475: U4 standing; permission of instructor and chairperson.
Prerequisites to CLT 476: CLT 475; permission of instructor and chairperson.
by appointment K. GABBARD
CLT 487 INDEPENDENT READING AND RESEARCH
Intensive reading and research on a special topic undertaken with close faculty supervision. May be repeated.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor and department
by appointment K. GABBARD
HUMANITIES
Many courses offered in other Humanities departments fulfill requirements for the HUM major. Students are urged to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
HUM/PHI 109-B PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE IN SOCIAL CONTEXT
The role of literature and philosophy in understanding and critically assessing personal experience and social life. The links among literary texts, philosophical issues, and political and social commitments are explored. Topics include the relations between language and experience, the role of philosophical thinking through literary texts, and the significance of literary expression in different cultural and historical situations. This course ois offered as both HUM 109 and PHI 109.
Cross listed with PHI 109
TUTH 3:50PM-5:10PM - EARTH & SPACE Rm 183
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HUM 121-B DEATH AND AFTERLIFE IN LITERATURE
Through discussion of representative contemporary and classical texts, this course addresses the topic of how human beings have chosen to live with the one certainty of their existence, its eventual conclusion in death, and how various images of afterlife or denial of its possibility have shaped those choices.
MW 11:45AM-12:40PM - JAVITS Rm 109
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REC 01 11:45AM-12:40PM - TBA
REC 02 11:45AM-12:40PM - TBA
HUM 122-B IMAGES OF WOMEN IN LITERATURE
BEYOND MOTHER, ANGEL AND WHORE
An historical and intercultural examination of selecterepresentations of women in world literature ranging from ancient to modern times. The course will explore the historical and social forces operating in creating images such as Greek barbaric women, Medieval Christian female saints, good Victorian housewives, and (de-)sexualized professional women in recent times. Course materials include novels, short-stories, film, and critical essays.
MWF 10:40AM-11:35AM - JAVITS Rm 108
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HUM 123-B SIN AND SEXUALITY IN LITERATURE
What is the difference between sex and sexuality? If the only point of agreement between Aristotle and Plato is that art imitates, to what degree does sexuality in literature imitate sex? How do the lettered arts bring out this difference that is perhaps meant not to be?
How and why the intimacy shared between bodies become the matter of written forms of art? What is the relation between sex and desire and what might this relation tell us about the transposition of sexuality into literature? To what extent is sexuality in literature a measure of culture’s policing of desire? To what extent does it liberate us from such constraints? How do specific cultures at specific times in history express their relation to sex through literature?
TUTH 12:50PM-2:10PM EARTH & SPACE Rm 183
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HUM 201-D FILM AND TELEVISION: HISTORY AND THEORY
An introduction to the study of film and television through the concept of genre. Special attention is given to how film and television deal with issues of race and gender.
Prerequisites: One D.E.C. Category B course
TUTH 11:20AM-12:15PM LEC - JAVITS Rm 101
TH 6:50PM-8:50PM LAB - JAVITS Rm 103
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HUM 202-D FILM AND TELEVISION: HISTORY AND THEORY
An introduction to the theory and criticism of film and television from the “primitive” era to the present. Weekly film and video showings are accompanied by readings in both contemporary and classical film theory. Special attention is given to mainstream Hollywood cinema as well as to experimental traditions originating in the Soviet Union, France, and Germany.
Prerequisite: One D.E.C. Category B course
TUTH 2:20PM-3:15PM LEC - JAVITS Rm 108
TH 5:20PM-7:20PM LAB - JAVITS Rm 108
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HUM 220.01-G CROSS-CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS: GLOBALIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS
Description: Today's world is caught up in the process of globalization and its ensuing traumas. Yet globalization is hardly a process unique to the present times. In this course we will read a number of literary works -- both Eastern and Western, ancient and modern -- to get a variety of perspectives on the implications of cross-cultural encounters.
Prerequisite: One D.E.C. category B course
MW 5:20PM-6:40PM - TBA
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HUM 220.02-G CROSS-CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS: GLOBALIZATION AND ITS DISCOUNTENTS
This course intends to trace an alternative history of the body in Western and Asian cultures. Rather than follow the established historical categories such as classical, medieval, enlightenment, romantic, etc., we will look for different narratives – historical and otherwise -- that the experience of the body itself suggests. Authors who can help us with this project include Michel Foucault, Antonin Artaud, Gilles Deleuze, and some of the Christian mystics. After we have considered how people in the West thought about and through the body, we will move on to comparable traditions in the East, especially those rooted in Toaism, Buddhism and Hinduism.
Prerequisite: Once D.E.C. category B course
TUTH 9:50AM-11:10AM - TBA
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HUM 447 DIRECTED READINGS
Individually supervised curricula in Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities. For students who make arrangements the previous semester with appropriate faculty.
by appointment K. GABBARD
HUM 495 HUMANITIES HONORS PROJECT
A one-semester project for humanities majors who are candidates for the degree with honors. The project involves independent study and the writing of a senior thesis under the close supervision of an appropriate faculty member.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor and director of undergraduate studies.
by appointment K. GABBARD