Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: FILM MELODRAMA

Department: Art History

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Melodrama - the genre of tears, sensationalism and excess - has long been the focus of critical debates. Initially dismissed as mere escapism, melodrama films have begun to generate nuanced studies about their engagement with issues of gender, sexuality, class, and race. This seminar examines aesthetic, socio-political, and psychological dimensions of film melodrama, including historical works by Vidor, Sirk, Godard, and Fassbinder, as well as more recent projects by Haynes and Almodovar. For each lecture, Graduate Students will be assigned additional readings. They will write an annotated bibliography of all the readings to be turned in at the end of the semester. We will meet for an additional two or three times to discuss the interpretive and methodological problems and ideas associated with the readings. Graduate students will be expected to complete all the requirements of the class in addition to writing a substantial research paper due at the end of the semester. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for HART 589 if student has credit for HART 389.