ART 215 - Notable Film Directors

3 credit hours - Three hours weekly; one term.
Study films by notable American and international directors both individually and in conversation with each other. Examine influences on these directors as well as the influence they wield on others. Apply critical film theories, with special consideration given to auteur theory. Discuss thematic and aesthetic concerns in assigned films. Some of the many directors we will study: Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Ava DuVernay, Greta Gerwig, Quentin Tarantino, Edgar Wright, Spike Lee, Ang Lee, Hayao Miyazaki, Taika Waititi.

Prerequisite(s): ART 180 or AMS 181 or ART 181 or permission of program coordinator.

Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Examine the films of notable directors in context of their corpus.
Analyze and evaluate the thematic and aesthetic concerns of films by notable directors.
Discuss the relationship of the films to their intellectual, social, and cultural context and in relation to films by their peers, including influences on notable directors as well as the influence they wield.
Discuss the application of critical theories to films, with special consideration given to auteur theory.