FMST 222 Feminism and Media

3 credits 45.0 hours
200 level undergraduate course

This course explores the role women have played and continue to play in cinema and new media assessing their impact from a feminist framework. We will begin by looking at the pivotal role that women such as Alice Guy and Mary Pickford played in the early years of the motion pictures industry. We will then focus on the concept of the male gaze and its influence on the evolution of Classical Hollywood Cinema. The rest of the course centers on some key female filmmakers from the 1950s to today and on the representation of women in contemporary media culture. We will debate issues relating to the body, race, and desire and reclaim such controversial archetypes as the femme fatale and the witch with the ultimate goal of drawing HERstory of film and its legacy.

Prerequisites WRIT*102 or WRIT*102H

This course is not repeatable for credit.
This course can fulfill a discipline history elective, critical studies elective, or general elective requirement.