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This is an archived copy of the 2022-2023 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://calendar.carleton.ca.

School for Studies in Art and Culture
(Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)

Film Studies (FILM) Courses

FILM 1101 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Film Studies

Introduction to the study of film that emphasizes problems and methods of film analysis through the study of various types of films. Topics relating to the filmmaker, film genre, and film history are covered through a focus on questions of style and technique.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 1120, FILM 1000 (no longer offered), and FYSM 1510.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, discussion one hour a week.

FILM 1120 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Film Studies

A seminar in the study of film that emphasizes problems and methods of film analysis through the study of a variety of types of films.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 1101, FILM 1000 (no longer offered) and FYSM 1510.
Prerequisite(s): enrolment in a Film Studies major.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, discussion one hour a week.

FILM 2001 [0.5 credit]
Film Theory and Analysis I

Introduction to major film theories and analytical practices. The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the main theories and methods of analysis that have been developed for the study of film.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 2000 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120 and second-year standing; or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar one hour a week.

FILM 2002 [0.5 credit]
Film Theory and Analysis II

Building on the skills acquired in FILM 2001, this course considers specific debates in film theory, and provides students with advanced methods for film analysis.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 2000 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, and FILM 2001, and second-year standing; or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar one hour a week.

FILM 2101 [0.5 credit]
The Film Industry

The organization of the production, distribution and exhibition practices of various film industries. May include an examination of the relationship between a national film industry and its television industry.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2106 [0.5 credit]
The Documentary

An examination of the work of individual filmmakers, of documentary styles and of organizations and institutions in the context of the history of documentary film making, including documentaries made for television. Non-fiction films other than documentaries may be considered.
Also listed as JOUR 2106.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 2105 (no longer offered), JOUR 2105 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2201 [0.5 credit]
National Cinema

This course examines the film production of specific countries in order to determine the themes, the styles, and the character of a national cinema.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2202 [0.5 credit]
Japanese Cinema

Various practices and movements in the history of Japanese cinema, ranging from the silent era to the current digital age.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2203 [0.5 credit]
Scandinavian Cinema

The development of cinema culture and film production in the Scandinavian countries, from the golden age of Scandinavian silent cinema to contemporary Nordic noir.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2204 [0.5 credit]
Indigenous Cinema and Media

A critical examination of films and other audiovisual media created by Indigenous artists, such as independent films, genre films, documentaries, web series, installations, and video games.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Department.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2206 [0.5 credit]
Canadian Cinema

A critical examination of Canadian cinema and media and how it relates to other aspects of Canadian culture.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 2207 (no longer offered), FILM 2208 (no longer offered), FILM 2209 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120 or second-year standing; or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar one hour a week.

FILM 2401 [0.5 credit]
Authorship in Film and Media

A detailed study of the themes, the characteristic style, development and influence of one or more directors.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2601 [0.5 credit]
Film Genres

This course examines questions of generic form, drawing examples from world cinema.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2606 [0.5 credit]
History of World Cinema I

Historical survey of world cinema primarily from 1895 to 1945, examining the forms, structures and stylistic conventions of various periods and nations.
Also listed as ENGL 2600.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 2608 and ENGL 2608 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, and second-year standing, or permission of the discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2607 [0.5 credit]
History of World Cinema II

Historical survey of world cinema primarily since 1945, examining the forms, structures and stylistic conventions of various periods and nations.
Also listed as ENGL 2601.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 2608 and ENGL 2608 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 2606 or ENGL 2600 or permission of the discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 2801 [0.5 credit]
Film and Media Practice I

Introduction to the basic principles of film and media practice. Emphasis may change from year to year, focusing alternately on narrative, experimental, animation or documentary techniques. This course is intended for Film Studies majors only.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120.
Lecture/workshops four hours a week.

FILM 2809 [0.5 credit]
The Video Game

Introduction to the video game as a popular media form, an emerging aesthetic, and a social and cultural practice. Topics include: history of video games; game form; game industry; narrative; art and design; interactivity; theories of play.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, or second-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3105 [0.5 credit]
Questions of Documentary Practice

Theoretical implications of documentary film and documentary television practice.
Also listed as JOUR 3105.
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000-level and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3206 [0.5 credit]
Topics in American Cinema

Studies in various aspects of American cinema with emphasis on historical and critical issues.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3209 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Canadian Cinema

Studies in various aspects of Canadian cinema. Topics may vary from year to year.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3301 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Cinema, Gender, and Sexuality

A study of selected topics in gender and cinema with emphasis on critical and historical questions.
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000-level and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3402 [0.5 credit]
Film Music

The use of music in film, from the silent era to the present day. Techniques, styles and theory of film music through the examination of selected scenes.
Also listed as MUSI 3402.
Lectures three hours a week, screening two hours a week.

FILM 3506 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Film Theory

Building on the skills acquired in FILM 2000, this course provides a critical study of advanced film theories. Topics may include aesthetics, ideological criticism, film and philosophy, and theories of technology and historiography.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 3505 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 2001 and FILM 2002 and third-year standing; or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3601 [0.5 credit]
Contemporary Québec Cinema

Critical reflection on notable filmmakers, formal and thematic trends, dominant social and political issues, and diverse cultural perspectives in Québec cinema during the 21stcentury, including the film movement known as the Québec New Wave (Renouveau du cinéma québécois). French language ability not required.
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 credit in FILM and third-year standing or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3608 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Film History

Studies of aspects of the history of world cinema. Topics will vary from year to year and may include the examination of film movements, styles and genres, and/or comparative study of national, regional and/or world-wide trends.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3609 [0.5 credit]
African Cinema

Major figures and movements in African cinema around such categories as the colonial, the anti-colonial, the postcolonial, the diasporic, the continental, race, Afro-futurism, and world cinema, interrogating in the process the very category of “African cinema”.
Also listed as AFRI 3609.
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 credit in FILM and third year standing or permission of instructor.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3701 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Animation, Video, and Experimental Film

A study of selected topics in animation, video or experimental film.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3800 [0.5 credit]
Film/Video Archival or Curatorial Practice

Consideration of topics in film/video archival or curatorial practice, including questions related to cultural policy, exhibition, conservation, and interrelationship of media. Students are expected to bear all travel and other costs arising from required visits to local facilities.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Precludes additional credit for FILM 4800 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3801 [0.5 credit]
Film and Media Practice II

Practical and conceptual approaches to film studies from the point of view of film and media practice. Emphasis may change from year to year, focusing alternately on narrative, experimental, animation or documentary techniques.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): FILM 2001 and FILM 2801.
Lecture/workshops four hours a week.

FILM 3808 [0.5 credit]
Cinema and Technology

The technological development of cinema. Topics may include advances in sound and colour processes, digital effects, exhibition technologies and new media.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3809 [0.5 credit]
Analyzing Digital Media

History, aesthetics, and theories of digital media and culture. Key concepts in digital media studies, including: digital cinema, interactive documentaries, viral videos, web series, emerging immersive platforms.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3810 [0.5 credit]
Sound in Film and Media

Questions related to sound in film and media such as: how is sound used to create narratives and emotions? How does sound affect our experience of actual and fictional worlds?.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3901 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Film Studies

Selected topics and issues not ordinarily treated in the third-year course program.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 2000 level, and third-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture one hour a week.

FILM 3902 [0.5 credit]
Screenwriting Workshop

An intermediate workshop involving regular assignments in writing for film.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Also listed as ENGL 3902.
Prerequisite(s): a 2000-level creative writing workshop or permission of the instructor. Permission to register in this course requires the student to submit a portfolio. Instructions can be found at Carleton.ca/English.
Workshop three hours a week.

FILM 4001 [0.5 credit]
Research and Critical Methodologies

Study of various methodologies for critical, theoretical and historical research in film studies.
Precludes additional credit for FILM 4000 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): FILM 2002, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000-level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, lecture two hours a week.

FILM 4002 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Moving Image Culture

Selected aspects of the audio-visual cultures of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000 level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Seminar three hours a week.

FILM 4201 [0.5 credit]
Selected Topics in National Cinemas

A study of a selected topic in national cinema.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000 level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar two hours a week.

FILM 4203 [0.5 credit]
Film Festivals and World Cinema

Theoretical and critical study of the film festival as a phenomenon shaping our understanding of film culture, institutions, history and forms. Issues examined may include festivals as sites of cultural legitimation; as spectacle; their political economy; curation/programming; case studies of film festivals around the world.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000 level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar two hours a week.

FILM 4301 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Film and Philosophy

Selected topics in philosophical approaches to the study of film, and an examination of the relations between film theory and philosophical aesthetics.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000 level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as FILM 5109, for which additional credit is precluded.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar two hours a week.

FILM 4401 [0.5 credit]
Selected Topics in Film Authorship

A study of questions of authorship in the cinema, concentrating on one or more filmmakers.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000 level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar two hours a week.

FILM 4501 [0.5 credit]
Selected Topics in Film Theory

A study of a selected topic in film theory.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000 level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Lecture and screening three hours a week, seminar two hours a week.

FILM 4805 [0.5 credit]
Practicum in Film and Film Studies

Practical experience through working on specific projects under the supervision of staff at a museum, gallery, archive, or production company in the Ottawa area. A maximum of 0.5 credit Film Studies practica courses may be offered in fulfilment of Film Studies requirements. Graded SAT/UNS.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year Honours standing in Film Studies, a CGPA of 9.00 or higher in Film Studies, and permission of the Discipline.


FILM 4901 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic

Selected topics in film studies not ordinarily available in the regular course program. The choice of topic or topics will vary at least every two years and will be announced well in advance of the registration period.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1101 or FILM 1120, 1.0 credit in FILM at the 3000 level, and fourth-year standing, or permission of the Discipline.
Screening three hours a week, seminar two hours a week.

FILM 4904 [0.5 credit]
Independent Study

For students who wish to study a specific topic. Proposed projects must be approved by the Program Committee. Written request outlining the project must be submitted by the first day of the term. An essay is the usual assignment.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year Honours standing in Film Studies and a CGPA of 10.00 or higher in Film Studies.
Unscheduled.

Note: Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca.

Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca