Narrative and Ideology
COL 249
Fall 2018 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
ENGL 247 |
| Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory |
When ballads were popular songs that told stories, Andrew Fletcher (1655--1716) emphasized the importance of controlling dominant narratives: "If a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of a nation." Nowadays, stories take various forms, among them cinematic, and they circulate and are consumed in vast quantities. People make stories, and the consumption of those stories, in turn, "makes" people, helping to construct individual subjectivity and collective discourse. How do narratives function as the vehicles for both overt and covert ideologies? How do stories change as they become such vehicles, and how do ideologies change when they are embedded in stories? This course pursues these questions through the analysis of the narrative structure of post-1980 American films, supplemental by reading some film theory. It combines short lectures (mainly in the first few weeks) with much discussion. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA COL |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CSCT)(ENGL)(ENGL-Literature)(FILM-MN) |
Major Readings:
No textbook. However, a coursepack must be purchased. It will contain readings in narrative and film theory and critical essays on individual films.
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Examinations and Assignments:
A shorter midterm paper (5-8 pages) and a longer final paper (12-15 pages). Informed and thoughtful participation in discussion will matter to the student's grade. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the Theory major requirement and contributes to the Theory & Literary Forms concentration of the English major. |
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