FILM 216: Historical Inquiry

Winter 2012

Instructor: Peter Baxter

Homepage | Getting Started | Week by Week | Assignments | Moodle

Sources and Resources | Academic Guidelines | Contact the Prof

Homepage

Welcome to FILM 216: Historical Inquiry.

FILM 216 is a course that explores the ways in which history shapes the movies: how they are made and how they are watched. In FILM 216, you will learn how to identify the links between films and their historical context, and to understand how those links affect a film's form and meaning. The course is worth 0.5 credit, and is an option for a Major, Medial or Minor degree in Film & Media, or for a Special Field Concentration in Stage and Screen Studies.

In the Winter term of 2012, FILM 216 will focus on feature films of the silent cinema. Over the course of three decades, from the 1890s to the 1920s, the cinema developed from fascinating novelty into one of the major arts, into an industry closely linked with national identity, and into an entertainment that transcended borders. Throughout this time the cinema was primarily a visual medium, embellished with aural accompaniments. It will be our task to understand how a new technology - "moving pictures" - was assimilated by a society, how it evolved, and how it changed the society that embraced it.

Use the menu above to orient yourself and access information about the various components of the course. You will find administrative details, key dates, grading schemes, etc. in Getting Started. Look in Week by Week to see which topics you are going to cover, which films you will see, links to online readings, and so on. Assignments contains detailed descriptions of the projects that you will submit for a major portion of your grade. Sources and Resources contains lists of books on reserve at Stauffer Library, along with links to some key websites that will assist you in your research. Academic Guidelines informs you about university, faculty and department policies regarding expectations and evaluation. You can go to Moodle to access some communication tools that will become useful as you begin work on your assignments, and to follow your grades during the term. Finally Contact the Prof has a few words to say about me and about how you can reach me by various means.

I hope you will enjoy FILM 216, and I hope that your enjoyment will lead to a deepened understanding of the place of film in modern culture. If you have any questions about the course, you can contact me at baxterp@queensu.ca.

NOTE: Details in the course description and requirements may change without notice.