RTVF 220-0
Analyzing Media Texts
Introduction to media analysis, with a focus on the aesthetics of film and television texts and how these features are informed by industrial and cultural contexts. Provides a grounding for upper-level Screen Cultures courses. Required for majors; typically taken in first year.
2026 Fall
Topics
- By the end of the course, students will be able to: (1) identify the elements of the moving image (e.g., kinds of camera movement) and of the soundtrack according to a standard glossary of technical terms; (2) describe patterns of similarity, repetition, difference, and variation in the image and sound tracks; (3) propose connections between those patterns and narrative structure, character psychology, or larger themes and ideas; and (4) explain those connections in a written argument about how patterns in the most salient visual and/or aural elements of a film or program help us to understand its structure, characters, or themes.
Readings
- Film Art: An Introduction, Thirteenth Edition, by David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, and Jeff Smith (ISBN13: 9781265762452): $75 (McGraw Hill GO 180 Days Access)
Prerequisites & course information
SoC Humanities and Fine Arts Distro
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- Official class description ↗2026 Fall