The Thriller and Mystery Genres

4.0 credits

This course examines the thriller and the mystery to understand their enduring popularity worldwide in both film and television, from film noirs to conspiracy films and courtroom dramas. Why are we drawn to characters such as the detective, the suspect, and the lawyer, as well as ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances such as murders, cover-ups, and heists? What kinds of emotions do the thriller and the mystery aim to induce in audiences? What are the differences between these two genres, and how do they work distinctly in film and television? In this class, we will watch films and series and read relevant scholarship that allows us to answer these questions comprehensively.