Undergraduate Topics in German Film: Introduction to German Cinema

3 units

In this undergraduate course, we will watch and discuss some of the great highlights of German film history. The course will provide students with a visual and linguistic foundation for discussing German film from the early days of cinema to the present. To cover such an extensive time span and range of cinematographic output, we will view representative works from various periods, genres, and authors that deal with a wide variety of themes. Class discussions will address the social and cultural significance of cinematic production in 20th- and 21st-century German culture as well as historical moments in German culture that are viewed through film. Certain themes will reoccur throughout the semester, including gender, the city, technology, violence, and social crisis. This course will also help students to improve their reading, writing, listening and speaking proficiency in German. Classroom discussions and readings will be entirely in German. The films will have English subtitles. This class will accommodate a range of levels of German proficiency. The reading and writing assignments will be adjusted accordingly. All instruction and all discussion will be in German. Note: There will be required weekly screenings. Prerequisite: successful completion of German 302D AND German 340C/340D OR German 341/341D OR German 342/342D or permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.