3/17/2025 1:13:28 AM	FMA 15 Course Outline as of Fall 2025	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  FMA 15	Title:  MODERN FILM HISTORY
Full Title:  Modern Film History
Last Reviewed:12/9/2024

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	4.00	Lecture Scheduled	4.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	70.00
Minimum	4.00	Lab Scheduled	0		6 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	4.00			Contact Total	70.00
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  140.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 210.00

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly:  MEDIA 15

Catalog Description:

In this course, students will survey international film history from the 1950s to the present with emphasis on the New Waves and the New Hollywood.  The course will also cover the historical evolution of the narrative form, as well as the development of formal devices such as shot, mise-en-scène, editing, and sound design.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL C1000 or equivalent and Course Completion of MEDIA 10 and MEDIA 14

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

In this course, students will survey international film history from the 1950s to the present with emphasis on the New Waves and the New Hollywood.  The course will also cover the historical evolution of the narrative form, as well as the development of formal devices such as shot, mise-en-scène, editing, and sound design.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL C1000 or equivalent and Course Completion of MEDIA 10 and MEDIA 14
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:	Fall 2012	Inactive:
Area:	E	Humanities
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	C1	Arts		Fall 2012
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	3A	Arts		Fall 2012
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 2012	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 2012	Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Differentiate among the various movements in international film history from the 1950s

to the present.

2. Evaluate the impact of historical movements, social and cultural trends, and new

 technologies on the development of motion pictures.

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

 

1. Demonstrate a working knowledge of American and international film history from the 1950s to the present.

2. Recognize and distinguish films according to the period in which they were produced.

3. Examine the evolving art of the motion picture in social, cultural, artistic, technological, and economic contexts.

4. Evaluate the contributions of significant historical movements and filmmakers in shaping the history of motion pictures.

5. Relate the transformation of film technology to the evolution of film form, with particular attention to narrative and aesthetic developments.

Topics and Scope

I. American Cinema in the 1950s

    A. The Hollywood studio system after the Paramount Decree

     B. TV competition, wide screens, and technical innovations

    C. The influence of theatre: Method acting

    D. The Red Scare

    E. Major American directors of the 1950s

II. International Cinema in the 1950s and 1960s

    A. Politicization of mainstream narrative cinema

    B. Auteurism: postwar film theory and the international development of auteur cinema

          1. Rossellini, Visconti, Pasolini, Fellini

          2. Bresson, Godard, Truffaut

          3. Buñuel

          4. Polanski

          5. Dreyer

         6. Bergman

          7. Hitchcock, Welles

    C. Italian Neorealism, epics, and Spaghetti-Westerns

    D. French Nouvelle Vague

     E. Documentaries (ethnographic cinema, direct cinema, cinema vérité)

    F. British Free Cinema

    G. African Cinema

    H. New avant-gardes: abstract films, and underground cinema

III. The Fall and Rise of Hollywood (1960-1980)

    A. The crisis of the film industry

    B. The influence of the New Waves

    C. New trends

    D. The Vietnam-Watergate era

    E. The "New Hollywood" and independent directors (Altman, Allen)

    F. The Hollywood Brats (Coppola, Spielberg, Lucas) and the return of the Blockbuster

    G. The rebirth of the studio system

IV. 1980s to the Digital Age

    A. Blockbusters, sequels, franchises, marketing

    B. Sundance and the festival circuit

    C. New women and minority filmmakers

    D. Mainland China: The Fifth and Sixth Generation

    E. Korean New Wave

     F. Dogme 95

     G. Hollywood: megapictures, multiplexing; and Digital cinema (CGI, VFX, interactive cinema, and VR)

     H. Emerging cinemas, artists, and fandoms

    I. Development of formal devices such as the shot, mise-en-scène, editing, and sound design

Assignments:

1. Weekly reading assignments from 40 to 60 pages

2. Writing assignments: 10 - 20 pages in total, may include:

    a. Essays

    b. Journals

    c. Blogs

    d. Reviews

3. Two to three exams including final exam and quizzes

4. Additional assignments as determined by instructor may include:

    a. Group Project(s)

     b. Presentation(s)

    c. Final Project(s)

     d. Video Project(s)

5.  Class participation

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 35 - 65%
Written assignments
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 35 - 65%
Examinations and Quizzes
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 20%
Class participation and additional assignments (if assigned)

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

A History of Film. 8th ed. Wexman, Virginia. Allyn & Bacon: 2018. (classic).

A History of Narrative Film, 5th ed. Cook, David A. W. W. Norton & Company: 2016. (classic).

A Short History of the Movies. 11th ed. Mast, Gerald and Kawin, Bruce.  Pearson: 2011. (classic).

Contemporary Film History, 2nd ed. Foster, William Rod. Kendall. Hunt Publishing: 2018. (classic).

Film History, An Introduction. 4th ed. Thompson, Kristin and Bordwell, David. McGraw-Hill: 2018. (classic).

Flashback, A Brief History of Film. 6th ed. Giannetti, Louis and Eyman, Scott. Pearson: 2010. (classic).

Print PDF