This course asks where do women figure in film history, culture, and criticism?
Although we will pay special attention to women filmmakers, we will also explore women’s contributions to film history and culture outside of directing, i.e., producing, acting, cinematography, writing, and costuming. Additionally, we will consider the role of “women in film” as audiences and spectators, as well as feminist film critics. Throughout the semester, we will watch a range of films—primarily fiction films by women filmmakers, but also short experimental films and documentaries—and trace key debates and methods in feminist film criticism, including questions of the gaze and women’s film representation, and pleasure and genre. Finally, we will think through how to do women’s film history as we experiment with different genres of writing like the personal essay, video essay, and archival work.
Authors we are likely to read include Patricia White, Laura Horak, Claire Johnston, Laura Mulvey, Mary Anne Doane, Helen Hok-Sze Leung, Linda Williams, Priscilla Peña Ovalle, Maya Deren, Alison Pierse, Barbara Hammer, Vivian Sobchack, Jane Gaines, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Miriam Petty, and Jeanine Bassinger. Given that this is a studies course, readings are intended to challenge students; ideally, students in the course should have some training in formal film analysis and other critical methods commonly used in film studies. Assignments include active participation (15%), personal essay (25%), video essay project/archival project (25%), annotated bibliography/research paper (35%).
Films may include:
Stella Dallas
Meshes of the Afternoon
Where Do We Go Now?
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Gilda
Imitation of Life
The Watermelon Woman
Persepolis
Dumplings
Cléo from 5 to 7
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
Dance, Girl, Dance
Other filmmakers that may be included:
Sophia Al-Maria
Shirley Clarke
Katherine Bigelow
Ciara Lacy
Kimi Takesue
Isabel Sandoval
Zero Chou