At the end of the module, students will have a basic knowledge of cinema history and filmic syntax. In addition, they will be able analyze and critically approach various kinds of complex audiovisual texts, ranging from film to tv-series.
None; this course will be entirely held in English.
Lectures that will encourage the active participation of the class. Collective vision and commentary of relevant audiovisual passages.
Written examination. The students will be asked to answer four open questions in no more than 120 minutes. The questions will deal with the content of the module and the course’s filmography. The knowledge of the syllabus' contents, the appropriate use of a specific terminology and the ability to autonomously apply the learnt concepts will equally define the final evaluation
TITLE OF THE MODULE: LOVE IN THE CITY
The course will introduce students to the field of film and visual studies. It will focus on the main historical periods of film style and the key concepts of audiovisual syntax, from silent cinema to the post-digital scenario. Specific features of film grammar will be discussed in the context of their historical evolution, with a focus on early cinema, classical Hollywood film, the rise of modern cinema, and the digital turn. Specific attention will be devoted to the relationship between space, desire and the urban landscape, particularly in relation to love. Using Roland Barthes’ “A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments” as a guide, the course will explore the ways in which love has been thematized by cinema as a force capable of re-writing spaces and cartographies through emotions and (real or imagined) trips in the city, ranging from Hollywood movies to contemporary non-Western cinematographies.
Attendance is not mandatory but encouraged. Textbooks will be available at the University Library (Sant'Agostino's building), while the movies to watch will be available at Fondazione Alasca (inside Via Pignolo's building).
