SPCM 357 Film and Social Change

Overview of Course

When film announced itself to the world in 1896, it was quickly adopted by anti-colonial movements in order to gain support for independence from colonial powers. So, film and social justice cannot be divorced from one another. Film has historically functioned as a conduit for meaning-making and making sense of our world, whether its popular national cinemas, documentaries, parallel, experimental, independent, or art. Each of these genres reflects back to us, through its own unique language, the world we live in and the possibilities of what may be. Thus, it invites a dynamic dialogue between the spectator(s) and the film. We will explore the effect that the medium of film has upon social, political and personal change-and vice-versa. The course will acquaint you with the film movements, film authors, production conditions, and audience reception practices that have linked film to broader social movements (independence struggles, gendered violence, borders/boundaries, war, migration, globalization, etc.). We begin by studying a history of stereotyping, pivotal in how marginalized groups were portrayed. We will then turn to filmmakers from marginalized groups whose work has functioned as vital intervention by deconstructing identity politics as the primary mode through which to make sense of “difference.” It will also teach you basic and essential terminology and style for writing about film, which is increasingly vital for competent citizenship in our media-driven public sphere. Lastly, it will introduce you to basic theoretical concepts fundamental to understanding social conditions and social change including, power, ideology, hegemony, institutions, among others.