• 2012-2013 Courses:
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Fall 2012

• CAMS 110: Introduction to Cinema and Media Studies

  This course introduces students to the basic terms, concepts and methods used in cinema studies and helps build critical skills for analyzing films, technologies, industries, styles and genres, narrative strategies and ideologies. Students will develop skills in critical viewing and careful writing via assignments such as a short response essay, a plot segmentation, a shot breakdown, and various narrative and stylistic analysis papers. Classroom discussion focuses on applying critical concepts to a wide range of films. Requirements include two evening film screenings per week. Extra time. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Writing Requirement, Literary/Artistic Analysis, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2012, Winter 2013 -- J. Beck, C. Donelan

• CAMS 111: Digital Foundations

  This class introduces students to the full range of production tools and forms, building both the technical and conceptual skills needed to continue at more advanced levels. We will explore the aesthetics and mechanics of shooting digital video, the role of sound and how to record and mix it, field and studio production, lighting, and editing with Final Cut Pro. Course work will include individual and group production projects, readings, and writing. This is an essential foundation for anyone interested in moving-image production and learning the specifics of CAMS’ studios, cameras, and lighting equipment. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013 -- P. Hager, L. Jimsen

• CAMS 211: Film History II

  This course covers the continued rise and development of cinema from 1940-1970, looking simultaneously at both the American studio system and international cinemas. Emphasis is placed on wartime and post-war genres, the development of wide screen and color technologies, New Wave modernisms, Third Cinema movements, and international trends in narrative, documentary and avant-garde film. Requirements include class attendance and participation, readings, required evening film screenings, and various written assignments and exams. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Recognition and Affirmation of Difference Requirement, Literary/Artistic Analysis, International Studies; offered Fall 2012 -- C. Donelan

• CAMS 228: Avant-Garde Film & Video from Dada to the Beats

  This class charts avant-garde film, photography and design from Salvadore Dali's surrealist cinema in the 1920's to the flowering of Beat culture in the 1950's. Key monuments are read against the progression of the art historical styles and "-isms" that informed them. We will take an extended look at Beat Culture in the 1950's as a context for the emergence of the American avant-garde. Expect to view rare original prints at the Walker Art Center and make your own experimental film. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Fall 2012 -- J. Schott

• CAMS 237: Cinemas & Contexts: Russian Film

  The Russian school of filmmaking developed in a socio-political context that indelibly marked its production. Fortunately, the Russian school’s achievements have exceeded the limitations of time, politics, and national boundaries, to this day influencing filmmakers around the world. This course examines major moments in Russian cinema history. Readings and brief lectures situate films in their historical and political contexts; discussion and close analysis explore technological innovation and the theories underlying them. The survey concludes with consideration of the Russian school’s significance particularly for emerging cinemas in Cuba, China, Africa, and post-Soviet Central Asia. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis, International Studies; offered Fall 2012 -- D. Nemec Ignashev

• CAMS 275: Audio Workshop

  The Audio Workshop introduces students to essential skills in audio storytelling and drama. Students will produce projects in three essential genres: reportorial projects (suitable for news or research reporting), personal narratives (along the lines of This American Life), and new audio drama (fiction recorded in our sound booth with actors). Along with essential technical skills, students will engage critical historical and esthetic issues in audio, along with directorial skills like interviewing and directing voice talent. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Fall 2012 -- J. Schott

• CAMS 278: Writing for Television

  TV is a very specific, time-driven medium. Using examples from scripts and DVDs, students will learn how to write for an existing TV show, keeping in mind character consistency, pacing, tone, and compelling storylines. Students will also get a taste of what it's like to be part of a writing staff as the class itself creates an episode from scratch. Topics such as creating the TV pilot, marketing, agents, managers, and more will be discussed. Finally, general storytelling tools such as creating better dialogue, developing fully-rounded characters, making scene work more exciting, etc., will also be addressed. Prerequisites: Cinema and Media Studies 110 or permission of the instructor. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Fall 2012 -- M. Elyanow

• CAMS 286: Animation

  Animation will explore both traditional, handmade animation and computer-based animation software. The course will emphasize skills in observation, perception, and technique using both old and new technologies. Exercises will build skills in creating believable and cinematic locomotion, gesture, and characters in diverse media including drawing by hand on cards, software-based animation, and stop-motion. The final project gives students the opportunity to develop more advanced skills in one, or a combination, of the techniques covered in class to create a self-directed animation project. Prerequisites: Cinema and Media Studies 110, one Cinema and Media Studies 200-level studio production course, or permission of instructor. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Fall 2012 -- L. Jimsen

• CAMS 320: Sound Studies Topics Seminar

  This course presents the broader field of Sound Studies, its debates and issues. Drawing on a diverse set of interdisciplinary perspectives, the seminar explores the range of academic work on sound to examine the relationship between sound and listening, sound and perception, sound and memory, and sound and modern thought. Topics addressed include but are not limited to sound technologies and industries, acoustic perception, sound and image relations, sound in media, philosophies of listening, sound semiotics, speech and communication, voice and subject formation, sound art, the social history of noise, and hearing cultures. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Fall 2012 -- J. Beck

• CAMS 400: Integrative Exercise

  6 credit; S/NC; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2012, Winter 2013 -- Staff

Winter 2013

• CAMS 110: Introduction to Cinema and Media Studies

  This course introduces students to the basic terms, concepts and methods used in cinema studies and helps build critical skills for analyzing films, technologies, industries, styles and genres, narrative strategies and ideologies. Students will develop skills in critical viewing and careful writing via assignments such as a short response essay, a plot segmentation, a shot breakdown, and various narrative and stylistic analysis papers. Classroom discussion focuses on applying critical concepts to a wide range of films. Requirements include two evening film screenings per week. Extra time. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Writing Requirement, Literary/Artistic Analysis, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2012, Winter 2013 -- J. Beck, C. Donelan

• CAMS 111: Digital Foundations

  This class introduces students to the full range of production tools and forms, building both the technical and conceptual skills needed to continue at more advanced levels. We will explore the aesthetics and mechanics of shooting digital video, the role of sound and how to record and mix it, field and studio production, lighting, and editing with Final Cut Pro. Course work will include individual and group production projects, readings, and writing. This is an essential foundation for anyone interested in moving-image production and learning the specifics of CAMS’ studios, cameras, and lighting equipment. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013 -- P. Hager, L. Jimsen

• CAMS 214: Film History III

  This course is designed to introduce students to film history, 1970-present, and the multiple permutations of cinema around the globe. The course charts the development of the New American cinema since the mid-1970s while examining the effects of media consolidation and convergence. Moreover, the course seeks to examine how global cinemas have reacted to and dealt with the formal influence and economic domination of Hollywood film making on international audiences. Class lectures, screenings, and discussions will consider how cinema has changed from a primarily national phenomenon to a transnational form of communication in the twenty-first century. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Winter 2013 -- J. Beck

• CAMS 232: Cinema Directors: Tarkovsky

  This course addresses the legacy of Russian film director and cult figure Andrei Tarkovsky, his contribution to the revival of Russian cinema and film theory, and his influence on other filmmakers--in Russia and around the world. Readings will focus on Tarkovsky’s own writing about film and art. Close analysis of the films (Ivan’s Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Mirror, Stalker, Nostalghia, Sacrifice) will be supplemented by consideration of Tarkovsky’s sources--from Leonardo DaVinci to his own father, poet Arsenii Tarkovsky. 3 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis, International Studies; offered Winter 2013 -- D. Nemec Ignashev

• CAMS 233: The French Cinema

  In this overview of the major trends in French cinema, we will consider the intersections of the political, social, cultural, and artistic dimensions of films by a number of different French filmmakers. Discussions will focus on such questions as the following: In what ways has French cinema mobilized (or undermined) national myths? What role has film played in mediating the French historical memory? How have French films dealt with the nation’s (colonial) others? Course materials will incorporate critical theory and cultural readings. Taught in English with all films subtitled. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis, International Studies; offered Winter 2013 -- D. Strand

• CAMS 265: Sound Design

  This course examines the theories and techniques of sound design for film and video. Students will learn the basics of audio recording, sound editing and multi-track sound design specifically for the moving image. The goal of the course is a greater understanding of the practices and concepts associated with soundtrack development through projects using recording equipment and the digital audio workstation for editing and mixing. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Winter 2013 -- J. Beck

• CAMS 271: Fiction

  Through a series of exercises students will explore the fundamentals of making fictional media, including framing, staging, camera movement, working with actors, traditional 3-act structure, and alternative approaches. Through course readings, screenings, and writing exercises, we will analyze how mood, tone, and themes are constructed through formal techniques. Group and individual exercises will develop diverse strategies for narrative construction and cinematic storytelling. The course will culminate in individual short fiction projects. Prerequisites: Cinema and Media Studies 111 or permission of instructor. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Winter 2013 -- L. Jimsen

• CAMS 277: Television Studio Production

  In this hands-on studio television production course, held in the new, fully-outfitted Weitz Center studios, students learn professional studio methods and techniques for creating both fiction and nonfiction television programs. Concepts include lighting and set design, blocking actors, directing cameras, composition, switching, sound recording and scripting. Students work in teams to produce four assignments, crewing for each other’s productions in front of and behind the camera, in the control room, and in post-production. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Winter 2013 -- P. Hager

• CAMS 330: Cinema Studies Topics Seminar

  The purpose of this seminar is to guide students in consolidating their conceptual understanding of theories central to the discipline of cinema studies. This term, students will engage in the close reading of classical and contemporary film theory and participate in stimulating debate about those theories. The course covers the realist and formalist traditions in classical film theory, theories related to the ontology of the photographic, cinematic and digital images, theories of authorship and genre, and trends in contemporary film theory, including psychoanalysis, ideology, cultural studies, phenomenology and cognitive studies. Prerequisites: At least one film history course (Cinema and Media Studies 211, 212 or 214) or permission of instructor. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Winter 2013 -- C. Donelan

• CAMS 400: Integrative Exercise

  6 credit; S/NC; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2012, Winter 2013 -- Staff

Spring 2013

• CAMS 111: Digital Foundations

  This class introduces students to the full range of production tools and forms, building both the technical and conceptual skills needed to continue at more advanced levels. We will explore the aesthetics and mechanics of shooting digital video, the role of sound and how to record and mix it, field and studio production, lighting, and editing with Final Cut Pro. Course work will include individual and group production projects, readings, and writing. This is an essential foundation for anyone interested in moving-image production and learning the specifics of CAMS’ studios, cameras, and lighting equipment. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013 -- P. Hager, L. Jimsen

• CAMS 186: Film Genres

  In this course we survey four or more genres, including but not limited to the Western, the musical, the horror film, the comedy, and the science-fiction film. What criteria are used to place a film in a particular genre? What role do audiences and studios play in the creation and definition of film genres? Where do genres come from? How do genres change over time? What roles do genres play in the viewing experience? What are hybrid genres and subgenres? What can genres teach us about society? Assignments aim to develop skills in critical analysis, research and writing. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Writing Requirement, Literary/Artistic Analysis, Writing Requirement; offered Spring 2013 -- C. Donelan

• CAMS 216: American Cinema of the 1970s

  American cinema from 1965-1977 saw the reconfiguration of outdated modes of representation in the wake of the Hollywood studio system and an alignment of new aesthetic forms with radical political and social perspectives. This course examines the film industry’s identity crisis in the departure from industrial standards and the cultural, stylistic, and technological changes that accompanied the era. The course seeks to demonstrate that these changes in cinematic practices reflected an agenda of revitalizing cinema as a site for social commentary and change. 6 credit; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Spring 2013 -- J. Beck

• CAMS 269: Understanding New Media

  This edition of Understanding New Media will be organized around our extensive engagement with the exhibitions, artists and critics we will encounter in our travels. The class will mix reading, discussion and critique. Because access to the wireless Internet is widespread in Europe, students are encouraged to equip their laptops with wireless cards in order that we can easily conduct research on the Net and post individual critical responses to our class weblog. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Literary/Artistic Analysis; offered Spring 2013 -- J. Schott

• CAMS 289: New Media Seminar in Europe: Digital Workshop

  Creative new media projects will be tailored to each student’s skill set and technical resources, and students will be encouraged to work in teams where appropriate. Descriptive and conceptual or web-based projects in photography will be at the center of the seminar, but students may also work in video and other new media forms. Students are encouraged to take an introductory course in a medium of their choice at Carleton before the seminar. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Spring 2013 -- J. Schott

• CAMS 291: New Media Seminar in Europe: Directed Reading

  This is a self-directed course in which assigned materials and projects should be completed prior to departure. The course will provide students with a broad understanding of key issues and ideas central to the seminar. Students will create blogs and post creative projects as part of this class. 4 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement, Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Spring 2013 -- J. Schott

• CAMS 370: Advanced Production Workshop

  Working in a variety of genres and technical formats, students design, test, and execute an in-depth, individual media project during the course of the term. Students are expected to work at advanced technical and conceptual levels to expand specific skills and aesthetics. Weekly class critiques will help students develop formal approaches, audio and visual language, and work flows specific to their projects. As students enter the production and post-production phases, further critiques will help them shape their material for the greatest, most precise expression. Students may enroll in this course multiple times. Prerequisites: Cinema and Media Studies 111 and at least one 200-level production course. 6 credit; Arts and Literature, Arts Practice; offered Spring 2013 -- L. Jimsen