Film Genres

4 credits

A detailed study of a particular film genre, or genres, such as film noir, science fiction, the western, the musical.

This paper will explore critical approaches to the study of film genre through a historical survey of the science fiction film. We will investigate recurring iconographic, stylistic, thematic and philosophical elements that have been identified in attempts to define science fiction as a coherent film genre. The paper will also address issues of hybridity in the interrelations of science fiction with other genres, such as horror, fantasy, melodrama and the western.

Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will

• Understand key concepts and approaches related to the study of film genre
• Appreciate the historical development of the science fiction film in its social, political and philosophical dimensions
• Understand genre formation as a complex historical process of exchange between filmmakers, audiences, film critics and other genres