ENGH325

In what ways has film inspired theories about the social construction of femininity and masculinity? In turn, how has aesthetic and social theory analyzed gendered bodies, subjectivities and relations within film? How, moreover, do structures of social inequality affect film production and distribution? Students are introduced to film as well as film theory involving gender and its intersections with race, class, and sexuality. Primary texts may include a variety of international films by twentieth-century and contemporary directors like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Celine Sciamma, Laura Poitras, and others. Students may also read the range of film theory— from feminist to political-economic approaches and more. Students will have the opportunity to closely analyze film and thereby engage in debates about the relationship between aesthetics and social justice.