Sections offered FALL 2023:
#31774 |
CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON |
TuTh 3:00 PM–4:15 PM |
HU 108 |
CLASS NOTES: COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry credit
This course on media authorship will explore the movies of Joel and Ethan Coen, the Academy-Award winning filmmakers responsible for such classic American movies as No Country for Old Men, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski, along with a dozen more critically acclaimed movies made since they broke onto the scene with Blood Simple, their stylish, shocking 1984 debut. Working as collaborators for more than three decades, the Coen brothers have written, produced, and directed a series of strikingly original independent movies that have earned them a reputation as among the most compelling filmmakers in the history of modern American cinema. Combining a deeply ironic wit with a dark sensibility, the Coen brothers pay tribute to classic movie genres, while casting a wary eye on American ideals and the history of American popular culture. They are still among the most highly regarded filmmakers in America: their latest movie collaboration, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, debuted on Netflix and received three Academy Award nominations in 2019.
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the study of movies and American culture by focusing on the concept of media authorship, which will shed light on the creative process in the American motion picture industry. By looking at the movies of these uncompromising, independent-minded filmmakers, we will trace an idiosyncratic path through the history of American cinema from the late 20th century to the present. The readings, screenings, assignments, and discussions for this course are intended to help students develop competence in critical thinking and analysis, as demonstrated through two exams, and advanced skill in the writing of reasoned critical arguments, as demonstrated in two essays. Students are not required to have any prior experience in film criticism or history, just an interest in learning to think critically about movies and American culture.
During the course, we will view many of the movies directed by the Coen brothers, and students will be expected to view the movies online. We will then discuss and analyze each movie in class.
Textbooks:
Jeffrey Adams, The Cinema of the Coen Brothers: Hard-Boiled Entertainments (2015)
J.M. Tyree & Ben Walters, The Big Lebowski, Second Edition (2020)
Additional readings will be available on Canvas.