2018-2019 Academic Catalog

Apr 19, 2024

2018-2019 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

SCRN 291 - Capstone Course - Variable topics

The Screen Studies capstone involves a seminar-style, intensive exploration of a single subject area relevant to moving-image media. Historical, theoretical, and practical approaches are all considered. Students engage in intensive weekly readings, discussions, and presentations, with the semester culminating in a well-researched and polished 25-page paper, or a carefully developed and refined video project. The goal is to produce work that could be worthy of submission to a graduate admissions committee, or to a writing contest or film festival. Students should expect this course to require considerably more weekly work than a standard 200-level Screen course and adjust their fall schedule accordingly. Topics vary.

Fall 2018 Topic: Transnational Remakes

Film remakes have often been denigrated as plagiarized inferior texts. This course looks at remakes as economic and textual products and takes into account questions of copyright but also goes beyond notions of originality to consider the industrial and economic contexts of remakes across several national film industries. We will explore questions like: What is the difference between adaptation and remake? What is the nature of intertextuality here? What is the difference between a remake and other categories like genres or sequels? How does a cross-cultural remake transform into a different culture and genre for a different set of audiences? To what extent does national identity factor into remakes, as is the case with Hollywood and Bollywood? How do remakes represent historical ideological transformations within the same industry (as is the case of contemporary Hollywood remakes of early Hollywood cinema)? What kinds of films get remade by a particular industry and why? What is the role of authorship? And, how do we think about transnational negotiations between film industries and cultures in the global marketplace through the remake? We will approach the topic through a variety of critical and theoretical frameworks to analyze the ideological underpinnings of remaking in international contexts.

Prerequisites: SCRN seniors or Permission.

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered every fall