University of Wisconsin–Madison

course_breadth: Humanities

COM ARTS 456

Survey of Russian and Soviet cinema from the pre-Revolutionary era to the present. Works by major filmmakers will be viewed and discussed in the context of cultural politics.

COM ARTS 455

Survey of French cinema from 1895 to the present. Emphasis on aesthetic trends, film movements, film industry, and cultural context.

COM ARTS 454

Intensive analysis of selected films, using contemporary critical theories and methods.

COM ARTS 449

Sound plays a crucial but understudied role in experiences of media and cultural life. From the mundane sounds of our daily routines to the irresistible refrains of our favorite songs, sound (in its various guises as noise, music, echo, vibration, etc.) is fundamental to communications media and, more broadly, to our perceptions of the world …

COM ARTS 450

Traces the development of broadcasting as a cultural institution, examining the emergence of radio and television within the context of national identity and globalization.

COM ARTS 420

Examines representations of Asian American in American media using historical, analytical, and critical approaches. Issues of cultural production, identity, race, politics, and gender are linked to examinations of specific media forms.

COM ARTS 419

Critical and historical survey of the participation and representation of Latino/as in U.S. film, television, and popular culture, with a primary focus on Hispanic representation in Hollywood-produced imagery. The counter-images of Latino and Latina media producers also will be explored.

COM ARTS 400

Studies the major films of Alfred Hitchcock. Investigates the enduring power of his movies; contributions to genre and popular cinema; storytelling techniques; stylistic mastery; approach to romance, suspense, and action; status as an American auteur; and control over the audience’s thoughts and feelings.

COM ARTS 375

Students develop skills for viewing and interrogating entertainment media through the lens of ethical theory and to articulate their own ethical stance on a diverse range of media, including documentary film, sports entertainment, reality television, and digital media. By approaching ethics from a media studies perspective, we will ask questions about how media are produced, …

COM ARTS 374

Rhetorical character of religious controversy and sectarian persuasion in Western religion.