Study of works drawn from a specific literary genre or subgenre. Examples include Confessional Poetry, The Early Novel and Revenge Tragedy.
| Distribution Area | Prerequisites | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 course |
Fall Semester information
Victoria Wiet392A: Adv Topics Genre: The Hollywood Musical
Hollywood musicals are often presumed to be mere entertainment, in which spectacle takes the place of developing an intricate narrative or engaging with serious social issues. This course will come to the defense of the musical, engaging with scholarship on the genre to explore what stories it tells, how the device of the musical number facilitates storytelling in innovative ways, and its complex social impact. The course will track the story of the Hollywood musical chronologically, beginning with the development of the genre on the West End and Broadway stages in the late 19th and early 20th century; proceeding to the heyday of the musical film after the arrival of film sound; experimentation with the genre in international art cinema; and concluding with two new, arguably competing trends in musical filmmaking: the socially conscious musical and the nostalgic musical. Throughout the semester, we will be exploring the nature and significance of this genre's appeal for women and queer men and why the musical has been the frontline of Hollywood's imperfect effort to sensitively address the consequences of racial difference.
Spring Semester information
Karin Wimbley392A: Genre: AdvTps:Graphic Narratives, Graphic Subjects: Art, Death, and Intrigue in the Graphic Novel
Sex, plague, and murder in a 1970s Seattle suburb. Superheroes, anti-heroes, and political intrigue during the Cold War era. Frankenstein, nanotechnology, and shadow governments in the 21st century. Planetary exile on a women's off-world penal colony. As a medium that uses both text and image to tell stories, graphic novels and sequential art often captures humanity's best and worst impulses. This course explores how graphic storytelling interrogates life, death, and the political intrigue that often defines the human condition. Specifically, we will interrogate the characteristics and tropes operative in these graphic narratives, engage with current scholarship about sequential art, and explore several sub-genres including utopian/dystopian narratives; cyber punk aesthetics; and the memoir. Course texts include Alan Moore's Watchman, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Charles Burns' Black Hole, Victor LaValle's Destroyer, and Bitch Planet Vol. 1 & 2, to name a few.