FMA 150 - History of American Cinema


Description: Survey of American film as an art form, an industry, and a system of representation and communication. Technical, aesthetic, and cultural aspects of cinema and the reading of film as a means for communicating American ideals, values, and attitudes. 

Prerequisites: Reading Proficiency.

General Education Competency: Critical Thinking; Diversity

Credits: 3
Lecture: 3
Lab: 0

Course Content:
  1. Development of the American film industry
  2. Film vocabulary
  3. Cinematic art and technology
  4. Hollywood film genres
  5. Film analysis and critique

Learning Outcomes:
  1. Identify the key events of American film history from the silent cinema to the present day. (1)
  2. Use the basic technical and critical vocabulary of motion pictures. (2) 
  3. Analyze the relationship between the technologies of cinema and film art. (3) 
  4. Explain the role of genre in American film history as it relates to the expression of American ideals, values and identity. (4) 
  5. Analyze and critique American films. (5) 

Required Assessment:
  1. Critique and evaluation of art and artifacts.

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