ENGH 470: RS: Topics in Film/Media History

ENGH 470-001: Bollywood and Beyond
(Spring 2014)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM R

Krug Hall 5

Section Information for Spring 2014

Say "globalization" and "India" usually pops up soon after.  But India's relationship to the global has existed long before US fascination with Bollywood styor or Tom Friedman's discovery of the world as flat. This course has three points of focus:  Bollywood cinema, Indian films made in languages other than Hindi, and South Asian diasporic cinema.  We will consider the ways that all three forms of filmmaking imagine "Indian" as a national identity that extends beyond state borders; how "Indian" sometimes eclipses or stands in for all South Asian identities in diaspora; and how Indian film (Bollywood or otherwise) handles the linguistic and cultural diversity that exists within the official Republic of India and the portrayal in film of state violence, colonial violence, and separatist movements. The course will pay special attention to questions of gender, national and ethnic identity, discourses of terrorism and national security, and the national and international importance/circulation of Bollywood stars (such as Shah Rukh Khan, for example) as well as transnational directors like Deepa Mehta and Mira Nair.  We will consider where India is positioned in relation to modernity in Indian and diasporic cinema as well as in films about India by non-Indian filmmakers in the US and UK.  Finally, the course will pay close attention to the formal aspects of the films we cover; audio-visual style, editing, and the ways that genre shapes stories.  Films covered include: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Umrao Jaan, Om Shanti Om, Shree 420, Heaven on Earth, Kaya Taran (Chrysalis), The Terrorist, Loins of Punjab Presents...and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. **670 students who are concerned about the differentiation between the two levels should contact the professor.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Advanced studies of development of film language, both as cultural practice and medium for formal innovation. Topics might include studies of national cinemas, historical periods, genres, or individual directors. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.
Mason Core: Capstone
Specialized Designation: Research/Scholarship Intensive, Topic Varies
Recommended Prerequisite: ENGH 372 or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Lecture, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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