CMS 480 A: Senior Capstone

Spring 2020
Meeting:
TTh 10:30am - 12:20pm / DEN 258
SLN:
12290
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
DOCUMENTARY AND AVANT GARDE
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

This capstone course is designed for CMS majors who are familiar with the history and theory of film, but it does not require previous coursework on either documentary or the avant-garde. We will explore each film together, in depth, and in the spirit of what the great American filmmaker Stan Brakhage called an “adventure of perception.” Documentary and the avant-garde represent different filmmaking practices, each with a range of agendas and approaches, and each with a different history. But they are also interconnected. This course will survey the historical and contemporary intersections of documentary and the avant-garde through films by John Akomfrah, James Benning, Luis Buñuel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel, Bruce Conner, Tacita Dean, Robert Flaherty, Robert Gardner, Patricio Guzmán, Barbara Hammer, Joris Ivens, Claude Lanzmann, Ross McElwee, Brett Story, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Agnès Varda, Dziga Vertov, and Andy Warhol, among others. My hope is that their films will alter how you think about moving images, especially in relation to the act of seeing. Indeed, the goal of this course is to see better, or at least to see differently. What that means for each of us will vary, but that’s the goal.

Questions? Email: eames@uw.edu

Catalog Description:
Capstone course in cinema and media studies. Topics vary. Prerequisite: CMS 301.
Department Requirements Met:
Capstone for Cinema
GE Requirements Met:
Arts and Humanities (A&H)
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
March 28, 2024 - 5:46 pm