CMS 240 A: Writing in Cinema and Media Studies

“Methods, Media, Movies: A Survey of Writerly Frameworks”

Why—and how—do we write about what entertains us?

This course is survey of key methodological frameworks across media, film, and digital cultures. Topics may include the video essay, sound studies, multisensorial intake, exhibition, critical design studies, and social
media forms. We will read several models of the essay, incorporating its visual, experimental, and popular versions alongside its more traditional modalities. Students will be required to engage in in-class free-writes, complete analytical, creative, and speculative writing assignments, and participate in small group discussions.