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21L.340
Pleasures of Poetry David Thorburn Mon-Fri, Jan 7-11, 14-18, 22-25, 28-1, 01-02:00pm, 14E-304, 4-5 addt'l class hours TBA Pre-register on WebSIS and attend first class. Listeners allowed, space permitting Prereq: Permission of instructor Level: U 6 units Standard A - F Grading Can be repeated for credit Strengthens writing and reading comprehension skills. Students attend all public sessions of the Pleasures of Poetry readings and discussions as well as several additional classes. The poems chosen by the various moderators range across the history of literature, from ancient Chinese lyrics to contemporary texts. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor. ---- For 2013, there will 4-5 additional hours to be announced. Required writing: four short (750 words max.) responses each week to a poem discussed in the PoP sessions. At the end of IAP students will revise and resubmit their three strongest essays. Clarity and concision will earn an A Web: http://lit.mit.edu Contact: David Thorburn, 14N-335, 253-6950, thorburn@mit.edu |
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21L.345
On the Screen Film Genres Alvin Kibel Mon-Fri, Jan 7-11, 14-18, 22-25, 28-1, 03-06:30pm, 14E-310 Pre-register on WebSIS and attend first class. Listeners allowed, space permitting Prereq: Permission of instructor Level: U 6 units Standard A - F Grading Can be repeated for credit Examines works of film, television or other screen-based media, with emphasis on texts that are related by genre, time period, style, or director. Works studied vary from term to term. May be repeated for credit once with permission of instructor. ---- We will explore various elements of cinematic texts to determine what makes a film an instance or version of a film of a particular kind, members of which all offer versions of the same underlying story. Discerning its kind (or genre) is implicit in understanding any film narrative--why the action makes sense and what it means in relation to lived experience. Genres to be examined will include: Westerns, Detective Films, Musicals, Screwball Comedies, Fantasy, Vampires, Gangster movies, Samurai movies, and a nameless genre: films about the relation of the medium to reality. In addition to viewing sixteen films, we will also read some literary or dramatic texts or portions thereof to compare the treatment of similar narrative patterns in two different media. No previous experience with film analysis or critical theory is presumed. Contact: Alvin Kibel, 14N-438, 253-3580, akibel@mit.edu |