HIST 3260

This course provides a historical survey of cinema and the moving image, as well as the material, cultural, political and technological contexts of their production. Students will come to understand the broad development of the medium over the past one hundred and thirty years, beginning with early, pre-cinematic moving image technologies and ending with an analysis of the influence of other media and merchandizing on cinema. Students will also become familiar with crucial terminology for analyzing and writing about how films have been constructed and how they communicated to audiences over time. Geographic or thematic focus may vary according to the expertise of the instructor. [Department(s): Department of History]