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Screening: T, 12:30-3:20
Class: Th, 12:30-2:20
Room: CMU 120

Instructor
Kimberlee Gillis-Bridges
Padelford A-305
543-4892

Hours
TTh
10:30-12:00
and by appointment

Last Updated: 1/23/02
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How do filmmakers translate the experience of childhood into visual language?  Do films about childhood and coming-of-age employ common narrative and cinematic techniques?  What does childhood mean in different films, and how is that meaning connected to particular values and beliefs? 

In English 345, we will analyze how and why films tell stories by exploring films that portray the experience of childhood and coming-of-age.  As we investigate how films represent childhood, we will focus on narrative structure and formal techniques of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound.  In addition to aesthetic analysis, we will address the historical, social, and ideological contexts at play in films about childhood. 

Our thematic concentration allows us to compare films from different time periods and geographic regions.  However, the films we view have multiple meanings, and they connect childhood to other issues.  While an analysis of cinematic childhood will anchor class activities, it will not limit the range of approaches we can take to any given film. 
 
 
 
 
 

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