Syllabus

Module 1: Film Studies – An Introduction
What is Cinema? Film as the Seventh Plastic Art, Pre-Cinematic Devices, Aspects of mise-en-scene, Realism and mise-en-scene, Cinematography
Module 2: World Cinema – Film Movements & Theories
Auteur Theory, German Expressionism, Soviet Montage, Surrealism, Silent Comedy, Italian Neo- Realism, French New Wave, Japanese Cinema
Module 3: Indian Cinema
Silent Era, Bombay Talkies, Swinging Sixties, Melodrama, Indian Auteurs, Indian New-Wave
Module 4: Film Forms, Marketing and Distribution
Genres, Plot, Narrative, Characters, Modes of Marketing and Distribution
Module 5: Evaluation and Criticism
Reception, Review, and Discussions

Analyze key elements of film form, including mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and sound, to interpret visual storytelling techniques.

Trace the historical development of cinema, from early silent films to contemporary digital filmmaking, with a focus on significant film movements and genres.

Investigate how films reflect, construct, and challenge cultural identities, social issues, and political ideologies across different periods and regions.

Cultivate the ability to critically analyze and write about films using academic frameworks, enhancing visual literacy and scholarly argumentation.

1. Students will be able to analyze films by identifying and interpreting key cinematic techniques critically.
2. Students will be able to engage with and apply major film theories (e.g., auteur theory, structuralism, feminist film criticism) to analyze cinematic narratives and aesthetics.
3. Students will be able to assess how films reflect and shape cultural identities, societal values, and political ideologies in different historical and global contexts.
4. Students will be able to articulate well-structured arguments in written essays and oral presentations, demonstrating clear, research-based film criticism.

Bazin, A., & Gray, H., What is Cinema?, University of California Press. , 1967

Villarejo, A., Film Studies: The Basics., Routledge , 2007

T Wallis, & Pramaggiore, Film - A Critical Introduction, Laurence King Publishing , 2020

James Monaco, How to Read a Film: The Art, Technology, Language, History, and Theory of Film and Media, Oxford University Press , 2000