Mar 29, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

EN 330 Cinema of the African Diaspora


This course will examine cinema as text and discuss cultural, historical, and socio-political themes in cinematic productions by filmmakers across the African Diaspora in order to explore differences and intersections in the African and African-descended experience across the globe. Through the analysis of productions from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, we will probe representations of Black identity and culture in addition to key issues such as racism, xenophobia, stereotyping, etc. that affect the Black condition. We will also examine diverse cinematic genres such as the race film, Blaxploitation, Black horror, etc. that helped define unique categories of Black cinematic art. Throughout the semester, we will view select films, read/discuss relevant scholarly articles, apply cultural studies theories, and develop multimodal projects to analyze the films that we engage. Though themes will vary, films for study may include Abouna, La Noire de, Within Our Gates, The Emperor Jones, Moonlight, and BIPOC biopics.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or above.