David Moscowitz
To the naked eye, sexuality appears to be about simple biology,
uniquely male and female body parts like ovaries and penises,
testicles and vaginas. Gender, however, is more complex. This
seminar explores how film interrogates both, particularly the
representation of sexual and non-sexual bodies as well as the
performance of related social constraints and constructions of
gender.
This course constitutes part of your liberal arts education,
which presumes an open exchange of ideas and worldviews-including
those considered profane or heretical. Whatever it is that roots
the core of your being, it may be confronted and disrupted by some
or many (or all) of the films shown for this class. Many of the
required films feature explicit violence, nudity, and behavior that
you might consider aberrant. Some films feature directors renowned
by many; others are directed by folks who are reviled by some;
others are not considered "high art" at all and are read as
"B-rate" by most. We can learn from all of these. Nevertheless,
students who do not wish to see, discuss, or study such material
are advised against taking this course.
Finally, let me stress that this course is constituted as a
seminar devoted to film and cultural criticism. We will interrogate
and discuss how film functions as a form of public art and
discourse and by result how it fosters the ongoing evolution of
public culture, identity, and ideology. In other words, this course
will not study technical aspects of film very much unless they
contribute to our understanding of how artistic discourse
contributes to cultural critique.
Ageeth Sluis
As a new course within Text and Ideas of the Core Curriculum and
the Collaborative for Critical Inquiry into Race, Gender and
Sexuality, this course aims to facilitate a better understanding of
the most integral and intimate elements that make up the human
condition; the construction of gender identities based on
sexuality, class and ethnicity.