Cinema and Cultural Studies
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course aims at introducing the elements of cultural studies to show their crucial role in the development of film studies since the 1970s. Focusing on the English-speaking, French and Italian literature (also with relation to other schools and theories), in the first part the main theoretical, methodological and ideological aspects of cultural studies will be addressed from a historical perspective, as well as their main topics, such as the revaluation of popular cinema, the issues of film reception and the relationship between cinema and identities (of gender, sex and post colonial ethnicity).
The second and third parts will focus on a particular subject chosen as a case study.
The second and third parts will focus on a particular subject chosen as a case study.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have acquired a up-to-date awareness of cultural studies development and main issues involving cinema, and would be able to apply the cultural studies methodology to film history reckoning with the cultural contexts.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The course aims at introducing the elements of the Cultural studies to show their crucial role in the development of film studies since the 1970s. Focusing on the English-speaking, French and Italian literature (also with relation to other schools and theories), in the first part (A) the main theoretical, methodological and ideological aspects of Cultural studies will be addressed from a historical perspective, as well as their main topics and issues, such as the revaluation of popular cinema or the relationship between cinema and identities (of gender, sex and post colonial ethnicity). In the second part (B and C) issues of methodology will be addressed through the concept of false (and conterminous concepts of true and fiction) as it surfaced throughout film history on several levels, such as theory, genres, ideologies, narratology, criticism and film history.
Prerequisites for admission
Knowledge of contemporary history and of film history and language.
Teaching methods
The topics of the course will be addressed making the use of slides and audio-video materials analyzed during the lessons.
Teaching Resources
I. ATTENDING STUDENTS
Part A
C. Demaria, S. Neergard, Studi culturali. Temi e prospettive a confronto, McGraw-Hill, 2007, or N. Vallorani (a cura di), Introduzione ai cultural studies. UK, USA e paesi anglofoni, Carocci, 2016, or C. Barker, E.A. Jane (eds), Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice, SAGE, 2016.
S. Hall, Encoding and decoding in the television discourse, versione ciclostilata del 1973 (disponibile sulla pagina Ariel dell'insegnamento).
S. Hall, Cultural Identity and Cinematic Representation, «Framework», n. 36, 1989 (disponibile online nel catalogo della biblioteca di ateneo).
A book to be chosen from:
R. Dyer, Star, Kaplan, 2009 (ed. or., Stars, BFI, 1977).
R. Dyer, White, Routledge, 2016.
A.B. Saponari, F. Zecca (a cura di), Oltre l'inetto? Rappresentazioni plurali della mascolinità nel cinema italiano, Meltemi, 2021.
G. Manzoli, Da Ercole a Fantozzi. Cinema popolare e società italiana dal boom economico alla neotelevisione (1958-1976), Carocci, 2013.
J. Staiger, Media Reception Studies, New York University Press, 2005.
S. Chaudhuri, Feminist Film Theorists: Laura Mulvey, Kaja Silverman, Teresa de Lauretis, Barbara Creed, Routledge, 2006.
G. Sim, The Subject of Film and Race: Retheorizing Politics, Ideology and Cinema, Bloomsbury, 2014.
Part B
André Bazin, Ontologia dell'immagine fotografica, in Che cosa è il cinema?, Garzanti, 1999.
Oliver Fahle, Teorie del film documentario, Einaudi, 2023.
- Films to watch:
Comizi d'amore (1964, P.P. Pasolini)
The Zone of Interest (La zona d'interesse, 2023, J. Glazer)
Part C
E. Hobsbawm, Partisanship, in On History, Abacus, 1998 (tr. it. De Historia, Rizzoli, 1997).
C.C. Clover, Men Women and Chain Saws. Gender in the Modern Horror Film, BFI, 1992 (o nuova ed., Princeton UP, 2015), Introduzione e cap. I.
M. Giori, Nell'ombra di Hitchcock. Amore, morte e malattia nell'eredità di «Psycho», ETS, 2015, capp. 1 e 5.
FIlms to watch:
Film da vedere:
Ossessione (1942, L. Visconti)
a couple at choice between: Black Christmas (1974, B. Clark) and Black Christmas (2019, S. Takal), or Slumber Party Massacre (1982, A.H. Jones) and Slumber Party Massacre (2021, D. Esterhazy)
II. NON ATTENDING STUDENTS
In addition to the program for attending students:
Parts A and B:
M. Giori, Nell'ombra di Hitchcock. Amore, morte e malattia nell'eredità di «Psycho», ETS, 2015, cap. 4.
A book to be chosen from:
M. Bloch, La guerra e le false notizie. Ricordi (1914-1915) e riflessioni (1921), Fazi, 2014.
F. Ritchin, Dopo la fotografia, Einaudi, 2012.
C. Formenti, Il mockumentary. La fiction si maschera da documentario, Mimesis, 2014.
F. Jost, Realtà/Finzione. L'impero del falso, Il Castoro, 2002.
Part C:
C. Ginzburg, Rapporti di forza. Storia, retorica, prova, Feltrinelli, Milano 2000, Introduzione.
W. van Watson, Il sottoproletariato come oggetto del desiderio, in D. Bruni. V. Pravadelli (a cura di), Studi viscontiani, Marsilio, 1997, or W. van Watson, Luchino Visconti's (Homosexual) "Ossessione", in J. Reich, P. Garofalo (eds), Re-Viewing Fascism. Italian Cinema, 1922-1943, Indiana University Press, 2002.
L. Fabbri, Queer Neorealism: Luchino Visconti's "Ossessione" and the "Cinema" Conspiracy Against Fascism, «Screen», 1, 2019, pp. 1-24 (disponibile sul sito Ariel dell'insegnamento).
M. Giori, Poetica e prassi della trasgressione in Luchino Visconti. 1935-1962, Libraccio, 2a ed. 2018, cap. II.
M. Giori, Gay and lesbian e queer studies, in F. Andreazza (a cura di), Fare storia del cinema. Metodi, oggetti, temi, Carocci, 2022.
Part A
C. Demaria, S. Neergard, Studi culturali. Temi e prospettive a confronto, McGraw-Hill, 2007, or N. Vallorani (a cura di), Introduzione ai cultural studies. UK, USA e paesi anglofoni, Carocci, 2016, or C. Barker, E.A. Jane (eds), Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice, SAGE, 2016.
S. Hall, Encoding and decoding in the television discourse, versione ciclostilata del 1973 (disponibile sulla pagina Ariel dell'insegnamento).
S. Hall, Cultural Identity and Cinematic Representation, «Framework», n. 36, 1989 (disponibile online nel catalogo della biblioteca di ateneo).
A book to be chosen from:
R. Dyer, Star, Kaplan, 2009 (ed. or., Stars, BFI, 1977).
R. Dyer, White, Routledge, 2016.
A.B. Saponari, F. Zecca (a cura di), Oltre l'inetto? Rappresentazioni plurali della mascolinità nel cinema italiano, Meltemi, 2021.
G. Manzoli, Da Ercole a Fantozzi. Cinema popolare e società italiana dal boom economico alla neotelevisione (1958-1976), Carocci, 2013.
J. Staiger, Media Reception Studies, New York University Press, 2005.
S. Chaudhuri, Feminist Film Theorists: Laura Mulvey, Kaja Silverman, Teresa de Lauretis, Barbara Creed, Routledge, 2006.
G. Sim, The Subject of Film and Race: Retheorizing Politics, Ideology and Cinema, Bloomsbury, 2014.
Part B
André Bazin, Ontologia dell'immagine fotografica, in Che cosa è il cinema?, Garzanti, 1999.
Oliver Fahle, Teorie del film documentario, Einaudi, 2023.
- Films to watch:
Comizi d'amore (1964, P.P. Pasolini)
The Zone of Interest (La zona d'interesse, 2023, J. Glazer)
Part C
E. Hobsbawm, Partisanship, in On History, Abacus, 1998 (tr. it. De Historia, Rizzoli, 1997).
C.C. Clover, Men Women and Chain Saws. Gender in the Modern Horror Film, BFI, 1992 (o nuova ed., Princeton UP, 2015), Introduzione e cap. I.
M. Giori, Nell'ombra di Hitchcock. Amore, morte e malattia nell'eredità di «Psycho», ETS, 2015, capp. 1 e 5.
FIlms to watch:
Film da vedere:
Ossessione (1942, L. Visconti)
a couple at choice between: Black Christmas (1974, B. Clark) and Black Christmas (2019, S. Takal), or Slumber Party Massacre (1982, A.H. Jones) and Slumber Party Massacre (2021, D. Esterhazy)
II. NON ATTENDING STUDENTS
In addition to the program for attending students:
Parts A and B:
M. Giori, Nell'ombra di Hitchcock. Amore, morte e malattia nell'eredità di «Psycho», ETS, 2015, cap. 4.
A book to be chosen from:
M. Bloch, La guerra e le false notizie. Ricordi (1914-1915) e riflessioni (1921), Fazi, 2014.
F. Ritchin, Dopo la fotografia, Einaudi, 2012.
C. Formenti, Il mockumentary. La fiction si maschera da documentario, Mimesis, 2014.
F. Jost, Realtà/Finzione. L'impero del falso, Il Castoro, 2002.
Part C:
C. Ginzburg, Rapporti di forza. Storia, retorica, prova, Feltrinelli, Milano 2000, Introduzione.
W. van Watson, Il sottoproletariato come oggetto del desiderio, in D. Bruni. V. Pravadelli (a cura di), Studi viscontiani, Marsilio, 1997, or W. van Watson, Luchino Visconti's (Homosexual) "Ossessione", in J. Reich, P. Garofalo (eds), Re-Viewing Fascism. Italian Cinema, 1922-1943, Indiana University Press, 2002.
L. Fabbri, Queer Neorealism: Luchino Visconti's "Ossessione" and the "Cinema" Conspiracy Against Fascism, «Screen», 1, 2019, pp. 1-24 (disponibile sul sito Ariel dell'insegnamento).
M. Giori, Poetica e prassi della trasgressione in Luchino Visconti. 1935-1962, Libraccio, 2a ed. 2018, cap. II.
M. Giori, Gay and lesbian e queer studies, in F. Andreazza (a cura di), Fare storia del cinema. Metodi, oggetti, temi, Carocci, 2022.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam consists of an oral interview on the topics of the program and also on those addressed during the lessons. The exam intends to verify in particular the critical and logical-argumentative abilities of the student.
This program expires in May 2026.
This program expires in May 2026.
L-ART/06 - CINEMA, PHOTOGRAPHY AND TELEVISION - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Giori Mauro
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Professor(s)