BLS 210 — Black Cinema
This survey course puts into dialogue the social, cultural, and historical role of Black Americans in motion pictures, television, and documentary film, and examines the pioneering work of Black filmmakers both independent and mainstream. Hence, students will gain an understanding of the broad cultural, political, social, psychological, economic, and historical contexts in which the Black On-screen Image (i.e., motion pictures, documentary films and television) has evolved to its present state. Course content include Black film scholarship, and films directed by Black filmmakers, and non-Black filmmakers who have shaped and influenced public perceptions of blackness and the Black imaginary. Lastly, this course will guide students in analyzing how Black cinema explores Black agency, generates emancipatory knowledge, and examines the Black experience in the United States by closely exploring the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality.