Spring 2020 | FRIT 1601 Section 001: Migrants and Refugees in Mediterranean Cinema (67225)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session01/21/2020 - 05/04/2020Tue, Thu 01:00PM - 02:15PMUMTC, East BankWest Bank Skyway AUDITORIUM
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (43 of 70 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- This course deals with films made in France, Spain, Italy, the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), sub-Saharan Africa and the Levant (mostly Syria). All of the films tackle migration and most of them deal with the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in particular. It focuses on how migrants, regular and clandestine migrations, as well as related themes, including globalization, hospitality and transnational modes of transportation have been filmed, discussed and written about in various types of discourses. Why and how do people emigrate? Where are the major destinations of migrants? What is Fortress Europe? What is the "global South?" What is the so-called refugee crisis? Who is a refugee? What impact has the Arab Spring had on contemporary migrations to Europe? How does mass media portray the global South? What do political discourses tell us about the European and North African handlings of recent human migratory movements? Can artists effectively put forward an alternate take on such issues? What types of responses in artistic productions as well as in the political and humanitarian arenas have failed attempts at crossing the Mediterranean Sea triggered? These are some of the questions we will address. Among the films that we will analyze - all shown in class - are Chus Gutiérrez's Return to Hansala, Reem Kherici's Paris or Perish, Ismaël Ferroukhi's The Grand Voyage and Gianfranco Rosi's Fire at Sea. All films have English subtitles. The class will be conducted in English.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?abder002+FRIT1601+Spring2020
- Class Description:
Migrants and refugees have garnered much attention recently, due to massive movements of people attempting to cross borders (USA/Mexico, for instance), seas (the Mediterranean) and oceans (between Asia and Australia). The world is experiencing a global "refugee crisis," which has been discussed in the media and politics. Experts have predicted that even in "rich" countries, a considerable number of people will leave their homes in the next few years or decades due to climate change. Leave-taking is an issue that is likely to affect and involve us all in some capacity. Cinema has provided its own take on this phenomenon. In this course, we will watch and examine films about migrants and refugees, as well as related issues such as globalization, human rights, war, poverty, climate change and social uprisings. Most of the films will be concerned with Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Senegal), the Middle East (Syria and Turkey) and Europe (in majority France and Italy, but also Spain). In addition, we will make occasional parallels with other regions, such as Latin America and Asia. The course will be taught in English and will include discussion sections in which students will be able to work in groups, do small activities and ask questions.
Why and how do people emigrate? What are the major destinations of migrants? What is Fortress Europe? What is the "Global South?" What is the so-called "refugee crisis"? Who is a refugee? What impact has the Arab Spring had on contemporary migrations to Europe? How do mass media portray the global South? What do political discourses tell us about the European and North African handlings of recent human migratory movements? Can artists effectively put forward an alternative take on such issues? What types of responses in artistic productions as well as in the political and humanitarian arenas have been triggered by failed attempts at crossing the Mediterranean Sea? Do filmmakers propose alternative narratives? How effective can cinema be in implementing change? Do all films about clandestine migration carry a message? These are some of the questions we will address. Among the films that we will analyze - all shown in class - are Reem Kherici's Paris or Perish, Gianfranco Rosi's Fire at Sea, Moussa Touré's La Pirogue and Samuele Crialese's Terraferma. All films have English subtitles. The class will be conducted in English.- Who Should Take This Class?:
- There are no prerequisites for this course. Therefore, anyone who is interested in cinema, and would like to learn more about refugees, migrants, anti-immigration policies, human rights, international law, globalization and mass media should take this class.
- Exam Format:
- A quiz, a skit, a film review, a midterm exam and a final paper.
- Class Format:
- 40% Lecture, 30% Discussion, 30% Small Group Activities.
- Workload:
- Short readings will be assigned to help us better understand the concepts that we will use. The short readings will also provide the methodological tools to help us better discuss the films and the themes of the course. Students will be expected to write a total of about 15 pages in the semester--this includes the quiz, the midterm exam, the film review and the final paper.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/67225/1203
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 9 December 2019
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