Spring 2021  |  SCAN 5604W Section 001: Living Pictures: An Introduction to Nordic Cinema (66412)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Discussion
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Online Course
Enrollment Requirements:
Exclude fr or soph 5000 level courses
Meets With:
SCAN 3604W Section 001
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/19/2021 - 05/03/2021
Tue, Thu 02:30PM - 03:45PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Open (3 of 5 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Since the early days of the twentieth century, debates have proliferated in the Nordic countries about film's nature and function, whether as popular entertainment, high art, or a dynamic cultural artifact important in defining national and regional identities. In this course, History of Nordic Cinema, we will survey discrete moments in Nordic film history (viewing films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) and contextualize them within broader developments in global cinema. Particularly important in this regard will be Nordic Cinema's love-hate relationship with Hollywood and its complicated status as European Cinema. We will begin in the beginning, with examples of Scandinavia's often-underestimated role as an international, artistic, and popular culture powerhouse in the silent era up through WWI. We'll go on to explore Nordic film productions intended mainly for domestic audiences and juxtapose these with the emergence of a compelling modernist, art-house cinema tradition revolving around the international figure of the auteur director, including Ingmar Bergman and later, Aki Kaurismäki. We'll consider examples of 60s and 70s political, avant-garde cinema (reverberations of the French Nouvelle Vague); talk about the unique development of state-funded structures for film production in these small countries; and end with a survey of recent Nordic films and movements such as Dogme 95 that illustrates ways in which small national cinemas continue to grapple with new iterations of globalization. In this course, students will be exposed to visual cultures from all five Nordic countries and consider the implications of reading film at regional, national, and global levels. In short, Nordic Cinema provides a vital and vibrant case study with which to consider a broad range of issues involving the aesthetics and politics of cinema in the world.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?bbigelow+SCAN5604W+Spring2021
Class Description:
This course examines cinema from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sápmi and Sweden), with a particular focus this semester on film as an environmental art. We will focus both on how Nordic cultures have traditionally framed themselves within idealized natural landscapes, and how contemporary cinema is grappling with the implications of climate change as well as other ecological consequences of globalization and industrial development. Watching films from a variety of time periods and in a number of genres, we will pay close attention to the formal qualities of film - cinematography, editing, sound design, etc. - as well as the historical context of each film's production. As a writing-centered course, students will gain skills in analyzing, critiquing, and writing about moving-image media.

Who Should Take This Class?:
This course will be taught in English, and prior knowledge of a Scandinavian language or Nordic cultures is not required. This course is open to undergraduate and graduate students (who will be placed in a graduate cohort within the class to discuss theoretical readings and graduate-level research assignments.) The course is approved for MIMS and SCMC credit.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/66412/1213
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
2 November 2020

ClassInfo Links - Spring 2021 Scandinavian Classes

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