Scribner Seminar Program
Course Decription

Childhood in Cinema: Studies in Fantasy and Realism

Instructor(s): Melora Wolff, English

An exploration of contemporary films and their representations of children and of childhood experiences. Students will use multiple lenses from history, psychology, environmental studies, philosophy, gender studies, and anthropology to explore children and childhood in films. Each of the assigned films dramatizes a child torn between fantasy and reality, represented in three thematic units: Innocence and Faith, Hope and Strength, Identity and Home. In addition, students will gain an introduction to film analysis and film studies by considering the impact of elements such as point of view, characterization, temporal and spatial schemes, mise-en-scene, setting, image, sound, and camera techniques. Readings include fairy tales, folk tales, child witness accounts, memoir, poetry, essays, interviews, and secondary source readings on film subjects and issues.

Course Offered:

• Fall 2020