120099 KO Critical Media Analysis: Film genres we live by (2008W)

Film genres can be seen as perception schemata that guide each reception process in the cinema. Not only so-called genre films are viewed with such "mental frames" but all films trigger-off story-templates, generic scenarios and so on. With this basic assumption in mind, the course will give an introduction to the basic theoretical texts of genre theory and enable students to analyse films from the perspective of genre cricitism. After some general sessions of genre theory and an assessment of the range of genre knowledge availabe we will go into further detail and study selected genre films. Typical Amercian film genres (the Western, the Muscial) will form a focus of the course, as well as specific cultural adaptions of genres (Hollywood Action Cinema, Martial Arts) and historical genres (film noir, Screwball comedy). Other topics include 19th century literary adaptions (Henry James, Jane Austen), genre and gender (horror film, melodrama/women's film), genre and sexuality (queer cinema).