Humanities

Organized by period, genre and theme, this course explores contemporary viewpoints as expressed by select film screenings from the Criterion Collection through Alexander Street Press (subscription held by South University), which can range from the crusading pastiche by Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (1957) to the sardonic humor of Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) and even the postmodern and magical realism of Being John Malkovich (1999). Parallels and contrasts will be drawn between intellectual history and cultures across flexible time stamps. Further, this course is designed to provide a foundation for future film study; exposure to a wide range of cinematic styles and approaches; and to move the student from a passive observer toward a critical, active "reader" of film. Students will learn the elements of cinematic language (including narrative, mise-en-scene, cinematography, acting, editing, and sound) and will use that knowledge to analyze the way filmmakers convey information, story, and meaning, develop style, and elicit audience response within a single scene and over the course of an entire feature film. Students should be aware that that the films they will watch will hold a variety of ratings, from G to R, and that some films will contain scenes with sexual and violent content.

This course covers the major themes and events in world history from prehistoric times to 1500. The course will focus on history from a variety of perspectives: social, cultural interactions, environmental, political, economic, and the people and events that shaped our world's history. Various themes that appear across time will be explored from the perspective that all cultures and all events are influenced by the interactions with other peoples, geography, and the environment; and in turn these events influence and shape future events.

This course covers the major themes and events in world history from 1500 to the present. The course focuses on history from a variety of perspectives: social, cultural interactions, environmental, political, economic, and the people and events that shaped our world's history. Various themes that appear across time will be explored from the perspective that all cultures and all events are influenced by the interactions with other peoples, geography, and the environment; and in turn these events influence and shape future events.