Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2025 - CA 216 D100

Selected Topics in Cinema Studies (3)

Imagining the Past: Film, Memory, History

Class Number: 6466

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

  • Prerequisites:

    One of CA 135, 136, 137, 186, 235, 236, 316 (or 337), 318 (or 335), 416 (or 436), or 30 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

This course will cover a specific topic within the field of cinema studies not covered in depth in regularly scheduled courses. This course can be repeated once for credit if the topic is different. Students with credit for CA 237 under the same topic may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Imagining The Past: Film, Memory, History

Moving images shape our collective memory. News footage, documentaries, experimental films, Hollywood blockbusters, and home movies help us remember (and forget) the past. This course examines the creation of film images by those seeking to preserve people and events for posterity; the use of historical images by artists, filmmakers, archivists, and historians; and the ways in which audiences understand the past through film. Students will be asked to consider how we can best use moving pictures as historical documents, and how history is represented and misrepresented on film. 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Students will:

  • engage critically with films both as historical documents and narratives about the past;
  • examine film history and theory as it relates to concepts such as the document, evidence, and the archive as well as notions of collective, public, and personal memory;
  • analyze primary documents related to film culture
  • learn to do historical research using online databases
  • collaborate with classmates to curate a film archive
  • integrate theoretical concepts with visual analysis;  
  • practice writing clear and persuasive arguments;

Grading

  • weekly film journal 10%
  • 2 revised journal entires 15%
  • Film archive curation project 30%
  • Film analysis essay 20%
  • Take-home final exam 25%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

n/a

REQUIRED READING:

All required readings will be posted on Canvas


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.