Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2024 - HUM 106 D100

Art and the Humanities (3)

Class Number: 5430

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the study of art across cultures and periods. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:



Art and the Humanities: 
Italian Neorealist Cinema and Its Legacy 

On the outskirts of Rome in 1948, an unemployed father is unexpectedly offered work hanging posters in the city center. To do the job, he needs a bicycle, and so he buys back the one he had pawned to feed his family. But on his very first day of work, the bicycle is stolen. With his young son as his companion, he searches the city for his bike and for the thief who stole it.  

This is the basic plot of Vittorio De Sica's Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves, 1948) – a film widely celebrated as one of the greatest ever made. In HUM 106, you will watch and analyze this film as part of a broader introduction to Italian neorealist cinema. The main objective of this course is to explore why this seemingly simple, even unremarkable style of filmmaking represents one of the most revolutionary and influential artistic movements in the history of world cinema. We will study how and why this type of "realist" filmmaking emerged during and just after the Second World War; why it represented such an innovative, dynamic approach to cinematic storytelling; and why Italian neorealist cinema has remained so influential – and for so long – among filmmakers in Italy and around the world down to the present day. 

This version of HUM 106 offers more than just an opportunity to watch exceptional films. It’s a chance to learn the basic skills of analyzing films as audio-visual humanistic texts and reading them in their social and political contexts. In this course, we will assess the strengths and limitations of Italian neorealist cinema as an artistic medium for representing “reality” in the past and present. We will also evaluate how effective these filmmakers are at interpreting the historical problems and contemporary social issues that they visualize on the big screen.  

You will watch one film (out of class) each week. All films will be streamed on Canvas and subtitled in English. To situate films in their social/political contexts, supplemental readings will be assigned each week. No background in Italian or film studies is necessary.

Grading

  • Participation 20%
  • Portfolio 25%
  • Midter 20%
  • Final 35%

NOTES:

This course counts toward the following Global Humanities concentrations:

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Anthony Cardoza, A History of Modern Italy: Transformation and Continuity, 1796 to the Present
ISBN: 9780199982578

RECOMMENDED READING:

Additional readings will be available on Canvas and via the library’s e-book and journal collections.

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