16846

SoSe 18: On and off the Record. The City in German <Gegenwartsfilm>

Berit Hummel

Comments

Subject: Cinema is intertwined with the city from its very origins. The urban landscapes of industrialization were motifs of the first films, which in turn were exhibited in urban settings. Since then, film has represented the multiple facets of urban life, according to changing conventions in the different genres and times. ‘In the city, time becomes visible’ American humanist Lewis Mumford has claimed and architect Aldo Rossi has referred to the city as the site of collective memory with the urban being a formation made up from remnants of the past mixing with newly emerging structures. Cinema is the medium to reflect both on the dynamic change of cities in time and concurrently on the changing societal as well as imaginary conceptions of the metropolis - hiding place, phantasmagoria, palimpsest, abyss and utopia - as it can make the coexisting layers of meaning visible and thus contributes to how we perceive a city. The plethora of films set in Berlin reflect its changeful history, from early 1920s Avant-garde city symphonies and Weimar Street Film up to the more recent ‘Berlin School‘ and contemporary filmmaking. Program: The course aims to generate a wider understanding of the multiple relationships between the city and its visual representations by sharpening students’ skills in close reading and critical film analysis. It will explore a set of key issues from film, urban and art history, geography, and aesthetics. Films dealing with the Berlin contemporary to their production form the main part of the material we study, with comparisons to appropriate examples from German and European cinema. Grouped into main themes following a comparative approach, the films will be introduced through student‘s presentations; relevant theoretical as well as filmic references will be discussed in class or small groups. Students will learn to interpret cinematic conventions and to critically reflect on how cinema depicts everyday environments and reorganizes their perception, with writing practice as one focus of class work. The films will have to be viewed individually before the sessions, course materials will be available as a digital reader. Is this course suitable for you? The course is open to students from all academic fields with an interest in the topic and in critical reflection of visual material in general. Students should be prepared to read texts and view the films in preparation of the sessions, in order to be able to actively participate in group discussions. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the subject, texts range from film studies to cultural and urban studies and social science. The presentations will be based on individual research and analysis of a given film and the corresponding literature. Workload and Evaluation: In order to obtain 5 ECTS credits, you will have to • Attend the course regularly (at least 12 out of 14 sessions); • Study the course materials (alternatingly two films OR ca. 15 to 30 pages texts per week) and prepare questions from these materials for class discussion; • Give a presentation in class (10-15 min, plus synopsis on Blackboard); • Contribute to the Course Wiki with one definition of a central concept discussed in class and one written comment on other students‘ definition (Blackboard) • Pass the written examination (90 minutes). close

14 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Wed, 10:00 - 12:00 14 Class schedule

Wed, 2018-04-18 10:00 - 12:00

Lecturers:
Berit Hummel