MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

WST209  1995 Fall – 2002 Summer II

Women and Films

1.

Explain the principles of feminist film theory. (I)

2.

Describe representative images of women on the screen and behind the scenes during the 1890's-1920's. (II)

3.

Discuss the concept of film noir and femme fetale in relation to the stereotyped roles of women during the "Dark Decades" (1930's-1950's). (III)

4.

Describe the influences of the Feminist Movement on images of women during the 1960s-1970s. (IV)

5.

Analyze images and stereotypes of women of color in film. (V)

6.

Analyze images and stereotypes of lesbians in film. (V)

7.

Describe the increased visibility and acceptance of "non-traditional" roles of women in film-making during the 1980s-present. (VI)

8.

Distinguish between feminist and non-feminist themes and techniques in film. (I,II,III,IV,V,VI,VII)

9.

Identify significant writers, actors, directors, producers, and critics of each period discussed. (I,II,III,IV,V,VI,VII)

10.

Apply theoretical and critical skills to film analysis in coherent and logical written critiques. (I,II,III,IV,V,VI,VII)

MCCCD Official Course Outline:

WST209  1995 Fall – 2002 Summer II

Women and Films

I. Theories of Film and Feminism

A. Essentialists

B. Radical Feminists

C. Cultural Feminists

D. The French School

E. The American School

II. Silents, Silence, and Sound--1890s Through 1920s

A. Selected Writers, Directors, Actors

B. Representative Film

III. The Dark Decades--1930s and 1950s

A. Selected Writers, Directors, Actors

B. Representative Films

IV. First Wave of Feminism (1960s-1970s)

A. Selected Writers, Directors, Actors

B. Representative Films

V. Invisibility and Woman as Other

A. Race and Ethnicity

B. Sexuality

C. Representative Films

VI. The New "Woman's Film" (The 1980s-present)

A. Selected Writers, Directors, Actors

B. Representative Films

VII. Look Back in Gender

A. Critics and Criticism