Learning objectives
The course will provide means suitable for a theoretical approach to the concept of visibility and visual culture between the second half of 20th Century and the beginning of 2000s. The cinema will be taken as the main axis of a system of thoughts on the iconic, to help students in understanding and analyzing the visual bases of the world we live in.
Knowledge and understanding:
Students will develop knowledge and comprehension competence in the field of film theory thanks to the use of different sources (books and scientific articles, films and multimedia materials) refining skills to move within the perimeter of advanced research in film and media.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
Students will be able to apply knowledge and comprehension skills to the complex field of contemporary media, improving their ability in reflecting on the theoretical study of film and media.
In particular, students will develop skills needed both to create and support argumentation and to solve problems in the field of film theory
Making judgements:
Students will be able to collect and interpret data to determine autonomous judgements in in the field of film theory, including cross-cultural and interdisciplinary thinking on cultural, historical, and aesthetic topics.
Communication skills:
At the end of the course, students will be able to convey information, ideas, problems and solutions to specialists and non-specialists.
Students can make conclusions clearly and through the support of their knowledge. They will also be able to explain the reasons for their conclusions.
Learning skills:
At the end of the course, students will develop learning skills useful to refine autonomously and in a self-directed way their competence in film and media theory.
Course unit content
The course aims to cope with the relationship between visibility and invisibility, between iper-exposition and the limits of representation. Such a topic will be illustrated through the paradigmatic case of the Shoah, analyzing photographic and filmic materials, and some of the most crucial writings on the Shoah’s narrative form and its own “invisibility”.
Bibliography
S.M. Ejzenstejn, La forma cinematografica, Einaudi, Torino
G. Didi-Huberman, Immagini malgrado tutto, Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2005
G. Didi-Huberman, Scorze, nottetempo, Milano, 2014
M. Guerra, In luogo della memoria, in A. Rabbito (a cura di), La cultura visuale del Ventunesimo secolo, Meltemi, Milano, 2018
Un libro a scelta tra:
V. Gallese, M. Guerra, Lo schermo empatico. Cinema e neuroscienze, Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2015
F. Casetti, L’occhio del Novecento, Bompiani, Milano, 2005
F. Casetti, La galassia Lumière, Bompiani, Milano, 2015
Teaching methods
Frontal lecture. Movies will be presented during the course and the teacher will provide a list of films to be watched to integrate the topics of the course.
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam. The evaluation will be based on the knowledge of the program and the themes discussed in class. Moreover, the evaluation will consider the skills in exposition and the ability in widening the field of discussion.
An assessment of insufficiency is determined by the lack of knowledge of the minimum contents of the course. A sufficient evaluation (18-23/30) is determined by an acceptable level of preparation by the student of the abovementioned evaluation indicators; the average scores (24-27/30) are awarded to the student who proves to have a level more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) of the above evaluation indicators, the highest scores ( from 28/30 to 30/30 cum laude) are awarded based on the demonstration of a level from excellent to excellent.
