Cinema, Media and Society: A Global Survey
Course Description
This course will introduce you to what the academic study of film and media looks like at the undergraduate level. It will expose you to a wide range of industries, cinemas, and formats (including documentaries, essay films, and other non-fiction forms; the commercial cinemas of Hollywood and Bollywood; experimental art films, and East Asian animation), and develop your skills in discussing the social and historical legacies of these works as cultural products in relation to one another. This course encourages the close analysis of camera techniques, materials, compositing, and formal attributes, and explores a range of political and cultural questions pertaining to the production, distribution, and consumption of these audiovisual forms. Students will take advantage of multiple UChicago resources, such as campus screening rooms, the Weston Games Lab, museum installations, and VR platforms, as they compose both critical writing and creative storyboards in response to assigned course materials.
Academic Interest
Humanities (e.g, arts, philosophy)
Application Materials
A complete application includes a transcript, two short essays, a letter of recommendation, writing sample, application fee, and a submitted parent confirmation. If you are seeking need-based financial aid, you must indicate that in your application before it is submitted. Please refer to the Application Instructions for complete details.
Instructor(s)
Tien-Tien Zhang
Cost
$8,900
Other Courses to Consider
These courses might also be of interest. Note: Students can apply for up to 4 courses and will be admitted to one.
- The Philosophy of Love
Love is one of the most important, profound things in life; and yet, it is notoriously hard to articulate just what love is. In this course, we will inquire about the nature of love, addressing some of the central questions that have occupied philosophers of love. Why do we love what we love? Who can love, and who can be loved? What does love demand of us, and how can we love well? What is the relationship between love and morality? And what is love? We will seek an understanding of love that can account, in particular, for the central role that love plays in human life – the sense in which it is “what makes the world go ‘round.” We will discuss historical and contemporary philosophical texts, such as Plato’s Symposium, bell hooks’ all about love, and Harry Frankfurt’s The Reasons of Love, as well as literature and film. In the course of our inquiry, we will consider the ways that philosophical reflection – with its focus on conceptual clarity, rational argumentation, and communicative precision – can be enriched by literature and film while, in turn, helping us to better understand literature, film, and life.
Residential - Understanding AI: Challenges, Changes for How We Communicate
Generative AI, large language models (LLMs) -- these buzzwords have been popping up in newsrooms, classrooms, and dinner tables. Questions about safety, environmental impacts, economic impacts and educational effects make people wonder how AI works, how it might change and augment the way we communicate and write, and what we should do about it.
This class will give students the opportunity to
understand how AI-powered applications for writing such as Gmail’s Smart Compose feature and Grammarly’s personalized revision suggestions work
get hands-on-experiences working with various AI-powered writing tools
speak with researchers and industry professionals to understand the design, impact, and motivation of these AI-based tools
consider historical events such as the development of the printing press and the internet to contextualize the effects of technology on human communication
create a final project that analyzes and reflects on how technologies change the way that we communicate and write
Through these experiences, students will better understand the present AI landscape, with a focus on LLMs and their impacts on communication and writing, and form their own perspectives on the opportunities and risks of AI.
Residential