The course will incorporate weekly screenings of films, readings, and regular written
assignments. Students will be introduced to the methodology of film analysis,
theories of cinema and methods of directing, and the historical, political and cultural
influences on cinema in Russia. Students will develop skills in the explication of
individual filmic sequences, critical analysis, oral discussion and argumentative and
formal writing. There will be a midterm and final exam, and students will also be
evaluated on the basis of their written assignments and participation in class
discussions. Written assignments will include several short papers and/or a longer
final paper.

Introduction to Film Studies
Overview of twentieth-century Russian and Soviet history
Pre-Soviet cinematographic experiments
Revolutionary spectacle and montage
Sergei Eisenstein
Vsevolod Pudovkin
Lev Kuleshov
The "Cinefication" campaign
The coming of sound
Censorship
Socialist Realism
Stalinist comedy
War films
Portraits of Stalin
Films of the "Thaw"
Andrei Tarkovsky
"Bytovoi" [Slice-of-life] films
Eldar Ryazanov
Underground cinema
"Glasnost" films
Post-Soviet, commercial cinema

Students are expected to conform to the UGA Student Honor Code. The instructor will
communicate to students the required documentation for written assignments, what
constitutes authorized assistance in course assignments and the effect of dishonesty
or unauthorized assistance upon grading.