ZURb1633 Popcultural Milestones of the Movie Industry

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
Robert Poupátko (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Iveta Jansová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Iveta Jansová, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Boris Rafailov, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to acquaint students with film works that have shaped not only the film medium but also audience taste and society's perspective on various social issues.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students should be able to identify patterns that govern the world of mainstream cinema, analyze the messages of a film through narrative/visual storytelling in a basic form, and understand the contexts of the times in which film works were created.
Syllabus
  • 1895-1929 - Charlie Chaplin and Others - Grand Narratives of Silent Cinema
  • 1930-1949 - Dracula vs. Snow White - Immortal Film Worlds
  • 1950-1959 - Godzilla and Other Monsters - Fears of the Post-War Audience
  • 1960-1969 - Sandal Epics, Musicals, and Hitchcock - Death of Old Hollywood
  • 1970-1979 - Jaws, (Not Only) Star Wars, and Deep Throat - New Hollywood and the Birth of the Blockbuster
  • 1980-1985 - What Lurks in the Woods? - Eighties Horror and the Rise of Blood
  • 1986-1989 - Die Hard is a Christmas Movie! - Hollywood at Its Peak
  • 1990-1999 - Titanic, Dinosaurs, and Talking Toys - A Tale of How Computer Effects Changed Film
  • 2000-2009 - This is the Skin of a Killer, Bella! - The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Rise of the Young Adult Genre
  • 2010-2019 - Marvel, DC, and Other Film Universes - Hollywood at the Crossroads | Assignment of the FINAL TASK
  • 2020-2023 - Murder of the Silver Screen - How the Pandemic and Netflix Joined Forces + Presentation of the FINAL TASKS and Discussion 1.
  • Presentation of FINAL TASKS Students and Discussion 2.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Cífka, P., Rybář, V. a Svoboda, M. (2022) Encyklopedie akčního filmu. XYZ
  • Rybář, V. a Svoboda, M. (2021) Továrna na sny: Tajné příběhy Hollywoodských trháků. XYZ
  • Shone, T. (2004) Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer. Free Press
  • Cífka, P., Rybář, V. a Svoboda, M. (2021) Encyklopedie fantasy filmu. XYZ
  • Cífka, P., Rybář, V., Svoboda, M. a Ryška, K. (2022) Encyklopedie komiksového filmu. XYZ
  • Cífka, P., Rybář, V. a Svoboda, M. (2022) Encyklopedie hororového filmu. XYZ
  • 1001 filmů které musíte vidět, než umřete. Edited by Steven Jay Schneider, Translated by Ladislav Šenkyřík. 2. vyd. Praha: Euromedia Group - Knižní klub, 2007, 960 s. ISBN 9788024219486. info
  • GABLER, Neal. An empire of their own : how the Jews invented Hollywood. 1st Anchor books ed. New York: Anchor Books, 1989, vi, 502. ISBN 0385265573. info
Teaching methods
The course is based on presentation seminars in which students gradually acquaint themselves with the history of mainstream cinema. Subsequently, this information is applied in the preparation of their own final assignment.
Assessment methods
A maximum of two absences is allowed. Exceeding this limit requires additional makeup work in the form of a one-page subjective film review. The entire course is concluded with a presentation and evaluation of the task based on the knowledge acquired during the attended sessions. Final task is to create a proposal for a modern remake of one of the selected films mentioned during the course and then present it. Each student will be assigned a different film. The output can be in the form of a written document or a PowerPoint presentation.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/ZURb1633