SAKS016 Film in Canada: Institutions, Genres, Film-makers, Criticism

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025

The course is not taught in Spring 2025

Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 10 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/10, only registered: 0/10
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course aims at familiarizing participants with various elements related to one of the most important spheres of cultural production in Canada: the Canadian feature film. Using a body of representative films as its point of departure, the course is designed not only to enhance students’ interpretive skills, but also to provide them with relevant knowledge concerning the production, distribution, and consumption of films at various stages of Canadian history from the 1960s to the present. Cutting across a variety of genres, the selected films offer important insights into the development of Canadian filmmaking and criticism; at the same time, they invite thinking about a variety of wider contextual issues. In other words, we will not only concentrate on close textual analysis but also consider a variety of social, political, and historical circumstances that the films reflect and result from.
Learning outcomes
Having taken the course, the successful students will: - gain knowledge of the various relevant elements related to Canadian feature film (institutions, audiences, directors, genres, etc.); - become familiar with a body of twenty four representative films of various genres; - become familiar with standard approaches to film interpretation; - gain insights into the multifaceted interplay of film production, distribution, and consumption at various stages of Canadian history from the 1960s to the present; - will be able to critically assess the developments of the Canadian film industry and criticism; - become aware of a variety of relevant contextual issues (historical, cultural, institutional).
Syllabus
  • - Introduction to the Course and to Canadian Cinema Jutra - Mon Oncle Antoine (1971) (www.nfb.ca) Shebib - Going Down the Road (1970) Kent: The Bitter Ash (1963) Owen – Nobody Waved Goodbye (1964] Egoyan - Family Viewing (1987) Egoyan – Calendar (1983) Rozema - I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) Cronenberg – Videodrome (1983) Scott - Strangers in Good Company (1990) (www.nfb.ca) Cronenberg: eXistenZ (1999) Bruce McDonald Highway 61 (1992) Arcand - Decline of the American Empire (1986) Robert Lepage: Le Confessionnal (1995) (in-class presentation) Girard - 32 Short Films about Glenn Gould (1993) Krishna – Masala (1991) Lynne Stopkewitch: Kissed (1996) Kunuk – Atanarjuat, the Fast Runner (2001) Guy Maddin: The Saddest Music in the World (2003) Gary Burns: Waydowntown (2000)
Teaching methods
The course is based on individual preparation, regular attendance of the seminars, and regular participation in the discussions. Every week students are expected to watch two feature films and do the assigned reading. Each student is expected to get involved in the discussion about the respective film (or reading) on the program. The students wishing to successfully complete the course are expected to view all the main items on the viewing list, read all the assigned readings, prepare a presentation (either an online or in-class one) and actively participate in the discussions in class.
Assessment methods
The grade is based on student performance in class (in-class quizzes, presentations, involvement in both in-class and online discussions - 40%) and on the final written exam (60%).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: every other week.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Předmět si nemohou zapsat studenti Bc. studia AJ
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/SAKS016