SCV0909 - HISTORY OF CINEMA

courses

ID:

SCV0909

Duration (hours):

68

CFU:

SSD:

CINEMA, FOTOGRAFIA E TELEVISIONE

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Secondo Semestre (23/02/2026 - 29/05/2026)

Course Objectives

The course aims at providing historical, linguistic and theoretical tools useful for the knowledge and understanding of Western cinema, as well as for the reading of the cinematographic work - intended both as an aesthetic-cultural product and as an economic and social product -, investigating how and to what extent the medium has been permeable to the political, economic, cultural and social changes of the History of the 20th Century. At the end of the course, students will be able to: - recognise the main forms of expression in the film history by relating them to the historical context of reference; - grasp the evolutions that have affected the language and the cinematographic apparatus; - analyse a cinematographic text in depth, taking into account the context of production and that of reception; - develop communicative and expository skills in the field of cinema. The teaching content is particularly functional for the learning area related to audiovisual and media storytelling.

Course Prerequisites

No prior knowledge is required.

Teaching Methods

The course learning objectives will be achieved through: - classic lectures, supported by the viewing and analysis of significant scenes and sequences from representative films; - interdisciplinary seminars in crossover mode (for a maximum of 12 hours) with the participation of other course lecturers, in order to deepen, understand and interpret the topics dealt with through different interpretations; - educational trip aimed at field testing of forms of storytelling and appreciation of film history.

Assessment Methods

The assessment of the course content will be carried out by an oral test aimed at verifying: - the knowledge of the contents related to the course manual; - the analytical skills developed by the student with reference to the films in the programme, which are to be watched in their entirety - the critical knowledge of the in-depth texts provided by the lecturer on the E-Learning platform. The grade for the oral test (evaluated in thirtieths) will take into account the accuracy and quality of the answers (60%), as well as communication skills and the ability to adequately justify statements, analyses and judgements (40%). The student must have achieved a total mark of 18/30 to pass the exam.

The course is structured on three levels, which are complementary to each other: 1) Definition and analysis of the methodological and theoretical issues of film history and historiography (indicatively 8 hours) 2) Identification and stylistic-formal analysis of the main production trends in the history of western cinema through the recognition of significant trends, films and authors (approximately 40 hours). For each epoch, it is proposed to identify: - the relationship with the historical context (political, economic, social and cultural); - the modes of reception and interpretation of the films (also at a diachronic level); - - the effects on contemporaneity. 3) Definition and analysis of some macro-themes of the contemporary political and social debate through their cinematic representation, as they have emerged throughout the 20th century. Some examples: diversity (ethnic, cultural, economic) and discrimination, migration and multiculturalism, women's condition and patriarchy (approx. 20 hours).

Course Language

ITALIAN

More information

Professor Piredda receives students by appointment, to be arranged by writing to m.piredda@uninsubria.it, at the Rossi Pavilion or online according to specific needs.