财经与电影：资本主义在美国电影中的再现.doc

COURSE SYLLABUS—Summer 2016 Finance and Film: Representations of Capitalism in American Cinema 财经与电影：资本主义在美国电影中的再现 Dr. Andrew Pendakis COURSE DESCRIPTION Though we often imagine cinema as mere entertainment, it is in fact one of the most important sites in contemporary culture for the dissemination and reproduction of social norms and fantasies. Cinema does not merely reflect reality, but actively re-creates it. This class will explore the various ways capitalism as an economic system is imagined in American film. What are the characters, types, motifs, displacements, fantasies, and spaces that recur again and again in these films? Has film in America primarily been a source of idealized or romanticized images of capitalism—images which sustain and legitimate its authority—or has it also been a site of resistance and critique, a site for alternative imaginings of the world? In this class we will watch canonical American films, some of the core classics, but also many popular films; we will also read some film theory and economic history. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of the course, the students will:    Have a glimpse of the history of 20th century American capitalism. Learn the tools, theories, and skills needed to intelligently and critically interpret films. Come to an understanding of the way film goes beyond mere entertainment and is in fact capable of being studied with the same rigor and intelligence we bring to classical literature or philosophy. TEXTBOOK AND OTHER MATERIALS No textbooks required. The readings that the students should read will be provided prior to the class session. Films that will be discussed in class will be screened on SUFE campus the night before the class. METHODOLOGY AND POLICIES 1.5 hours of lecturing in the morning followed by a 20-minute task related to the lecture. 1.5 hours of lecturing in the afternoon followed by short presentations of the work by the students. About Dr. Andrew Pendakis Dr. Andrew Pendakis is currently Assistant Professor of the Department of English Language and Literature in Brock University. He obtained his B.A. in English from McMaster University, M.A. in Theory and Criticism from University of Western Ontario, Ph.D in English and Cultural Studies from McMaster University, and Post-Doctoral Degree in English and Film Studies from University of Alberta. His main research interests are critical theory, continental philosophy, and discourse analysis. He is particularly interested in the history and theory of modern centrism. His Ph.D project was a discourse analysis of The Economist magazine from 1945-2008. The project tapped into the canonical figures of liberalism (Smith, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Bagehot) as well as political economy (and economic history). Presently, he is working on his monograph Critique of Centrist Reason. The courses he has taught include “Thatcherite Culture” (University of Alberta), “Introduction to Postmodernism” (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics), “European Intellectual History” (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics) , “Representations of Suburbia” (University of Bonn).