CMN 596 (04) - Special Topics in Media Studies

Spc Top/Media Studies

Credits: 4.0
Term: Fall 2023 - Full Term (08/28/2023 - 12/11/2023)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Class Size:   25  
CRN: 14655
Selected topics not covered by existing courses in media studies. Topics vary; course descriptions are available in department office during preregistration. May be repeated for credit if topics differ.
Section Comments: Title: Mental Illness in the Movies
Instructor Approval Required. Contact Instructor for permission then register through Webcat.
Prerequisite(s): CMN 455 with minimum grade of C
Equivalent(s): CMN 595
Cross listed with : CMN 596.05
Only listed campus in section: Durham
Only listed majors in section: CMN:BUSAPPL, CMN:MEDIA, COMMUNICATION
Instructors: Mike Alvarez

Times & Locations

Start Date End Date Days Time Location
8/28/2023 12/11/2023 M 6:40pm - 8:30pm HORT 115
8/28/2023 12/11/2023 MW 5:10pm - 6:30pm HORT 115
Additional Course Details: 

Course Description - Through the lens of cinema, this course examines representations of various mental health struggles and deconstructs pathological notions of social and relational being. To provide context, we will take a close look at various models of “mental illness” (e.g., moral, medical, social, cultural), and via film, attend to how dominant discourses are reproduced, contested, and negotiated. Supplemented by readings of first-person accounts, we will also examine alternative and grass-roots perspectives based on the lived experience of the so-called mentally ill. Ultimately, this course seeks to destigmatize mental health struggles and challenge contemporary notions of what it means to be normal. Students will watch one film together per week during a separate screening period. In small groups, students will also have the opportunity to produce a short film, which will be showcased at the end of the semester.