This course examines the narrative structure of the thriller made famous in the cinema of Alfred Hitchcock. How does suspense function in various thrillers following in the vein of Hitchcock and its updated versions in recent cinema?  How do characters regain control and authorship in narratives that place them radically at a loss of control? Looking at subgenres such as the spy, conspiracy, crime, legal, psychological, action, and sci-fi thriller, we will try to understand the multifaceted possibilities of thrillers to confront audiences with a sense of loss of power, of larger and mysterious forces of history determining the fate of the individual, while also assuring them of their powerful position as spectators observing protagonists engaged in uninvited conflicts and struggles for survival. We will also ask how recent thrillers accommodate the expression of identity such as class, race, gender, and nationality as well as their intersectionality. Filmmakers in addition to Hitchcock (North by Northwest) will include David Fincher (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Christopher Nolan (Memento), Joanthan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs), Michael Mann (Collateral), Sam Mendes (Skyfall), and Coen Brothers (No Country for Old Men). This course requires intensive use of Canvas.

Fall 2023 Detailed Description: 

Learn to make facts dance. By employing the imagery of a poet, the drama of a novelist, and the content drive of a journalist, we will craft vivid and compelling and maybe even publishable narratives based on your life and the lives of others. We will study and write both longform and flash, as well as digital and oral forms of CNF. For inspiration, we will read the masters such as Nikesh Shukla, Rebecca Skloot, Jerald Walker, Leslie Jamison, Joe Wilkins, and Jesmyn Ward.  In this class you will hone your storytelling skills, which transfer well to other forms of creative and academic writing, as well as career pursuits.