Universität Wien

124262 AR Cultural/Media Studies 1/2 (AR) 2 (2011W)

Artistry in Motion: Charlie Chaplin's Comedies in Historical Perspective

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 24 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 11.10. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 18.10. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 25.10. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 08.11. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 15.11. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 22.11. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 29.11. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 06.12. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 13.12. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 10.01. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 17.01. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 24.01. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 31.01. 16:00 - 18:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course deals with one of the greatest male screen legends of all time, Charlie Chaplin. ‘Chaplin was not just ‘big’,’ one of his biographers notes, ‘he was gigantic’ (Sieff, 2008). One of the most distinguished and influential filmmakers and actors of the foundational years of cinema, Chaplin was also one of the most controversial ones, in part due to his life-long involvement with progressive and left-leaning causes. The course will trace Chaplin’s career from the early days at Keystone and his co-founding of the film studio United Artists to his break with the silent film in the 1930s and his banishment from America in the late 1940s. We will deal with Chaplin’s extraordinary merits in the visual aesthetics of silent cinema and analyze his unusual acting techniques which culminated in the creation of his screen persona ‘The Tramp’ (in the eponymous short film of 1915). How was the genre of the American film comedy (especially slapstick and screwball) influenced by Chaplin’s cinematic works? How did Chaplin as a free-thinking, independent director inspire other artists? Films to be discussed in class include The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and A King in New York (1957).

Assessment and permitted materials

Regular attendance; active in-class participation; presentation as part of an expert session with 6-page handout; reading assignments; occasional quizzes; 10 entries in the discussion forum; short final paper of 5-6 pages, deadline January 16 (Monday), note: there is no (!) extension of this deadline!

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The seminar aims wants to trace the career and cinematic heritage of Charlie Chaplin, one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. Special emphasis will be placed on the historical components of Chaplin’s works.

Examination topics

Presentations by students in the form of expert sessions (based on PowerPoint and handouts with five discussion questions and two or three relevant sequences from Chaplin movies to be selected by the experts and discussed in class); forum discussions on Moodle.

Reading list

Association in the course directory

Studium: Diplom 343, MA 844;
Code/Modul: Diplom 426/428, 436/438, 526/528, 536/538, 721-723, MA6, MA7;
Lehrinhalt: 12-4262

Last modified: We 09.09.2020 00:22