Universität Wien

180043 KU Philosophy of the Horror Film (2022W)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work

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. 25 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

The first will be an online session in Moodle.

Monday 10.10. 20:15 - 21:45 Digital
Monday 17.10. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 24.10. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 31.10. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 07.11. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 14.11. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 21.11. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 28.11. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 05.12. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 12.12. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 09.01. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 16.01. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 23.01. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
Monday 30.01. 20:15 - 21:45 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The philosophy of horror film addresses questions such as: What is horror? How can it be that fictional works trigger in us very real reactions of fear or disgust? And if it is the case that horror films tend to trigger unpleasant reactions, why do we enjoy them anyway? ... This course is an introduction to film philosophy based on a small selection of representative films. We will ask ourselves questions regarding the role of outsiders and the horror genres female protagonists. If the heroine of a gothic novel used to be a weak victim, a “damsel in distress”, our genealogy of horror film illustrates that the options for female characters within a genre primarily determined by male fantasies have also changed over time.

Assessment and permitted materials

Your attendance is part of your final grade. You will be expected to hand in short written papers and participate in class discussions.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Erasmus students beware: This course is taught in German! You may write your assignments in English or French, but must be prepared to discuss matters in German, since most of your colleagues in the group will be German speakers.

The minimal requirement for completing this course is that you hand in seven assignments which are titled AUFGABE (= assignment/task) in Moodle. You will then be graded based on your submissions and your participation in our weekly class discussions. If you decide to write a BA-paper in this course, the AUFGABEN-assignments will be reduced to four. You will, however, have to hand in a short exposé and a preliminary structure of your BA thesis during term instead.

By registering for this course, you tacitly agree to having all your electronic submissions checked by Turnitin.

You may miss two course units without consequences for your final grade.

Your final grade will consist of the points you acquired in all written assignments (70 %) and your active participation (30 %). Thus you can earn a maximum of 50 credit points a term. Should your achievement be below or equal to 20 points or if you did not fulfill the minimal requirements, you will fail this course.

Examination topics

This is a course (= KUrs), thus no final exam.

Reading list

All relevant texts will be available on Moodle.
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Films discussed in this course:

Bride of Frankenstein (USA 1935) | Cat People (USA 1942) | Carnival of Souls (USA 1962) | Repulsion (UK 1965) | Carrie (USA 1976) | The Lodge (UK/USA 2019)

Texts:

Butler, Ivan (2006): “The Horror Film: Polanski and REPULSION” [1967], in: Alan Silver u. James Ursini (ed.): Horror Film Reader. New York: Limelight, 77–86.

Carroll, Noël (1990): The Philosophy of Horror, or: Paradoxes of the Heart. London & New York: Routledge.

Creed, Barbara (2000): “Kristeva, Femininity, Abjection”, in: Ken Gelder (ed.): The Horror Reader. London & New York: Routledge, 64–70.

Eisner, Lotte H. (2008): The Haunted Screen. Expressionism in the German Cinema and the Influence of Max Reinhardt. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press.

Freeland, Cynthia (2004): “Horror and Art-Dread”, in: Stephen Prince (Hg.): The Horror Film. New Brunswick, New Jersey & London: Rutgers University Press, 189–205.

Freud, Sigmund (1999): “Das Unheimliche”, in: Werke aus den Jahren 1917 – 1920 (= Gesammelte Werke, Bd. XII), hg. von Anna Freud et al. Frankfurt/M.: Fischer, 230–268.

Goddu, Theresa A. (2000): “Introduction to AMERICAN GOTHIC (extract)”, in: Ken Gelder (ed.): The Horror Reader. London u. New York: Routledge, 266–270.

Hall, Ann C. (2010): “Making Monsters: The Philosophy of Reproduction in Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN and the Universal Films FRANKENSTEIN and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN”, in: Thomas Fahy (ed.): The Philosophy of Horror. Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press, 212–228.

Kristeva, Julia (1982): Powers of Horror. An Essay on Abjection. New York: Columbia University Press.

Maddrey, Joseph (2004): “What the Fifty Foot Woman Did to the Incredible Shrinking Man”, in: Nightmares in Red, White and Blue. The Evolution of the American Horror Film. Jefferson, NC, u. London: McFarland, 57–67.

Oliver, Mary Beth; Sanders, Meghan (2004): “The Appeal of Horror and Suspense”, in: Stephen Prince (ed.): The Horror Film. New Brunswick, New Jersey u. London: Rutgers University Press, 242–259.

Schneider, Steven Jay (2004): “Toward an Aesthetics of Cinematic Horror”, in: Stephen Prince (ed.): The Horror Film. New Brunswick, New Jersey u. London: Rutgers University Press, 131–149.

Schneider, Steven Jay (2006): “Monsters as (Uncanny) Metaphors: Freud, Lakoff, and the Representation of Monstrosity in Cinematic Horror”, in: Alan Silver u. James Ursini (ed.): Horror Film Reader. New York: Limelight, 167–193.

Young, Elizabeth (2000): “Here Comes the Bride: Wedding gender and race in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (extract)”, in: Ken Gelder (ed.): The Horror Reader. London u. New York: Routledge, 128–142.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 11.05.2023 11:27