Psychoanalysis of Film

Course NamePsychoanalysis of Film
Course CodePSY366 / PSY566
DescriptionEveryone has an experience of film, a film you love or hate, a film which makes you feel good, bad, or ugly. A film to make you laugh, cry or fall in or out of love. A film that makes you think. This course studies the psychology of cinema from a psychoanalytic perspective and in addition explores what we can learn about the mind, culture and society through the movies. Introduction to psychoanalytic film theory, studies of desire and dread, theories of spectatorship, analyses of horror, comedy, and sci-fi, and topics such as Surrealism in film, mourning and melancholia, and the representation of various diagnostic categories of mental illness on film.
Learning OutcomesUpon completion of this course, students should be able to demonstrate:
– Ability to apply definitions and main concepts of different psychoanalytic schools to explain and interpret different aspects of film;
– Understanding and application of Cinema Therapy;
– Analysis, synthesis and evaluattion of readings through active class participation;
– Their ability to compare and contrast different psychoanalytical theories, outline the limits and controversies individual theories imply when describing the same phenomena;
– In-depth familiarity with 2 psychoanalytic theories of their choice in presentation and paper form and their ability to apply them in interpretation of a film phenomena of choice;
– Ability to defend their individual evaluation of film and critically review fellow students’ positions;
– Active pursuit of in-depth discussions in seminars, ability to lead a class debate;
– Attainment of interpretive perspectives applicable not just to the realm of film but also phenomena such as art, culture, politics, gender, psychology, psychopathology and the media.
SchoolThe School of Humanities & Social Sciences 
LevelBachelor / Master
Number of credits (US / ECTS)3 US / 6 ECTS
PrerequisitesPSY150