| Objectives: |
The aim of this course is to examine the major theoretical approaches that have emerged in the field of cinema within their historical and intellectual contexts, and to equip students with the ability to analyze film texts through different theoretical frameworks. Throughout the course, students are expected to develop an understanding of why film theory emerged, to evaluate the relationship between cinema, theory, and the spectator from a multidimensional perspective, and to comprehend the fundamental distinctions between formalist and realist traditions. In addition, the course aims to enable students to apply psychoanalytic, feminist, Marxist, structuralist, postcolonial, queer, and cultural studies perspectives to film analysis, and to critically assess the representational, aesthetic, and ideological dimensions of cinema. The course positions theory not as a body of knowledge to be memorized, but as a tool for thinking that deepens film analysis and enhances students’ analytical and critical thinking skills. |
| Content: |
This course examines the historical development of film theories from early aesthetic debates to contemporary discussions on digital cinema and new media. In the first part of the course, the nature of film theory, the reasons for its emergence, and the relationship between film, theory, and the spectator are discussed, along with the fundamental distinction between formalist and realist approaches. In the following weeks, key theoretical perspectives are addressed, including early film theories, André Bazin’s theory of realism, Soviet montage theory, auteur theory, structuralism and semiotics, psychoanalytic film theory, feminist film theory, Marxist ideology critique, cultural studies and reception theory, postcolonial and queer film theory, and postmodern cinema debates. In the final part of the course, contemporary theoretical discussions related to digital cinema, platform culture, and new media are explored. Theoretical approaches are concretized through selected film examples and scene analyses, enabling students to comparatively apply different perspectives in their own analyses. |