RTVF 180 to 189 A-Z - Special Topics

Semester Hours: 1-3

Current Special Topics:

RTVF 180C: (IS) Investigating Queerness in Lit & Film

Lisa M. Dresner, Writing Studies and Rhetoric, and Rodney F. Hill, Radio, Television, Film 

We all enjoy seeing representations of ourselves and relevant issues in the media we watch and read. But how do economic, historical, and legal factors affect the kinds of stories filmmakers and authors tell us and how they are allowed to tell us those stories?  
 
These issues, among many more, will be explored in LGBT 181D/RTVF 180C, an interdisciplinary course combining LGBTQ+ Studies and Film Studies perspectives to examine the connections between artistic productions and outside forces.  
 
From an LGBTQ+ Studies perspective, we’ll consider topics like these: How does a queer point of view influence how artists and audiences approach narratives of crime and investigation? How do queer representations change over time from queer coding to more overt representations?  
 
From a Film Studies perspective, we’ll examine how queer characters and related themes have been treated in films during different historical periods in American cinema and internationally. We will consider a “queer aesthetic” in film, the relationship between queer cinema and “camp,” and historical/ economic factors at play in the film industry influencing how LGBTQ characters are depicted.  
 
To address these questions, this course will examine a wide variety of works: classic films noirs, crime documentaries, and more recent crime films as well as queer crime fiction classics from 19th-century detective-adventure stories to the gothic novel to gay pulp fiction, along with relevant secondary literature.  
 
This course will count towards the “film studies” requirements (or as a film-area elective) in various RTVF majors and will count towards the LGBTQ+ Studies Minor. It will also carry (IS) distribution credit and WI credit.  
 
Course Notes/ Prerequisites: Credit cannot be earned for both this course and LGBT 180N. No prerequisites. 

Crosslisted as: LGBT 181D  

This course is a featured interdisciplinary course for Fall 2025. For more information, visit our Interdisciplinary Courses Webpage.

RTVF 180R: The Politics and Production of Black American Television

This course examines how the political struggles behind the scenes reveal complex and contradictory politics of gender, race, class, and the possibilities for social justice and collective movement. Course readings will incorporate interviews with prominent executives, producers, and stars as Keenen Ivory Wayans, Quincy Jones, and Queen Latifah as a way into discussions of production/reception practices, and the cultural and historical contexts in which these unique representations emerged.

Crosslisted as: MASS 180R  

RTVF 181A: (HP) From Hurston to Horror: Black Civil Rights through Film, Art, and History

Katrina Sims, History, and William Jennings, Radio, Television, Film 

This course will use film, art, and history to guide students through the political, economic, and cultural philosophies of Black intellectuals like Frederick Douglass, Maggie Lena Walker, W. E. B. Du Bois, Frantz Fanon, Fannie Lou Hammer, Alain Leroy Locke, and Shirley Chisholm, to name a few.  
 
Readings will include excerpts from literaries, including Zora Neale Hurston, Octavia Butler, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Tera Hunter, Robin D. G. Kelley, bell hooks, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Colson Whitehead. Screenings will include historically parallel films such as Birth of a Nation, Blood of Jesus, Cabin in the Sky, Imitation of Life, A Raisin in the Sun, Sweet Sweetback’s Baaadassss Song, Bamboozled, Daughters of the Dust, and Us and television series including Them, Kindred, and others. 

Course Notes/ Prerequisites: RTVF 010  

Crosslisted as: HIST 030  

This course is a featured interdisciplinary course for Fall 2025. For more information, visit our Interdisciplinary Courses Webpage.

RTVF 181B: I Want My MTV: The Intersectional Relationship Between Music & the Moving Image

Kenyatta Beasley, Music, and Kelcey Edwards, Radio, Television, Film 

This class will examine the intersectional relationship of music and video production from the musical score as an integral element of cinema to the contemporary practice of filming and editing live music performances through music documentaries, live studio productions, and music videos. Through readings, screenings, and the analysis of works by classic and contemporary composers, students will explore the symbiotic relationship of film and music from historical, technological, and theoretical perspectives. Students will have the opportunity to work with the same leading digital tools that have accelerated the revolution in independent music publishing and video production as they explore the narrative functions of music through hands-on audiovisual projects. Students will become familiar with the techniques and collaborative workflows of music composers and filmmakers in practical and creative ways. Projects include scored film projects and on-camera performances of original scores for music students, and music videos, short music documentaries, and live-to-tape broadcasts for film/television students. Through these projects students will gain familiarity and confidence in the collaborations involved in the cinematic interpretation of live and pre-recorded music as they develop their unique creative styles and approaches. Final evaluations will be based on technical and creative mastery as well as each student’s contributions to highly collaborative group work. 

Crosslisted as: MUS 180 A-Z , MUSB 150B  

This course is a featured interdisciplinary course for Fall 2025. For more information, visit our Interdisciplinary Courses Webpage.

RTVF 184F: Make-Believe Lands and Big Birds: How the Cultural Revolution of the ‘60s Shaped Children’s Television

Television programming has always reflected the art, culture, and politics of its time. The societal upheaval of the 1960’s changed the children’s television industry forever. Using video screenings of undeniably influential shows, entertainment industry publications, and analysis of historical text, students will explore successful children’s programming of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Emphasis will be placed on researching and writing about pivotal historical events and will require students to trace television’s contributions. This class will allow freshmen who may be interested in studying in the School of Communication to understand the functions and methods of television content producers.

This class is open to any first-year student curious about television content and its development.

Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.

View Course Offering(s):

Summer I 2025

Summer II 2025

Summer III 2025

Fall 2025