This course will examine the genre of dystopian sci-fi film, focusing on its common tropes and techniques, as well as its sociopolitical underpinnings and historical specificity. Although the term "dystopia" predates 1900, it became a recognizable genre during the twentieth century and has maintained its grip on our imagination in the twenty-first, as seen in recent films such as The Matrix, Children of Men, and Blade Runner 2049. Cinema is inextricably linked to visions of a dystopian future, providing artistic imaginings of what could happen and where humanity may go. Yet these apocalyptic visions often reveal more about the conditions in which they are created than about any anticipated future. They act as registers of social fears and anxieties. Students will explore how various filmmakers adapt and adjust generic characteristics to respond to differing socio- political contexts and concerns, and how this adaptation is reintegrated into the genre. Special attention will be given to issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, and technology. We will also investigate the ecological, scientific, economic, and ethical debates surrounding industrial pollution and climate change. Moreover, we will focus on the films' technical features, particularly montage and spatial manipulation, examining how themes, narratives, emotions, and cultural meanings are embodied in the cinematography, editing, location shooting, and set design of dystopian cinematic cities from different geographical and cultural regions. HAAVC 3000 seminars continue developing students' visual analysis and research skills while providing students the opportunity for in-depth study of the visual/structural artifacts associated with a particular topic, region, or movement. Students will also engage with the relevant primary/secondary literature for the specific topic/theme. Courses will pay particular attention to the larger cultural, historical, and theoretical/ideological contexts in which the visual artifacts and structures under consideration were created. This course cannot fulfill the HAAVC 2000 requirement.

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