Monday, April 21, 2014

EURO-E405, Greek History Meets Greek Film


Greek History Encounters Greek Film, EURO-W405/W605

Tuesday and Thursday 5:45-7:00 PM, Film Screenings on Monday at 5:45 PM or Arranged

Greek History Encounters Greek Film is an interdisciplinary course that provides an overview of Modern Greek history while simultaneously addressing larger questions about the representation of history through the medium of film.  The course will begin with a historical overview that will introduce you to modern Greece’s fascinating and complex history.  We will focus on a variety of events including the Greek Enlightenment and the national revolution, the first Kingdom of Greece, the Balkan Wars, modernization, the Asia Minor Catastrophe, WWII and the Occupation, the Civil War, the Military Junta of 1967-1974, and membership in the European Union.  

As this foundation is put into place, we will begin examining film representations of these historical events.  Initially, our discussion of these film texts will be focused on questions of historiography and historical accuracy.  From there, we will branch out to examine both the process by which film texts create an aura of historical authenticity and the way that film texts function as historically situated events themselves: as events, in other words, that reflect and shape specific political, social, and historiographical moments.  In the process, we will also address broader questions, such as the relationship of film to history and the nature of historical representation. 

This course carries COLL (CASE) Global Civilizations and Cultures Credit and Social and Historical Studies (S & H) Breath of Inquiry Credit.