IT’S THE END AS WE KNOW IT!!! Film History and Apocalyptic Narratives

Course Description

The course proposes an approach to the critical analysis of apocalyptic cinema from a look at the historical trajectory of apocalyptic films in world cinema. The main objective of this course is to understand that the “apocalypse” encompasses much more than western pop-culture portrayals, and explore how conceptions of the end of the world vary through different cultures and periods of time. Thus, through the acquisition of basic interpretation and analysis tools for film texts, students will analyze other visions of the end of the world, far from the common American film canons.

In addition, the course also aims for students to question how they conceive the scenario of the ""end of the world"" and to make a retrospective analysis of the source where these images come from. This entails an attempt to understand how their personal understanding of the “end” also represents symptoms of their own fears and anxieties.

Ultimately, this course provides a deep understanding of how apocalyptic narratives in cinema have served as social metaphors due to their flexibility for criticism in contexts of crises throughout history.