Breidenbaugh Hall
Room 212A
300 North Washington St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1400
Since 2003 Professor Udden has been a full-time faculty of Cinema and Media Studies teaching a wide range of core courses such as 101, 219, 250, 251, 252 and several 300-level seminars. His research is primarily on East Asia and has published over twenty academic articles and anthology chapters. He has also published an updated edition of his first book, No Man An Island: The Cinema of Hou Hsiao-hsien (Hong Kong UP, 2018), co-edited The Poetics of Chinese Cinema, with Gary Bettinson (Palgrave Macmillan. 2016). His newest book, At the Chinese Multiplex: The Cultural Infrastrcuture of the World's Largest Exhibition Market is about the be leased by Lever Press in 2027. His next tproject will focuse on the role of government polcies in creating "festival cinemas" focusing on three nation cinemas that have made a mark in international film festivals in recent decades: Taiwan, Iran and Romania.
Courses Taught
Introduction to cinema and other media such as television. This course provides an overview of the basic properties of cinema and television as visual media. Topics include technological/economic factors, form and style, plus a basic introduction to the deeper issues in both cinema studies and cultural studies, the main paradigm used to study television and other media as popular art forms.
Global overview of media industries in the world today. With a primary focus on cinema and TV, this course interrogates the political economy of the globalized media industries through economic, political, legal, and aesthetic analysis. Topics include the rise of multimedia, multinational conglomerates, followed by the impact of new technologies creating media convergence, and ending with sections on key global players in Europe and outside of the west. Course cross-listed as CIMS/IDS/PP 219.
Exploration of the origins and evolution of world cinema from its official inception in 1895 up to the end of World War II. Notable developments, such as the invention and diffusion of cinema, early Italian features, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, Soviet Montage, Japanese cinema in the 1930's and the Rise of American cinema as the dominant economic force, are all covered. In lab, students watch a film or films that represent a particular time period and/or a particular national or regional cinema. In lectures, these films are analyzed and discussed in light of every possible contextual factor (cultural, national, political, industrial, etc.) which explains why films are made in certain ways under different conditions.
Exploration of world cinema from the end of World War II up to the present day. In labs, students watch a film or films representing a particular time period and/or larger transnational trends, including films from Hollywood, Europe (i.e. Italy, France, Germany, Denmark), Africa (i.e. Senegal), the Middle East (i.e. Iran), East Asia (i.e. Japan, South Korea). In lectures, these films are analyzed and discussed in light of every possible contextual factor (cultural, political, industrial, transnational, etc.), which explains why films are made in certain ways under different conditions including how cinema is a leading force in cultural globalization.
Study of various types of films and what makes them complete works of art resulting in certain aesthetic effects. This course provides various critical, analytical and theoretical models which help students understand a single film in its entirety, noting how various discrete parts make up a single aesthetic whole. The films shown in labs include popular Hollywood films, independent films, European art cinema, Asian cinema and others. Students are asked to write in-depth analyses of these films, and to note their own aesthetic responses. Prerequisite: Film 101 or permission of the instructor.
In-depth study of a range of issues revolving around film genres. Topics include basic theories of film genres (including their deep cultural implications), followed by a historical overview of comedy and horror using philosophical, industrial, socio-political, psychoanalytic and postmodern approaches. Exemplary films from both genres are shown in labs, including both American and non-American examples for sake of comparison.
Overview of Japanese Media past and present. This course explores Japanese cinema and other media through the twin lens of culture and economics and how these two interact in a modernizing East Asian setting. It examines why Japanese cinema is arguably the most successful national cinema historically. It also explores how Japan went from a national to a global media entity, with special emphasis place on J-Horror, J-Drama and anime.
In-depth study of a range of issues revolving around film genres. Topics include basic theories of film genres (including their deep cultural implications), followed by a historical overview of comedy and horror using philosophical, industrial, socio-political, psychoanalytic and postmodern approaches. Exemplary films from both genres are shown in labs, including both American and non-American examples for sake of comparison.
Overview of Japanese Media past and present. This course explores Japanese cinema and other media through the twin lens of culture and economics and how these two interact in a modernizing East Asian setting. It examines why Japanese cinema is arguably the most successful national cinema historically. It also explores how Japan went from a national to a global media entity, with special emphasis place on J-Horror, J-Drama and anime.
Intensive capstone experience for senior CIMS majors. This seminar will aim to reinforce the main learning outcomes of the Cinema and Media Studies major, such as visual literacy, contextual/historical analysis, theoretical analysis, plus issues regarding globalization and media. Select examples of media and readings will be used every week to cover different topic areas with assessment exams. In addition, students will each do their own capstone projects, whether a production project, a research project or a combination of the two.
Global overview of media industries in the world today. With a primary focus on cinema and TV, this course interrogates the political economy of the globalized media industries through economic, political, legal, and aesthetic analysis. Topics include the rise of multimedia, multinational conglomerates, followed by the impact of new technologies creating media convergence, and ending with sections on key global players in Europe and outside of the west. Course cross-listed as CIMS/IDS/PP 219.
Global overview of media industries in the world today. With a primary focus on cinema and TV, this course interrogates the political economy of the globalized media industries through economic, political, legal, and aesthetic analysis. Topics include the rise of multimedia, multinational conglomerates, followed by the impact of new technologies creating media convergence, and ending with sections on key global players in Europe and outside of the west. Course cross-listed as CIMS/IDS/PP 219.