This required orientation course introduces all Library and Information Science, and Dual Degree students to the full range of academic, administrative, and social expectations for students, and the environment in which they must meet those expectations. Intended for and appropriate to both online and face-to-face students, this course describes program requirements; college, school, and program policy; and offers information about the full range of resources available to the students in support of their program. It also offers basic tutorial and instruction related to the use of Moodle (the learning management system used in online and face-to-face courses), library resources, and other key tools used to support student learning.

Designed to acquaint students with the basic management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. The course is intended to help provide understanding of human interactions in the workplace and develop the practical problem-solving skills needed to handle managerial problems professionally. Approaches to managing, from authoritarian to participative to laissez-faire, are examined. Readings, case studies, critical incidents, simulations, and discussions. This is a required course for the Libraries & Librarianship concentration.

A critical review of the issues and trends in management, program development, and evaluation of contemporary school library media centers at the elementary, secondary, and district levels in the United States. Students in this course will complete 15 pre-practicum fieldwork hours in the context of an assignment involving the development of an observation protocol (a method associated with evaluation research) and an interview with a school library media specialist.

This course focuses on topics related to services, information sources and information seeking processes as manifested in a variety of information centers. Introduces information concepts and services, including: question-negotiation (the reference interview), customer service, ethics, evaluating the collection, management, user service philosophy, service in different institutional settings and for diverse populations, and the assessment of services. Students learn about the creation, packaging, access and presentation of information in different types of sources and formats. This is a required course for all MS students.

This course offers an overview of user instruction, including needs assessment, planning, educational strategies, and evaluation of programs in all types of libraries. Students will critically evaluate concepts of information literacy, learning theories, and the goals of user instruction and apply best practices principles in development of user instruction program modules for either oral presentation or online tutorials. Readings, discussion, guest lectures, oral presentations, and a term project may be included. This is a required course for the Libraries & Librarianship concentration.

Given the increasing diversity of information users in the United States, information professionals need to learn more about specific groups in order provide appropriate services. This course examines the special needs and potential contributions of groups that are traditionally underrepresented in information settings. Through readings, discussion, and guest lectures, students will explore diversity issues which impact information services and develop skills for planning, implementing, and evaluating programs for addressing these issues. Specific diversity issues include race and ethnicity; gender and sexual orientation; social class; national origin; physical, psychological, and learning ability; and age. Students will gain experience in addressing diversity issues in two interrelated projects. The first project will involve writing a paper on a particular group and its needs in terms of collection development, programming, or accessibility issues, etc. For the second project, students will build on the first paper in a service learning project with an information center of their choice. Examples of service learning projects include constructing a detailed program or service activity for a specific group; compiling an annotated bibliography of best current materials and digital sources for a specific group; implementing a mentoring program for a specific group; evaluating diversity programs which are already in place; or writing a staff training proposal.

This course examines the planning and delivery of information and recreational services to meet the diverse needs of young people between the ages of 12 and 18 in public libraries and school library/media centers. Examination of the developmental tasks of adolescents and relevant social, educational, and demographic trends. Emphasis on the development of library policies and collaboration with youth-serving community agencies. Attention to communication and program skills and the promotion, funding, and evaluation of library programs and services for teenagers.

This course surveys the history, staffing, organization, development, and future of special libraries-of multiple types-in North America. Specific attention will be given to examples of highly successful models of special library organization, staffing, and service, as well as to notable and common challenges associated with special libraries. Students will read and evaluate recent research describing the value of special libraries and examine comparative data describing special libraries in the U.S. and abroad.

The phenomena, activities, and issues surrounding the organization of information in service of users and user communities. Topics include resource types and formats, information service institutions, markup, descriptive metadata, content standards, subject analysis and classification, and the information life cycle. Readings, discussions, examinations, and oral and written exercises. This is a required course for all MS students.

This course addresses the theories, principles, and practices of subject cataloging and classification. It covers the application of national standards to the creation of bibliographic records and to the construction of catalogs in libraries and other information environments. It teaches the concepts of subject cataloging including: understanding the various approaches to and pitfalls in determining aboutness; the theoretical foundations, structure, and the application of LCSH in subject cataloging; the application of the policies in the LC Subject Heading Manual; and complex number building in Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification. The course also includes examinations of the history and theoretical foundations of subject cataloging and classification and explores other subject access systems from around the world (e.g. UDC, Colon, Bliss, Expansive classification, PRECIS, AAT, and MeSH). May include readings, discussions, presentations, exams, exercises, and individual or group projects.

The course will cover a wide variety of topics concerned with the history and development of the book, both as a physical object and as the bearer of intellectual content. Therefore, the lectures/discussions will look at two different kinds of phenomena: the physical properties of the objects that carried written and pictorial texts and the intellectual use to which books have been put. A third area that the course will address picks up the miscellaneous but important issues of the world of libraries; the antiquarian and out-of-print book trade; remainders; handling, storing, caring for, repairing, and conserving books; legal considerations of book/text ownership and use; and other areas of book history. Students will be introduced to the extensive vocabulary of the book world. With a mastery of this new vocabulary, the students will have a grasp of a subject of extraordinary breadth, boundless fascination, and endless debate. As Milton said, "A good book is the precious life blood of a master spirit." This course will explain why.

A survey of print and electronic information sources as well as coverage of basic business concepts is provided. It will include sources basic to business, finance, trade, company and industry reference and be both national and international in scope. The objective will be to familiarize students with source material including government sources and statistics, industry and trade literature, used for business research. Attention will also be paid to the information needs of business people and researchers as well as the issues and concerns associated with business information gathering and research.

This courses serves as a foundation course for students who seek careers as information professionals in archives, museums, libraries, and other cultural heritage settings. Working with representative partner sites, the course introduces students to diverse information organizations. With a focus on the purpose, mission, and history of these institutions, the course examines key concepts and activities in an interdisciplinary context. Differences in the purposes and missions of these institutions are also considered. Specific topics include: collection building, organizing knowledge structures, conserving and preserving collections, collection use, exhibitions, education, the application of technology, and cultural politics. Assignments include case studies, presentations, and group projects. This is a required course for the Cultural Heritage Informatics concentration.

This course is in three components: 1) studying the ethics and responsible practice of oral history; 2) developing a project to document a life, event, occupation, family, institution or experience; 3) archiving, providing access, and preserving audiovisual recordings. Students are required to secure a recording device to perform oral history interviews and to learn to use audiovisual editing software.

Scope, types, and functions of music libraries; their physical and intellectual organization and administration. Included are principles and techniques of selection, acquisition, classification, cataloging, binding, storage, and dissemination of music materials; principles, techniques, and materials of music reference and research; music publishing and recording, including listening facilities; and philosophy and functions of the music librarian. Ability to read music and substantial music literature background required.

Study of legal information; origins, organization, dissemination, and use of legal media, as well as techniques of basic legal research.

Fundamentals of archival theory and practice, including the issues, values, methods, and activities in archival settings. Introduction to core archival functions of appraisal, acquisition, arrangement, description, reference, and access. Overview of history and terminology of the profession. Discussion of the types and varieties of archival repositories and the value of historical records beyond traditional research use. Engagement with contemporary issues in the archival profession. Course includes a required 60-hour field experience. This is a required course for the Archives Management concentration and the Cultural Heritage Informatics concentration.

This course covers the fundamentals of planning and managing programs of prevention and remedial treatment for the preservation of information resources in libraries and archives. The study of the nature of all types of materials and the factors contributing to their deterioration serves as background. Preservation planning topics, such as environmental control and light, security, risk management, fire prevention, housekeeping and storage, general collections maintenance and testing methods, are covered. Additional topics include: emergency planning in the areas of preparedness, mitigation and response; selection of materials for basic repair, conservation or reformatting; budgeting for preservation activities; preservation training for staff and users; digital preservation; and cooperative programs. Course includes readings, guest lectures, media presentations, field trips, demonstrations, and individual projects.

Explores access to and use of archives and manuscript collections within the framework of archival description and representation. How archives are described and the surrogates that are used to represent them profoundly impact their access and use and are central to the archives profession. Students will explore various types of archival use including exhibits (physical and virtual) in addition to the creation of surrogates for primary sources and will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of EAD (Encoded Archival Description) as well as other emerging metadata standards. This is a required course for the Archives Management concentration.

Developing a knowledge base that encompasses a variety of competencies around sustaining an archives is vital for archivists who often work in small one or two person repositories or may face the challenges of establishing new repositories. This course will analyze the requirements of such small or emerging programs and focus on the ways to develop strategic plans, locate and pursue sources of funding, market and design outreach, understand the physical and intellectual resources of an archival facility,; and sustain program growth. The class will also examine these issues within the context of different types of archives (i.e. government, academic, historical societies). This is a required course for the Archives Management concentration.

The preservation and retention of media in digital environments are increasingly urgent issues for archival digital repositories. This course focuses on archiving and preserving a wide variety of digital media (primarily text, image, sound, moving images, and web sites) as well as thinking in a long-term way about overcoming the many challenges. Topics under discussion will include the characteristics of digital media that make a difference in their long-term preservation, media formats, rights issues, digital asset management, each addressed theoretically, historically, and practically. Please note: This class is not limited to Archives concentrators.

This course will cover the theory and practice of metadata as it is applied to digital collections. It will provide students with a comprehensive overview of current metadata standards in the library, archives, and visual resources communities, and offer them an opportunity to get hands-on practice using selected standards. It will examine the role of metadata in the discovery, delivery, administration, and preservation of digital objects, and consider current and emerging issues in metadata. The course will address all aspects of metadata, including creation, management, and use. In-class exercises and assignments will provide students with the opportunity to apply specific content and structure standards. Prerequisite: LIS 415.

This course teaches the core concepts and skills needed to create and manage digital collections and repositories. It covers the digital convergence of cultural heritage information in libraries, archives and museums. It introduces strategies for managing digital objects over the long term through active, ongoing oversight of the total environment (content, technologies, and user expectations) during all phases of the information life cycle. The course also includes extensive discussion of policy issues affecting digital collections, including sustainability issues for digital repositories, and open access to digital resources.

This course surveys the history, staffing, organization, development, and future of public libraries, addressing the principles and techniques associated with planning and delivering public library services to individuals and communities. Students will examine the governance and service structure of metropolitan and town libraries and consider the political, fiscal, and societal trends affecting them. Special attention will be given to the analysis of the library needs of specific groups and relationship of these needs assessments to the implementation of particular programs and services.

This course surveys the history, staffing, organization, development, and future of college and university libraries. Common issues-including managing change, scholarly communication, publishing, information technology, advocacy, evaluation and assessment, planning, budgeting, and higher education-will be addressed within a context that connects academic libraries, and their infrastructure, with their parent institutions.

Activities through which library collections are systematically developed and managed are explored, especially the formulation and implementation of written collection development policies. Other specific topics include identification of user needs; collection evaluation; fund allocation among competing departments, subjects, and/or media; selection methods; intellectual freedom; storage alternatives; and cooperative collection development. Course includes readings, guest lectures, and a term project in which a collection development policy for a real information agency is prepared. This is a required course for the Libraries & Librarianship concentration.

This course addresses the theories and methodologies associated with managing institutional records, both paper-based and electronic. It introduces the set of activities required for systematically controlling the creation, distribution, use, maintenance and disposition of recorded information maintained as evidence of business activities and transactions. With an emphasis on case studies, students will learn about records appraisal, scheduling and disposition, functional analysis and records management program implementation and policy. Prior experience working with institutional records and/or LIS438 is recommended.

Principles and practices of database management and database design. Discussion and practice cover database application lifecycle, data modeling, relational database design, SQL queries, reports and other interfaces to database data, and documentation. Lectures also cover Web databases, XML, multimedia databases, and ethical and privacy issues associated with database systems. Individual and group projects.

Students complete structured field experience activities in elementary and secondary school libraries. Students will document their field experiences, make reflective written responses to readings and activities, and complete carefully designed learning projects that will help them develop professional skills, knowledge, and resources. This course fulfills 30 of the mandated 75 hours of pre-practicum field experience in preK-12 libraries for Massachusetts initial certification.

This course will prepare the school library teacher to successfully integrate new and emerging technologies into the school library program, technology lab, and classroom. Technologies studied will be appropriate for integration into all areas of the school's curriculum. Web-based and mobile resources and tools are used extensively throughout the course and are directly tied to current topics in successful school library management and practice. Hands-on learning and discussion of issues that could arise as a part of technology integration with pre-K - 12 students are foundational elements of the course. The role the school library teacher plays in the professional development of teachers in his/her school as a resource person, leader in technology instruction, facilitator, collaborator, and instructor will be discussed throughout the course. Meets Technology Requirement for students in the School Library Teacher Program.

This course provides an in-depth look at the pedagogy of teaching and learning including an analysis of the research base that informs the application of specific strategies used for effective instruction. Students will examine the organization, structure, and content of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, the Common Core State Standards, and the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner. Students will prepare lessons, teach, participate in peer reviews, and begin to develop as reflective practitioners. Students will develop an understanding of the wide range of instructional strategies as they learn to create and implement standards-based lesson plans. Students will learn how to assess these lessons, resulting in data that correlates to student achievement.

This course will cover the entire knowledge management cycle from knowledge capture and codification, to sharing and communities of practice, transfer and application. It will also include major theories and models in knowledge management. Students will learn to apply the case study research design in knowledge management, and look at cases discussing the role of knowledge management in organizational improvement. Contemporary knowledge management software (including knowledge creation and sharing in social networking websites) will be covered. Finally, the course will explore knowledge management not just from the organizational perspective, but also from the individual perspective.

Organizing and structuring content to help individuals, communities, and organizations find and manage internal and external Web-based resources and services. Application of current coding, metadata, and style standards to create Web documents. Evaluation of Web site quality and usability, and assessment of resource discovery tools. Strategic planning and user needs analysis for information architecture. Content inventory, organization, and management in support of wayfinding and navigation. Design documents for prototyping large Web sites. Readings, essays, design projects, in-class presentations.

Photographs as visual information. Problems of meaning, context, and definition. Responsibilities of the photo archivist. History of major types of photographic artifacts and development of photographic genres. Characteristics of 19th century processes. Special problems of subject access and remote access. Utilization by scholars, visual researchers, and communication industries. Onsite examination of management practices in a variety of institutions. Guest specialists include, when possible, visitors from special libraries, historical societies, major archives, museums, and picture agencies.

This course explores the primary formats, technologies, approaches, and social dimensions of archiving and preserving motion picture film, magnetic video tape, and digital moving images. We study the preservation of moving images from historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives that inform archival practice. Course topics include: the field of moving image archives; histories of moving image technologies; preservation approaches, field-specific standards; ethics; and the presentation of moving images.

Outreach and advocacy are critical components of successful archives and cultural heritage programs, encompassing broad areas of user concerns from digital exhibits to educational programs, to social responsibility. Students explore the principles of outreach as well as strategies for identifying partners and the needs of diverse user populations. They learn how to develop public and educational programs including exhibits, and publicity and marketing tools for many audiences. Students also examine professional ethics and core values of advocacy and social responsibility in national and international settings.

The increasingly digital nature of the cultural heritage milieu is driving convergence of practice in LAMS (libraries, archives and museum). Before appropriate technological solutions can be determined and implemented, requirements need to be defined and convincing use cases developed. Students taking this course learn the theoretical underpinnings and the practical skills specific to ascertaining user requirements, management and access of digital resources, focusing on commonalities among practice in libraries, archives, and museums. Three areas crucial to the effective management of digital assets are emphasized: use-case analysis, technological skills, and project management.

This course addresses the evaluation, selection, and organization of materials for children (ages 0 - 12) in public and school library collections. Students will become familiar with materials for children in various formats, including the picture book, easy reader, transitional book, and chapter book; and will attend to fiction and nonfiction published to meet young people's recreational and curricular reading and information needs and interests. This course places strong emphasis on the evaluation of both individual items and library collections of children's material as well as on the selection of material for children for the purposes of collection development.

This course addresses the evaluation, selection, and organization of materials for young adults (young people ages 12 - 18) in public and school library collections. Students will become familiar with materials for young adults in various formats and genres, including traditional and graphic novels, and will attend to fiction and nonfiction published to meet young adults' recreational and curricular reading and information needs and interests. This course places strong emphasis on the evaluation of both individual items and library collections of young adult material as well as on the selection of material for young adults for the purposes of collection development.

This course covers the fundamental concepts and theories pertaining to information science. The course content includes core concepts and theories, information context, user and needs, information seeking and behavior, information interaction and retrieval, information use, and other related topics. Through this course, students will examine, analyze, and synthesize professional and scholarly work in this field, develop an understanding of the history of the field, and project the future of information science and their own leadership role within it. Assignments may range from literature search, opinion paper, annotated bibliography, in-class presentations on theories and models, to oral history interviews of persons in the field. This is a required course for the Information Science & Technology concentration.

Introduces computer science and programming using a high-level programming language (currently Python). Teaches program design in the context of contemporary practices both object oriented and procedural. Presents fundamental computer science topics through initiation and design of programs. Students learn to think logically and to apply this thinking to debugging computer programs. This is a required course for the Information Science & Technology concentration.

This course provides the conceptual foundation and context of computing, Internet and related technologies as used in information-intensive professions. With an emphasis both on concepts (along with an emphasis on terminology that appears in the professional literature) and skills (interactive demos and/or hands-on sessions), the course encourages students in trying out and learning new pieces of technology. The course provides an overview of topics such as how computers work (hardware, software, history of IT); networking; internet, related technologies and the future of WWW; content management systems; RDBMS and XML; ethics; security; information search and retrieval; the impact and implications of technological change on libraries, archives and other information centers; technology today and tomorrow; and other related topics. Along with providing the general technology foundation needed before taking other technology courses offered at SLIS, this course also introduces some of these other courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take this course early in their course program.

Comparison of American and foreign library systems in terms of national differences in philosophy, objectives, and services. Evaluation and comparison of collection policies, technical processes, public services, professional training, management, and facilities. Selected in-depth area studies. International cooperation and major projects in the information fields; contributions of international organizations. Guest lectures, presentations, and individual research projects.

This course provides with in-depth knowledge of intellectual freedom and related access issues that information professionals cope with in libraries and information settings. Students learn about the history of censorship practices, the evolving and sometimes controversial role of librarians/information professionals and others who promote the philosophy of intellectual freedom, the policies of various countries and associations regarding intellectual freedom and ethical practice, freedom of information and privacy legislation, and overall influence of technology on censorship and access issues.

The Practicum Equivalent Experience provides students with the opportunity to apply in a school setting the skills and knowledge that he/she has learned throughout the School Library Teacher Program. If a student is currently working in a school library as "the teacher of record," he/she can choose to substitute one of the practica with a Practicum Equivalent Experience. The Practicum Equivalent Experience allows the student to receive credit for work experience gained at the school in which he/she is employed. The Practicum Equivalent Experience is done under the direction of a college supervisor and supervising practitioner. The minimum time requirement for a Practicum Equivalent Experience is 300 clock hours. Registration is made by arrangement with the Director of the School Library Teacher Program. LIS 495 is a capstone experience which is completed after all pre-practicum course work has been completed.

This is an educational field-based experience at the preK-8 grade level for students needing a practicum as certification requirement. Students will have the opportunity to practice school library skills and methods under the direction of a college supervisor and supervising practitioner. A minimum of 150 clock hours will be arranged. Registration is made by arrangement with the Director of the SLT program.

This is an educational field-based experience at the 7-12 grade level for students needing a practicum as certification requirement. Students will have the opportunity to practice school library skills and methods under the direction of a college supervisor and supervising practitioner. A minimum of 150 clock hours will be arranged. Registration is made by arrangement with the Director of the SLT program.

The independent study program provides an opportunity for the student with a distinguished academic record, who has achieved degree candidacy, to pursue an individual topic related to his/her own interests for use in a substantial paper or project. A faculty member guides and advises the student in conferences, reviews preliminary drafts, and assigns the final grade. Academic credit is dependent upon substantial accomplishment at a distinguished level of quality. Members of the faculty actively encourage publication of those completed seminar studies that represent useful contributions to professional literature. The study proposal must be initiated by the student at least eight weeks before the semester in which it is to be undertaken. The student bears responsibility for formulating the study, approaching an appropriate faculty member, securing his/her consent to act as a sponsor, and submitting a full written statement outlining the study to that sponsor at least four weeks before the semester opens. Ask your advisor for instructions and Independent Study proposal forms.

This special topics course focuses on the specific settings, requirements, opportunities and challenges faced by organizations charged with the collection, preservation, access and retention of records created through the activity of governing. Starting from the notion of a "record' as it applies in a government context, this course explores the unique legal, social and ethical responsibilities of government archives. It investigates the imperative of the appraisal, preservation and access to those records in a democratic society. Government archives represent a key category of archival institutions that confront the tensions between access and recordkeeping, and this course explores traditional archival functions, using the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as a point of analysis. In addition, the course will look at the challenges faced by State Archives as well as municipalities or towns. Prerequisite: LIS 438 Topics covered will include the relationship and development of legislation and record keeping, the impact that that legislation can have on the mission of government, and the public's understanding and expectations of the institution. While the course primarily focuses on government agencies in a U.S. context, international government archives will be explored.

This course is a focused field experience combined with a related academic components. The field experience involves a minimum of 130 hours in an LIS setting and approximately 20 hours of coursework completed online. As a 3-credit course, it has a significant hands-on learning component. Through discussion with key personnel in the organization and working under professional supervision, the student gains hands-on experience in the information environment. Examples of coursework include: readings; discussion forums; reflections or journal entries; and/or examples of field work. Prerequisite: 18 credit hours including all SLIS core and concentration requirements.

Open only to students in the doctoral program. Required of all such students (1) not in residence in any regular semester in order to maintain matriculation, (2) not taking a course for credit during the fall or spring semester, and (3) working on their concept paper, proposal, or their field research project. Supervised study may not be applied toward academic credit requirements for the doctoral degree.

Open only to students in the doctoral program who have completed 33 semester hours and have successfully passed the comprehensive examination. Note: while working on the dissertation students are enrolled in LIS 600 for the fall and spring semesters.

Provides an opportunity to apply various critical lenses developed in the humanities to modes of writing for the broader public, including: book and film reviews, long-form analytical journalism, museum exhibition guides, and interviews.

Designed for students with a solid base of writing skill who wish to grow further as writers. Teaches writing of non-fiction that a non-captive audience would willingly read. Focuses primarily on the personal narrative.

Targets the eager and curious writer of poems seeking structure, feedback, and models of excellence in a workshop setting. Assumes that those who want to write are those who have been deeply moved by the writing of others. Includes extensive reading and attendance at poetry readings in the Boston area.

Serves as an introduction to film analysis by teaching the basics of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound as well as fundamental principles of film narrative, style, genre, and theory. Films chosen from a number of different historical periods and national contexts, including classical Hollywood cinema.

Continued work on the art of writing the short story, building on experience gained in English 107. Frequent writing and reflection on writing; extensive revision; workshop discussion of student writing. Readings in contemporary and canonical short fiction, as well as works on fictional technique.

How do novels by contemporary African American and Black British women writers encourage us to rethink our understandings of racial identity?  This course examines the literary devices and formal innovations employed by Black women writers to represent the lives of black characters and black people more broadly.  It responds to a style of interpreting black novels that reads them only as sociological documents that grant insights into what is then positioned as an alien culture; it replaces this purely sociological focus with an insistence on the artistry of the text, an analysis of the ways that Black women writers invent new formal techniques and artistic innovations for representing realities that are less readily acknowledged in the larger culture.  At the center of the course is the oppositional voice of Black women writers.  The course reads these writers as responding to canonical representations of blackness through their own insistent presentations of the racial past and its possible futures, through their remaking of the literary genres of the canon that help generate representations of blackness, and through their reimagining of the very category of Black womanhood in new, more expansive and liberating ways.

Begins with Milton's Paradise Lost, the subtext for all Romantic rebellion, and moves to Blake, its great theorist and visual artist, to the poetry of Wordsworth and works by women Romantic poets. Concludes with the female perspective on Romantic rebellion in the novels of the Bronte sisters and in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

This course investigates the tropes of piratical literature in ballads, plays, short stories, and novels. As we move through the centuries, we consider sea encounters, buried treasure, war tactics, whaling, and slavery to illuminate why and how stories about these transgressors expose the fears and wishes of a U.S. readership.

Offers a framework for advanced independent work in literary studies. Anchored in a common topic that changes each year. Texts include some of the critical and theoretical approaches that help to define the topic.

Analyzes how film form positions women and investigates how female audiences consume the medium. Topics include female directors and stars, gaze theory and psychoanalysis, melodrama and the "woman's film," feminist documentary, racialized bodies, lesbian cinema, feminist television criticism, chick flicks, and postfeminism.

Offers a framework for advanced independent work in literary studies. Anchored in a common topic that changes each year. Texts include some of the critical and theoretical approaches that help to define the topic.

Analyzes how film form positions women and investigates how female audiences consume the medium. Topics include female directors and stars, gaze theory and psychoanalysis, melodrama and the "woman's film," feminist documentary, lesbian cinema, female spectatorship and reception theory, race studies and postcolonialism, and postfeminism.