Admission requirements
None required, but the following courses are recommended:
Cultural & Visual Analysis
Power in World Politics
Masterpieces of Cinema
Description
Film is a uniquely powerful art form and a major part of global popular culture. Film imagines and reimagines our past, present, and future while mirroring and moulding our fears and nightmares. Because of its uniqueness and power, cinema has been used – and abused – by elites to shape the popular imagination and to manipulate public opinion. It is not a coincidence that politicians as diverse as Adolph Hitler and Al Gore have commissioned films to further their respective ideological agendas and achieve their political goals. Consequently, media competence in general and film competence in particular are key skills that every student of World Politics should possess. This course trains these competencies, enabling you to appreciate the beauty and opportunities inherent in film and to detect – and resist – attempts at manipulation and indoctrination.
In the classic tradition of the liberal arts, this course introduces you to the art form through the study of masterpieces of political cinema. Similar to a ‘Great Books’ course, you get the opportunity to experience and discuss a selection of the most critically acclaimed political films of all time. However, we will also cover blockbusters that might not be highly rated by critics but that have had tremendous impact, reaching millions with their (often implicit) political message. In turn, these popular films will help us study the at times conspicuously close relationship between the film industry and political actors, for example the intimate ties between Hollywood and the Pentagon.
Course Objectives
The course has four main objectives.
It introduces students to several of the most acclaimed pieces of film art, equipping them with a canon of cultural knowledge widely expected of liberal arts students.
It trains students to independently analyse film semantically (content analysis and interpretation) and politically (ideological analysis) and, to an extent, technically (camera angles, editing, sound design).
It conveys media competence, including the ability to identify and critically reflect on how world politics is represented and enacted through film.
It trains writing skills across two genres. Students will practice crafting accessible and critical yet balanced pieces, including personal reflection essays (genre: creative non-fiction) and a film review or an interview with a film director, producer, or actor (genre: journalism).
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2025-2026 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
The course consists of two seminars per week. Most seminars will discuss a specific film. In addition, screenings of the films will be organized, usually on Monday and Thursday evenings, 7.15pm, in the auditorium.
Assessment Method
Participation (15%)
Presentation (15%)
Leading a discussion (15%)
Film review or interview with a filmmaker (25%)
Final exam (30%)
Reading list
David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, Jeff Smith 2024: Film Art: An Introduction, 13th edition, McGraw Hill.
Annette Kuhn, Guy Westwell 2012/2020: A Dictionary of Film Studies, Oxford University Press.
Kai Hebel, Christiane Mathes 2009: ‘The Subversion of Evil in the Films of David Lynch’, in Jochen Achilles, Ina Bergmann (eds.), Representations of Evil in Anglophone Cultures (Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag).
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr Kai Hebel, k.r.hebel@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
As mentioned above, the course is accompanied by a film series. Most films will be screened Monday and Thursday evenings, 7.15pm, in the auditorium.