Subjective En(queer)ies – Verkörperte Andersartigkeit im Film und im kreativen Schreiben (Theorieseminar, 3 ECTS) - Einzelansicht

On this course students will learn about different ways in which cinematic art forms (including not only film, but also video games and other forms of interactive media) can represent subjectivity and otherness, with an emphasis on attempts at representing of the inner life of queer, neurodiverse, non-human and other contested and underrepresented forms of embodied experience. The module involves theoretical lectures as well as creative writing exercises and the production of an essay film where students will have to think of practical strategies in order to translate and incorporate the subjective experience of others into their work.

Interdisciplinarity | During the course, students will be constantly asked to consider the experiential perspectives of others and to engage with forms of embodied subjectivity different from their own; this means that the module will be continuously promoting not only interdisciplinary exchanges, since students will come from different academic backgrounds, but also changes in points of view. The course also blends a theoretical perspective towards the problem of subjective representation with a practical approach to filmmaking that will hopefully allow the students to regard the cinematic medium as one that can be as freeing and immediate as writing itself.

Learning Goals

1. To introduce to the students the problem of the representation of subjective experience in the arts, with an emphasis on film and creative writing.
2. To offer an introduction to queer cinema and to different aspects of queerness as they are represented in film and, to a lesser extent, in other media.
3. To discuss and exchange different perspectives on the notions of queerness and identity through theoretical readings and practical tasks.
4. To promote empathy and interdisciplinary communication through tasks where different points-of-view are shifted and disputed.
5. To strengthen the student’s narrative writing skills by performing a variety of written assignments that involve sympathy and identification.
6. To strengthen the student’s relationship with filmmaking as an expressive medium through the creation of a work that allows them a large degree of creative freedom.

Didactic Concept | The course is divided into theory and practice-oriented sessions. We want to encourage students to share their own opinions and personal stances on questions of queerness and identity through practical tasks involving creative writing and filmmaking so that they can exchange these perspectives into a lively discussion where agreements and understandings can be reached on how to creatively engage with these themes. We want to promote a thoughtful learning atmosphere where controversial and complex topics related to identity and alterity can be openly confronted through artistic creation and to make students aware of the ways in which cinematic and narrative resources can be used to reveal different aspects of subjectivity. The course is therefore an invitation to anyone who might feel curious about experiences different from their own to question their own assumptions about certain forms of subjective experience and look at them from a fresh perspective through writing and filmmaking.

Students will be assigned different readings of short pieces (or excerpts from longer literary works) after these are contextualized during the lectures. All required readings and additional bibliography will be made available to students in a timely manner via Moodle.

Die Lehrveranstaltung wird als »Studentisches »Bauhaus.Modul« durchgeführt von David Alvarez Galvis (stud. PhD M) und Yuen Yi Wong (stud. Ma M). Das Mentoring übernimmt Prof. Dr. Christiane Voss (M).

Interest in topics of subjectivity and queer studies. Students are also expected to be familiar with all the basic aspects of filmmaking. Some experience in creative writing is recommended, but not mandatory. 

In addition to creative writing assignments, students will produce a short essay film (which, in a nutshell, is a film that is mainly guided by ideas instead of by a narrative.) Since these video works will be evaluated mostly by their conceptual coherence, students are free to use any audiovisual production and editing means at their disposal, and they are expected to have access to at least some basic video-recording equipment and to the editing tools necessary to carry out the production of their films. 

Some guidelines on film practice will be given during the lectures but they will not cover the most elementary aspects of film production, and rather will be focused on the representation of subjectivity in film and, naturally, on the concept of the essay film. Teamwork on this filmmaking assignment will be possible (and encouraged.)

Die Veranstaltung steht allen Bachelor- und Masterstudierenden sowie Promovierende der Fakultäten Architektur und Urbanistik, Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften, Kunst und Gestaltung sowie Medien offen. Bitte halten Sie vor der Anmeldung Rücksprache mit Ihrer Fachstudienberatung und klären Sie, ob diese Veranstaltung in ihrem Curriculum anerkannt werden kann. Bei Bedarf schließen Sie vor Veranstaltungsbeginn ein Learning Agreement (DE/EN) ab.