The rise of the European Bildungsroman, or novel of development, coincided with the emerging dominance of industrial capitalism and the bourgeoisie. These novels variously register, reflect, and negotiate the tensions of these societal shifts. This course examines the Bildungsroman's descendent, the coming-of-age film, and asks how films from the mid-1980s to the present, with varying degrees of self-consciousness, address the challenges of progressing toward adulthood in a globalized world shaped by finance capitalism. What does adulthood mean in this world? The first half of the course focuses on U.S. films from John Hughes's/Universal Pictures' The Breakfast Club (1985) to twenty-first-century independents like Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016). The second half of the course moves outside the U.S. context to consider Asian and European films by directors such as the Dardenne brothers, Kim Bora, July Jung, and Jia Zhangke. As the capstone course for film-and-media-studies majors, it will ask you to practice and integrate several methodological frameworks including genre theory, auteur theory, close analysis, and critical theory. This course is viewing-heavy. Often, especially at the beginning of the course, you will be asked to watch two or more films per week. To make time for this, the reading load for the course will be moderate to light. Limited in size. Preference given to film and media studies seniors.
4-5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
The rise of the European Bildungsroman, or novel of development, coincided with the emerging dominance of industrial capitalism and the bourgeoisie. These novels variously register, reflect, and negotiate the tensions of these societal shifts. This course examines the Bildungsroman's descendent, the coming-of-age film, and asks how films from the mid-1980s to the present, with varying degrees of self-consciousness, address the challenges of progressing toward adulthood in a globalized world shaped by finance capitalism. What does adulthood mean in this world? The first half of the course focuses on U.S. films from John Hughes's/Universal Pictures' The Breakfast Club (1985) to twenty-first-century independents like Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016). The second half of the course moves outside the U.S. context to consider Asian and European films by directors such as the Dardenne brothers, Kim Bora, July Jung, and Jia Zhangke. As the capstone course for film-and-media-studies majors, it will ask you to practice and integrate several methodological frameworks including genre theory, auteur theory, close analysis, and critical theory. This course is viewing-heavy. Often, especially at the beginning of the course, you will be asked to watch two or more films per week. To make time for this, the reading load for the course will be moderate to light. Limited in size. Preference given to film and media studies seniors.
Offered in Spring 2026 at Stanford University.