M6-MA/M5-MAalt Human Geography in Practice "Audiovisual Essay & Mental Mapping of Cinematic Urban Utopias”
Instructors: Dr. Elisabeth SommerladShortname: M6-MA/M5-MAaltHG i P
Course No.: 09.050.463
Course Type: Seminar
Requirements / organisational issues
The aim of the course is to explore the audiovisual form and method of the “video essay” (Audiovisual Essay or Digital Criticism) as a way of mapping cinematic urban utopias. The reflection on film and cinema, which traditionally takes place primarily in the written or printed word, is realised here with the multiple possibilities of the medium of film itself: Moving image, montage, split screen, voice-over, freeze frame, slow motion, text overlays (etc.). So how can we use film to think about the medium of film - and at the same time relate it to approaches to film geography, or to approaches to critical and cinematographic cartography?Thematically, the video essays deal with mental maps of cinematic urban utopias. By constructing illusionary spaces, shaping cities and landscapes, and imbuing them with meaning, films have a decisive influence on individual and collective conceptions of the world. Urban utopias (and dystopias) in science fiction films negotiate visions of the future and reflect urgent questions of the present. These concepts have an impact on our everyday perception of metropolises, but also on their planning and structural implementation. Researchers are currently observing an orientation of large-scale urban development projects towards models from the science fiction genre. The promise of futuristic answers is highly relevant in view of the necessary transformations of the urban environment. However, little research has been done on how exactly the mental mapping of cinematic urban constructions works. This is where the experiment of this course comes in, designed as an interdisciplinary collaboration between media geography (Dr. Elisabeth Sommerlad) and film studies (Dr. Roman Mauer).
Participants from both disciplines will explore methods of critical, cognitive and cinematic cartography and discuss media and subjective constructions. They will work with the analytical tools offered by the medium of film through the format of audiovisual essays. In the spirit of research-led teaching and new experimentalism, theory and research will be carried out and reflected upon in the medium itself.
The course is bilingual (German/English). The specific timetable will be agreed at the preparatory meeting. Please note that there will be four-hour block sessions - you will be expected to work independently over the course of the semester.
Dates
| Date (Day of the week) | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 04/14/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 04/28/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 05/05/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 05/12/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 05/19/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 05/26/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 06/02/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 06/16/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 06/23/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 06/30/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 07/07/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |
| 07/14/2025 (Monday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Medienhaus, Seminarraum 2 (01 110 PC-Raum, Seminarraum 2 |