Discussion of various approaches to writing about literature and film (from research papers to reviews, polemical essays, and informal articles). Students will be trained in the various aspects of composition: locating and organizing material, using sources, building arguments, revising, and editing. This includes analyzing different critical discourses, as well as the implied reader and other relevant theoretical issues. This is a required course for students majoring in Comparative Literature and first-year students are urged to register for it.

This course is primarily an introduction to key concepts and methods for the analysis of film. The first half of the semester will be devoted to a systematic engagement with the language of film, by addressing in considerable detail cinematography, editing, narrative, sound, etc. Screening sessions will allow students to apply the concepts studied to specific film texts. The second half of the course will emphasize different modes of filmmaking (including documentary and experimental cinema), and introduce criticism addressing both film genre and authorship.

In this course, a number of  wonder tales will be read and analysed, especially from the viewpoint of what they have to say about society. Emphasis will be placed on the folk tale tradition, the performances of storytellers, the way they regularly recreate stories, and then the various motifs that they use in this process. The wonder tales will also be analysed from the viewpoint of the variety of raw material that was available for use in such recreation, and with regard to the range of variants and story types that were known, different motifs being compared in the process. Following this, attempts will be made to consider the "meaning" of different wonder tales. They will also be examined with regard to their social meaning and context, especially with regard to the nature of the society that helped shape them, and then how they are now reused and recreated in different media.

From the mundane to the dangerous, conspiracy theories are exerting a troublingly central influence on contemporary society. You may have heard the critiques — but what would it mean to think of the modern conspiracy theory less as a product of “fake news” or “media diets,” consumed by the “crazy” and/or “ignorant” individuals, and more as a specific narrative form in popular culture? From its roots in the 19^th century, and its ferment in the rise of genre fiction of the 19^th and early 20^th Century, modern conspiracy theory begins to coalesce and take shape in the latter decades of the 20^th century, eventually carrying through to the present as it evolves and is exacerbated by our rapidly transforming media environment and ongoing social crises. In this course we will analyze a series of novels, films, and TV shows that take the conspiracy theory as their object, asking why and how the conspiracy emerges as a form for making sense of the world at certain historical moments. Attention will be paid to the difference (and congruities) between literary form and film language, as well as discrete periods of conspiracy in film and literature (post-Watergate New Hollywood thrillers, 1980s/90s internet forums, digital UFO cultures, new age spirituality, etc).

The title of Elem Klimov’s epic war tragedy Come and See (1985) suggests an innocent invitation for a vantage point that is all but inviting in practice. Set during the brutal German occupation of Belarus, the film commits its perspective of a teenage partisan who bears firsthand witness to the relentless brutality and trauma of war. Inspired by Come and See’s notoriety and capacity, this course will focus on films that immerse its audience beyond the pleasure of looking to a position of witness to contextualize and theorize cinematic reflections of reality, from war narratives to documentary, the core events they depict and the politics of reflecting these events back to the audience. Theoretical lenses will consider the metaphors of cinema as an eye to contemplate the position of the audience beyond passive consumers to active witnesses and the responsibility of identifying with the camera and its subjects. Considering the allure and boundaries of artifice, these films apply the language and magic of the medium to their advantage to not only tell, but feel a bigger story. Among the films that will be looked at in the class are The Act of Killing, The Zone of Interest, Five Broken Cameras and Four Daughters.

Early on, Lars von Trier declared that a film should be like a pebble in the audiences’ shoes. This has become a sort of motto for the director, who throughout his career has continually sought new ways to challenge audiences, whether through subject matter, style, or controversial statements. Trier caused a radical change in Danish cinema in the 1980s and permanently reshaped the Danish film industry. As Trier's fame grew in the 1990s, he became known as the "enfant terrible" of cinema and went on to have a significant influence on international filmmaking in the following decades.

The course will explore Trier's career from various perspectives and in a broad context, for example: the influence of European culture, formal experiments with the medium and inventive use of digital technology. Selected works by Trier, his collaborators, influencers, and followers, will be viewed with the aim of shedding light on the development of Trier’s career and his place within international cinema.

Jane Austen has never been more popular than now in the first decades of the 21st century. Her novels are constantly being rewritten and her image as an author has become surprisingly complex. In this course, Austen's cultural author-function is examined, especially as it pertains to how her novels are rewritten within three literary genres generally associated with women: the romance, the chick lit novel and self-help books. Jane Austen's life, real or imagined, is by many seen as a key to her romances; and this obsessive focus is relevant to various aspects of the contemporary Darcy hysteria. Questions will be asked relating to women's status within postfeminist consumer culture, and mass culture in general, while light is shed on Austen's importance in contemporary society. In addition, there are a number of works where Jane Austen is either presented as a character or has a role as a consultant, a guru and a mentor, as is the case in self-help books which make use of her popularity.

This course is a historical overview of Japanese cinema from its origins in 1898 to the present day. Screenings are comprised of films by Japan's most prominent directors such as Ozu Yasujirō, Kurosawa Akira, and Mizoguchi Kenji, alongside examples that reflect important trends in contemporary Japanese film. While the course addresses questions regarding genre, style, and authorship, we will also work to situate these categories within the broader cultural, social, and historical currents of Japanese cinema. Topics include but are not limited to, the impact of WWII and occupation on Japanese filmmaking, the studio system, and the Japanese New Wave. 

Teaching language is English. 

This introductory course deals with global history from 1815 to the First World War. The connecting theme of the course is the development of democracy in the 19^th century, in a wide sense. Three interwoven issues are emphaised: 1)  Women’s rights and the women’s movement in relation with the right to vote (in general), the abolishment of slavery and social welfare. 2) These are discussed in relation with nationalism and the construction of nation states in relation with who is seen as citizen/subject. 3) And finally, a topic that touches upon the two first: the colonialism of European nations, as well as of the United States and Japan, and the its influence on African and Asian societies.

This course offers an overview of key events and influential figures in Swedish society, highlighting their pivotal roles in shaping the nation’s cultural and political identity. From the melancholic allure of actress Greta Garbo to the cherished tradition of fika, and the profound impact of Prime Minister Olof Palme’s assassination in 1986, the course provides insight into the Swedish collective ethos and way of life.

A historical overview of cinema from its emergence in the late 19th century to it contemporary role. The course will introduce students to influential film movements and styles from around the world, including Soviet Montage, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, classical Hollywood cinema, Italian Neorealism, Japanese Minimalism, the French New Wave, New German cinema, Third cinema, and Hong Kong action cinema. Diverse readings will provide a comprehensive overview supplementing screenings of key films. Particular emphasis will be placed on the aesthetic development of the film medium and its social and cultural relevance.

The course provides a historical overview of film theory, with students reading a wide range of texts by important theorists and philosophers of cinema, and watching historically relevant films. It will cover the work of such pioneers as Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin, before addressing major theoretical shifts beginning with structuralism in the 1960s, while also including Althusserian Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory and cultural studies. Screened films will emphasize the heterogeneity of film theory and provide fruitful ground for further discussions.

The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.

In the vast depths of taste it is possible to get lost in the weird, the bad, the deformed and the uncanny. Every special need can be fulfilled and interests become ever more specialized in the exclusive and obscure parts of film culture. In the same way groups of fans are also formed around the biggest blockbusters of the industry, where dedicated fans form communities devoted to the film-text with more enthusiasm and loyalty than ,,normal” fans. In this intersection of text and reception the slippery term ,,cult” can be defined. On this obscure nook of film studies researchers have not found common ground and struggle to understand and define cult. Some say it has been over-expanded and lost its meaning while others try to define cult for theoretical use.
The course will examine the conceptual domain of ,,cult”-films closely, its history and possible futures. The main focus will be on the textuality and reception of cult, where theoretical texts regarding all aspects of the term will be read in context to film screenings. Everything from some of the trashiest cinematic filth to the biggest blockbusters of history will be screened during the course.

This seminar will consider both philosophical questions about movies (e.g. "What is a movie?") and philosophical questions raised in movies (e.g. "What is real?", "What is a marriage?"). 

The course is taught in English.

The objective of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of Italian cinema from the post-war to the present day. Through a dozen of films of the best known directors of the period, students will gain an understanding of the particular styles and achievements of the protagonists and the body of modern Italian cinema. The course will be comprised of lectures, group discussions and individual critical viewing. Students will play an active role in the discussions. Their participation is an important component of the course and their final grade.

A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.

This introductory course deals with international history in the 20th century with an emphasis on the changes in the international system and international politics.  Special attention wil be devoted to several themes: (1) the new state system after the end of World War I; (2) the impact of political ideologies, notably, communism and Nazism/fascism; (3) The origins and nature of World War II and its effects on decolonization and national liberation struggles in Africa and Asia; (4) the ideology of the Cold War and the power politics exercised by the United States and the Soviet Union; (5) geopolitical shifts in the present, especially with respect to strategic competition between the United States and China.

Both fixed and relative, lived and imagined, the North has been a reservoir of imaginary potential. In this potentiality, modern subjects -- local and distant -- might regenerate and reinvigorate. The North contains apparent contradictions: beautiful and terrifying, invigorating and deadly. The imagery of such an imagined and real north, read through history, folklore, literature, film, is the subject of this course. Comparative, interdisciplinary, and multi-sited, our investigations focus on the ways in which the construction of the North has been a contested field representing different agendas and offering divergent outcomes.

Teacher of the course: JoAnn Conrad

In this course, a number of  wonder tales will be read and analysed, especially from the viewpoint of what they have to say about society. Emphasis will be placed on the folk tale tradition, the performances of storytellers, the way they regularly recreate stories, and then the various motifs that they use in this process. The wonder tales will also be analysed from the viewpoint of the variety of raw material that was available for use in such recreation, and with regard to the range of variants and story types that were known, different motifs being compared in the process. Following this, attempts will be made to consider the "meaning" of different wonder tales. They will also be examined with regard to their social meaning and context, especially with regard to the nature of the society that helped shape them, and then how they are now reused and recreated in different media.

From the mundane to the dangerous, conspiracy theories are exerting a troublingly central influence on contemporary society. You may have heard the critiques — but what would it mean to think of the modern conspiracy theory less as a product of “fake news” or “media diets,” consumed by the “crazy” and/or “ignorant” individuals, and more as a specific narrative form in popular culture? From its roots in the 19^th century, and its ferment in the rise of genre fiction of the 19^th and early 20^th Century, modern conspiracy theory begins to coalesce and take shape in the latter decades of the 20^th century, eventually carrying through to the present as it evolves and is exacerbated by our rapidly transforming media environment and ongoing social crises. In this course we will analyze a series of novels, films, and TV shows that take the conspiracy theory as their object, asking why and how the conspiracy emerges as a form for making sense of the world at certain historical moments. Attention will be paid to the difference (and congruities) between literary form and film language, as well as discrete periods of conspiracy in film and literature (post-Watergate New Hollywood thrillers, 1980s/90s internet forums, digital UFO cultures, new age spirituality, etc).

The title of Elem Klimov’s epic war tragedy Come and See (1985) suggests an innocent invitation for a vantage point that is all but inviting in practice. Set during the brutal German occupation of Belarus, the film commits its perspective of a teenage partisan who bears firsthand witness to the relentless brutality and trauma of war. Inspired by Come and See’s notoriety and capacity, this course will focus on films that immerse its audience beyond the pleasure of looking to a position of witness to contextualize and theorize cinematic reflections of reality, from war narratives to documentary, the core events they depict and the politics of reflecting these events back to the audience. Theoretical lenses will consider the metaphors of cinema as an eye to contemplate the position of the audience beyond passive consumers to active witnesses and the responsibility of identifying with the camera and its subjects. Considering the allure and boundaries of artifice, these films apply the language and magic of the medium to their advantage to not only tell, but feel a bigger story. Among the films that will be looked at in the class are The Act of Killing, The Zone of Interest, Five Broken Cameras and Four Daughters.

Early on, Lars von Trier declared that a film should be like a pebble in the audiences’ shoes. This has become a sort of motto for the director, who throughout his career has continually sought new ways to challenge audiences, whether through subject matter, style, or controversial statements. Trier caused a radical change in Danish cinema in the 1980s and permanently reshaped the Danish film industry. As Trier's fame grew in the 1990s, he became known as the "enfant terrible" of cinema and went on to have a significant influence on international filmmaking in the following decades.

The course will explore Trier's career from various perspectives and in a broad context, for example: the influence of European culture, formal experiments with the medium and inventive use of digital technology. Selected works by Trier, his collaborators, influencers, and followers, will be viewed with the aim of shedding light on the development of Trier’s career and his place within international cinema.

Jane Austen has never been more popular than now in the first decades of the 21st century. Her novels are constantly being rewritten and her image as an author has become surprisingly complex. In this course, Austen's cultural author-function is examined, especially as it pertains to how her novels are rewritten within three literary genres generally associated with women: the romance, the chick lit novel and self-help books. Jane Austen's life, real or imagined, is by many seen as a key to her romances; and this obsessive focus is relevant to various aspects of the contemporary Darcy hysteria. Questions will be asked relating to women's status within postfeminist consumer culture, and mass culture in general, while light is shed on Austen's importance in contemporary society. In addition, there are a number of works where Jane Austen is either presented as a character or has a role as a consultant, a guru and a mentor, as is the case in self-help books which make use of her popularity.

This course is a historical overview of Japanese cinema from its origins in 1898 to the present day. Screenings are comprised of films by Japan's most prominent directors such as Ozu Yasujirō, Kurosawa Akira, and Mizoguchi Kenji, alongside examples that reflect important trends in contemporary Japanese film. While the course addresses questions regarding genre, style, and authorship, we will also work to situate these categories within the broader cultural, social, and historical currents of Japanese cinema. Topics include but are not limited to, the impact of WWII and occupation on Japanese filmmaking, the studio system, and the Japanese New Wave. 

Teaching language is English. 

This introductory course deals with global history from 1815 to the First World War. The connecting theme of the course is the development of democracy in the 19^th century, in a wide sense. Three interwoven issues are emphaised: 1)  Women’s rights and the women’s movement in relation with the right to vote (in general), the abolishment of slavery and social welfare. 2) These are discussed in relation with nationalism and the construction of nation states in relation with who is seen as citizen/subject. 3) And finally, a topic that touches upon the two first: the colonialism of European nations, as well as of the United States and Japan, and the its influence on African and Asian societies.

This course offers an overview of key events and influential figures in Swedish society, highlighting their pivotal roles in shaping the nation’s cultural and political identity. From the melancholic allure of actress Greta Garbo to the cherished tradition of fika, and the profound impact of Prime Minister Olof Palme’s assassination in 1986, the course provides insight into the Swedish collective ethos and way of life.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544

The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.

In the vast depths of taste it is possible to get lost in the weird, the bad, the deformed and the uncanny. Every special need can be fulfilled and interests become ever more specialized in the exclusive and obscure parts of film culture. In the same way groups of fans are also formed around the biggest blockbusters of the industry, where dedicated fans form communities devoted to the film-text with more enthusiasm and loyalty than ,,normal” fans. In this intersection of text and reception the slippery term ,,cult” can be defined. On this obscure nook of film studies researchers have not found common ground and struggle to understand and define cult. Some say it has been over-expanded and lost its meaning while others try to define cult for theoretical use.
The course will examine the conceptual domain of ,,cult”-films closely, its history and possible futures. The main focus will be on the textuality and reception of cult, where theoretical texts regarding all aspects of the term will be read in context to film screenings. Everything from some of the trashiest cinematic filth to the biggest blockbusters of history will be screened during the course.

This seminar will consider both philosophical questions about movies (e.g. "What is a movie?") and philosophical questions raised in movies (e.g. "What is real?", "What is a marriage?"). 

The course is taught in English.

The objective of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of Italian cinema from the post-war to the present day. Through a dozen of films of the best known directors of the period, students will gain an understanding of the particular styles and achievements of the protagonists and the body of modern Italian cinema. The course will be comprised of lectures, group discussions and individual critical viewing. Students will play an active role in the discussions. Their participation is an important component of the course and their final grade.

A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.

This introductory course deals with international history in the 20th century with an emphasis on the changes in the international system and international politics.  Special attention wil be devoted to several themes: (1) the new state system after the end of World War I; (2) the impact of political ideologies, notably, communism and Nazism/fascism; (3) The origins and nature of World War II and its effects on decolonization and national liberation struggles in Africa and Asia; (4) the ideology of the Cold War and the power politics exercised by the United States and the Soviet Union; (5) geopolitical shifts in the present, especially with respect to strategic competition between the United States and China.

Both fixed and relative, lived and imagined, the North has been a reservoir of imaginary potential. In this potentiality, modern subjects -- local and distant -- might regenerate and reinvigorate. The North contains apparent contradictions: beautiful and terrifying, invigorating and deadly. The imagery of such an imagined and real north, read through history, folklore, literature, film, is the subject of this course. Comparative, interdisciplinary, and multi-sited, our investigations focus on the ways in which the construction of the North has been a contested field representing different agendas and offering divergent outcomes.

Teacher of the course: JoAnn Conrad

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544

An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

Discussion of various approaches to writing about literature and film (from research papers to reviews, polemical essays, and informal articles). Students will be trained in the various aspects of composition: locating and organizing material, using sources, building arguments, revising, and editing. This includes analyzing different critical discourses, as well as the implied reader and other relevant theoretical issues. This is a required course for students majoring in Comparative Literature and first-year students are urged to register for it.

This course is primarily an introduction to key concepts and methods for the analysis of film. The first half of the semester will be devoted to a systematic engagement with the language of film, by addressing in considerable detail cinematography, editing, narrative, sound, etc. Screening sessions will allow students to apply the concepts studied to specific film texts. The second half of the course will emphasize different modes of filmmaking (including documentary and experimental cinema), and introduce criticism addressing both film genre and authorship.

In this course, a number of  wonder tales will be read and analysed, especially from the viewpoint of what they have to say about society. Emphasis will be placed on the folk tale tradition, the performances of storytellers, the way they regularly recreate stories, and then the various motifs that they use in this process. The wonder tales will also be analysed from the viewpoint of the variety of raw material that was available for use in such recreation, and with regard to the range of variants and story types that were known, different motifs being compared in the process. Following this, attempts will be made to consider the "meaning" of different wonder tales. They will also be examined with regard to their social meaning and context, especially with regard to the nature of the society that helped shape them, and then how they are now reused and recreated in different media.

From the mundane to the dangerous, conspiracy theories are exerting a troublingly central influence on contemporary society. You may have heard the critiques — but what would it mean to think of the modern conspiracy theory less as a product of “fake news” or “media diets,” consumed by the “crazy” and/or “ignorant” individuals, and more as a specific narrative form in popular culture? From its roots in the 19^th century, and its ferment in the rise of genre fiction of the 19^th and early 20^th Century, modern conspiracy theory begins to coalesce and take shape in the latter decades of the 20^th century, eventually carrying through to the present as it evolves and is exacerbated by our rapidly transforming media environment and ongoing social crises. In this course we will analyze a series of novels, films, and TV shows that take the conspiracy theory as their object, asking why and how the conspiracy emerges as a form for making sense of the world at certain historical moments. Attention will be paid to the difference (and congruities) between literary form and film language, as well as discrete periods of conspiracy in film and literature (post-Watergate New Hollywood thrillers, 1980s/90s internet forums, digital UFO cultures, new age spirituality, etc).

The title of Elem Klimov’s epic war tragedy Come and See (1985) suggests an innocent invitation for a vantage point that is all but inviting in practice. Set during the brutal German occupation of Belarus, the film commits its perspective of a teenage partisan who bears firsthand witness to the relentless brutality and trauma of war. Inspired by Come and See’s notoriety and capacity, this course will focus on films that immerse its audience beyond the pleasure of looking to a position of witness to contextualize and theorize cinematic reflections of reality, from war narratives to documentary, the core events they depict and the politics of reflecting these events back to the audience. Theoretical lenses will consider the metaphors of cinema as an eye to contemplate the position of the audience beyond passive consumers to active witnesses and the responsibility of identifying with the camera and its subjects. Considering the allure and boundaries of artifice, these films apply the language and magic of the medium to their advantage to not only tell, but feel a bigger story. Among the films that will be looked at in the class are The Act of Killing, The Zone of Interest, Five Broken Cameras and Four Daughters.

Early on, Lars von Trier declared that a film should be like a pebble in the audiences’ shoes. This has become a sort of motto for the director, who throughout his career has continually sought new ways to challenge audiences, whether through subject matter, style, or controversial statements. Trier caused a radical change in Danish cinema in the 1980s and permanently reshaped the Danish film industry. As Trier's fame grew in the 1990s, he became known as the "enfant terrible" of cinema and went on to have a significant influence on international filmmaking in the following decades.

The course will explore Trier's career from various perspectives and in a broad context, for example: the influence of European culture, formal experiments with the medium and inventive use of digital technology. Selected works by Trier, his collaborators, influencers, and followers, will be viewed with the aim of shedding light on the development of Trier’s career and his place within international cinema.

Jane Austen has never been more popular than now in the first decades of the 21st century. Her novels are constantly being rewritten and her image as an author has become surprisingly complex. In this course, Austen's cultural author-function is examined, especially as it pertains to how her novels are rewritten within three literary genres generally associated with women: the romance, the chick lit novel and self-help books. Jane Austen's life, real or imagined, is by many seen as a key to her romances; and this obsessive focus is relevant to various aspects of the contemporary Darcy hysteria. Questions will be asked relating to women's status within postfeminist consumer culture, and mass culture in general, while light is shed on Austen's importance in contemporary society. In addition, there are a number of works where Jane Austen is either presented as a character or has a role as a consultant, a guru and a mentor, as is the case in self-help books which make use of her popularity.

This course is a historical overview of Japanese cinema from its origins in 1898 to the present day. Screenings are comprised of films by Japan's most prominent directors such as Ozu Yasujirō, Kurosawa Akira, and Mizoguchi Kenji, alongside examples that reflect important trends in contemporary Japanese film. While the course addresses questions regarding genre, style, and authorship, we will also work to situate these categories within the broader cultural, social, and historical currents of Japanese cinema. Topics include but are not limited to, the impact of WWII and occupation on Japanese filmmaking, the studio system, and the Japanese New Wave. 

Teaching language is English. 

This introductory course deals with global history from 1815 to the First World War. The connecting theme of the course is the development of democracy in the 19^th century, in a wide sense. Three interwoven issues are emphaised: 1)  Women’s rights and the women’s movement in relation with the right to vote (in general), the abolishment of slavery and social welfare. 2) These are discussed in relation with nationalism and the construction of nation states in relation with who is seen as citizen/subject. 3) And finally, a topic that touches upon the two first: the colonialism of European nations, as well as of the United States and Japan, and the its influence on African and Asian societies.

This course offers an overview of key events and influential figures in Swedish society, highlighting their pivotal roles in shaping the nation’s cultural and political identity. From the melancholic allure of actress Greta Garbo to the cherished tradition of fika, and the profound impact of Prime Minister Olof Palme’s assassination in 1986, the course provides insight into the Swedish collective ethos and way of life.

A historical overview of cinema from its emergence in the late 19th century to it contemporary role. The course will introduce students to influential film movements and styles from around the world, including Soviet Montage, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, classical Hollywood cinema, Italian Neorealism, Japanese Minimalism, the French New Wave, New German cinema, Third cinema, and Hong Kong action cinema. Diverse readings will provide a comprehensive overview supplementing screenings of key films. Particular emphasis will be placed on the aesthetic development of the film medium and its social and cultural relevance.

The course provides a historical overview of film theory, with students reading a wide range of texts by important theorists and philosophers of cinema, and watching historically relevant films. It will cover the work of such pioneers as Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin, before addressing major theoretical shifts beginning with structuralism in the 1960s, while also including Althusserian Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory and cultural studies. Screened films will emphasize the heterogeneity of film theory and provide fruitful ground for further discussions.

The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.

In the vast depths of taste it is possible to get lost in the weird, the bad, the deformed and the uncanny. Every special need can be fulfilled and interests become ever more specialized in the exclusive and obscure parts of film culture. In the same way groups of fans are also formed around the biggest blockbusters of the industry, where dedicated fans form communities devoted to the film-text with more enthusiasm and loyalty than ,,normal” fans. In this intersection of text and reception the slippery term ,,cult” can be defined. On this obscure nook of film studies researchers have not found common ground and struggle to understand and define cult. Some say it has been over-expanded and lost its meaning while others try to define cult for theoretical use.
The course will examine the conceptual domain of ,,cult”-films closely, its history and possible futures. The main focus will be on the textuality and reception of cult, where theoretical texts regarding all aspects of the term will be read in context to film screenings. Everything from some of the trashiest cinematic filth to the biggest blockbusters of history will be screened during the course.

This seminar will consider both philosophical questions about movies (e.g. "What is a movie?") and philosophical questions raised in movies (e.g. "What is real?", "What is a marriage?"). 

The course is taught in English.

The objective of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of Italian cinema from the post-war to the present day. Through a dozen of films of the best known directors of the period, students will gain an understanding of the particular styles and achievements of the protagonists and the body of modern Italian cinema. The course will be comprised of lectures, group discussions and individual critical viewing. Students will play an active role in the discussions. Their participation is an important component of the course and their final grade.

A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.

This introductory course deals with international history in the 20th century with an emphasis on the changes in the international system and international politics.  Special attention wil be devoted to several themes: (1) the new state system after the end of World War I; (2) the impact of political ideologies, notably, communism and Nazism/fascism; (3) The origins and nature of World War II and its effects on decolonization and national liberation struggles in Africa and Asia; (4) the ideology of the Cold War and the power politics exercised by the United States and the Soviet Union; (5) geopolitical shifts in the present, especially with respect to strategic competition between the United States and China.

Both fixed and relative, lived and imagined, the North has been a reservoir of imaginary potential. In this potentiality, modern subjects -- local and distant -- might regenerate and reinvigorate. The North contains apparent contradictions: beautiful and terrifying, invigorating and deadly. The imagery of such an imagined and real north, read through history, folklore, literature, film, is the subject of this course. Comparative, interdisciplinary, and multi-sited, our investigations focus on the ways in which the construction of the North has been a contested field representing different agendas and offering divergent outcomes.

Teacher of the course: JoAnn Conrad

In this course, a number of  wonder tales will be read and analysed, especially from the viewpoint of what they have to say about society. Emphasis will be placed on the folk tale tradition, the performances of storytellers, the way they regularly recreate stories, and then the various motifs that they use in this process. The wonder tales will also be analysed from the viewpoint of the variety of raw material that was available for use in such recreation, and with regard to the range of variants and story types that were known, different motifs being compared in the process. Following this, attempts will be made to consider the "meaning" of different wonder tales. They will also be examined with regard to their social meaning and context, especially with regard to the nature of the society that helped shape them, and then how they are now reused and recreated in different media.

From the mundane to the dangerous, conspiracy theories are exerting a troublingly central influence on contemporary society. You may have heard the critiques — but what would it mean to think of the modern conspiracy theory less as a product of “fake news” or “media diets,” consumed by the “crazy” and/or “ignorant” individuals, and more as a specific narrative form in popular culture? From its roots in the 19^th century, and its ferment in the rise of genre fiction of the 19^th and early 20^th Century, modern conspiracy theory begins to coalesce and take shape in the latter decades of the 20^th century, eventually carrying through to the present as it evolves and is exacerbated by our rapidly transforming media environment and ongoing social crises. In this course we will analyze a series of novels, films, and TV shows that take the conspiracy theory as their object, asking why and how the conspiracy emerges as a form for making sense of the world at certain historical moments. Attention will be paid to the difference (and congruities) between literary form and film language, as well as discrete periods of conspiracy in film and literature (post-Watergate New Hollywood thrillers, 1980s/90s internet forums, digital UFO cultures, new age spirituality, etc).

The title of Elem Klimov’s epic war tragedy Come and See (1985) suggests an innocent invitation for a vantage point that is all but inviting in practice. Set during the brutal German occupation of Belarus, the film commits its perspective of a teenage partisan who bears firsthand witness to the relentless brutality and trauma of war. Inspired by Come and See’s notoriety and capacity, this course will focus on films that immerse its audience beyond the pleasure of looking to a position of witness to contextualize and theorize cinematic reflections of reality, from war narratives to documentary, the core events they depict and the politics of reflecting these events back to the audience. Theoretical lenses will consider the metaphors of cinema as an eye to contemplate the position of the audience beyond passive consumers to active witnesses and the responsibility of identifying with the camera and its subjects. Considering the allure and boundaries of artifice, these films apply the language and magic of the medium to their advantage to not only tell, but feel a bigger story. Among the films that will be looked at in the class are The Act of Killing, The Zone of Interest, Five Broken Cameras and Four Daughters.

Early on, Lars von Trier declared that a film should be like a pebble in the audiences’ shoes. This has become a sort of motto for the director, who throughout his career has continually sought new ways to challenge audiences, whether through subject matter, style, or controversial statements. Trier caused a radical change in Danish cinema in the 1980s and permanently reshaped the Danish film industry. As Trier's fame grew in the 1990s, he became known as the "enfant terrible" of cinema and went on to have a significant influence on international filmmaking in the following decades.

The course will explore Trier's career from various perspectives and in a broad context, for example: the influence of European culture, formal experiments with the medium and inventive use of digital technology. Selected works by Trier, his collaborators, influencers, and followers, will be viewed with the aim of shedding light on the development of Trier’s career and his place within international cinema.

Jane Austen has never been more popular than now in the first decades of the 21st century. Her novels are constantly being rewritten and her image as an author has become surprisingly complex. In this course, Austen's cultural author-function is examined, especially as it pertains to how her novels are rewritten within three literary genres generally associated with women: the romance, the chick lit novel and self-help books. Jane Austen's life, real or imagined, is by many seen as a key to her romances; and this obsessive focus is relevant to various aspects of the contemporary Darcy hysteria. Questions will be asked relating to women's status within postfeminist consumer culture, and mass culture in general, while light is shed on Austen's importance in contemporary society. In addition, there are a number of works where Jane Austen is either presented as a character or has a role as a consultant, a guru and a mentor, as is the case in self-help books which make use of her popularity.

This course is a historical overview of Japanese cinema from its origins in 1898 to the present day. Screenings are comprised of films by Japan's most prominent directors such as Ozu Yasujirō, Kurosawa Akira, and Mizoguchi Kenji, alongside examples that reflect important trends in contemporary Japanese film. While the course addresses questions regarding genre, style, and authorship, we will also work to situate these categories within the broader cultural, social, and historical currents of Japanese cinema. Topics include but are not limited to, the impact of WWII and occupation on Japanese filmmaking, the studio system, and the Japanese New Wave. 

Teaching language is English. 

This introductory course deals with global history from 1815 to the First World War. The connecting theme of the course is the development of democracy in the 19^th century, in a wide sense. Three interwoven issues are emphaised: 1)  Women’s rights and the women’s movement in relation with the right to vote (in general), the abolishment of slavery and social welfare. 2) These are discussed in relation with nationalism and the construction of nation states in relation with who is seen as citizen/subject. 3) And finally, a topic that touches upon the two first: the colonialism of European nations, as well as of the United States and Japan, and the its influence on African and Asian societies.

This course offers an overview of key events and influential figures in Swedish society, highlighting their pivotal roles in shaping the nation’s cultural and political identity. From the melancholic allure of actress Greta Garbo to the cherished tradition of fika, and the profound impact of Prime Minister Olof Palme’s assassination in 1986, the course provides insight into the Swedish collective ethos and way of life.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544

The invention of cinema itself harks back to the tumultous area of technological change and social upheavals that brought about the revolutionary artistic movements of the first decades of the century, while the development of the medium of film is no less closely aligned with the process of globalization, dizzying forms of cultural change and rapid pace of technological progress that constitute the postmodern condition. Connections between the medium of film and postmodernism demarcate the central research questions addressed in the class. The class will examine the role of cinema in the development of the society of spectacle, paying attention to the suddenly troublesome and contested existence of the concept of „truth“ in postmodern times, nostalgia as a mode, the emergence of simulacra and the threat that notions of intertextuality and remediation pose to notions of originality and the „integrity“ of the work of art. Among films screened in the class will be Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1982), Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986), The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000). Among the scholars to be read in the class are Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard and Mark Fisher.

In the vast depths of taste it is possible to get lost in the weird, the bad, the deformed and the uncanny. Every special need can be fulfilled and interests become ever more specialized in the exclusive and obscure parts of film culture. In the same way groups of fans are also formed around the biggest blockbusters of the industry, where dedicated fans form communities devoted to the film-text with more enthusiasm and loyalty than ,,normal” fans. In this intersection of text and reception the slippery term ,,cult” can be defined. On this obscure nook of film studies researchers have not found common ground and struggle to understand and define cult. Some say it has been over-expanded and lost its meaning while others try to define cult for theoretical use.
The course will examine the conceptual domain of ,,cult”-films closely, its history and possible futures. The main focus will be on the textuality and reception of cult, where theoretical texts regarding all aspects of the term will be read in context to film screenings. Everything from some of the trashiest cinematic filth to the biggest blockbusters of history will be screened during the course.

This seminar will consider both philosophical questions about movies (e.g. "What is a movie?") and philosophical questions raised in movies (e.g. "What is real?", "What is a marriage?"). 

The course is taught in English.

The objective of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of Italian cinema from the post-war to the present day. Through a dozen of films of the best known directors of the period, students will gain an understanding of the particular styles and achievements of the protagonists and the body of modern Italian cinema. The course will be comprised of lectures, group discussions and individual critical viewing. Students will play an active role in the discussions. Their participation is an important component of the course and their final grade.

A survey of the development of visual art from the upheaval of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th Century and through the major 20th century progressive movements up to 1960. The main principles, politics and characteristics of Modern art and its impact on later times will be clarified. The relationship between art and politics, philosophy, and societal development will be discussed and thought will be given to the radical reevaluation of the concept of aesthetics in art of the 20th century. How are changed perceptions of time and space reflected in art? How do the above-mentioned art movements disturb the people's general perceptions of the environment and reality? What is "inner" reality? Must art be visible? What is the deifference between visual language, the language we speak, and other forms of sign languege? International art exhibits shown in Iceland will be visited and tied into the course if possible.

This introductory course deals with international history in the 20th century with an emphasis on the changes in the international system and international politics.  Special attention wil be devoted to several themes: (1) the new state system after the end of World War I; (2) the impact of political ideologies, notably, communism and Nazism/fascism; (3) The origins and nature of World War II and its effects on decolonization and national liberation struggles in Africa and Asia; (4) the ideology of the Cold War and the power politics exercised by the United States and the Soviet Union; (5) geopolitical shifts in the present, especially with respect to strategic competition between the United States and China.

Both fixed and relative, lived and imagined, the North has been a reservoir of imaginary potential. In this potentiality, modern subjects -- local and distant -- might regenerate and reinvigorate. The North contains apparent contradictions: beautiful and terrifying, invigorating and deadly. The imagery of such an imagined and real north, read through history, folklore, literature, film, is the subject of this course. Comparative, interdisciplinary, and multi-sited, our investigations focus on the ways in which the construction of the North has been a contested field representing different agendas and offering divergent outcomes.

Teacher of the course: JoAnn Conrad

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).
Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing https://ritver.hi.is/en/center-writing, which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.
Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544

An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.