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Explore feminism and film in Penn’s Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts
One of the pleasures in pursuing a liberal arts degree is the freedom to explore a variety of subjects and take any course that ignites your interest. Students in Penn’s Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (MPhil) can enjoy courses from schools across the University, which opens the door not only to academic disciplines within Penn Arts and Sciences but also to the specialized expertise within the Annenberg School for Communication, the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and the School of Social Policy & Practice—for just a few examples.
Within the MPhil’s home school, you’ll find exciting courses designed to apply an interdisciplinary lens to contemporary questions and challenges. Consider MLA 5020: Screening Feminism, an online course offered in fall 2024 by frequent MPhil lecturer Jacqueline Sadashige. This brand new course emerged from a curious disparity in the cinematic landscape of 2023: although one of the most wildly successful films of the year was directed by a woman, only 12.1% of the top 100 films of 2023 were directed by women—and of those, only four were directed by women of color. Sadashige set out to create a syllabus that would explore visual media created by female filmmakers in recent years: groundbreaking art, traditional storytelling, critical darlings, commercial successes, and more. “Film reflects society’s fears, tensions, and beliefs,” she says. “When we look at film critically, we understand how it shapes how we see ourselves, and we can also catch glimpses of cultural shifts.”
Sadashige, who has previously taught courses on fashion and animal rights, is interested in closely examining the cultural phenomena that play an integral part in our lives and identities. “Visual media has become such an integral part of our lives that we need to make an effort to ‘unplug,’ even for a few hours a day,” she notes. While women have been making movies since the birth of cinema, and Sadashige plans to touch on some early examples, Screening Feminism will focus on recent films by newer women directors like Celine Song, Emma Seligman, and Julia Ducournau. The course will equip students with classic theoretical frameworks that have applications beyond film studies: for example, Laura Mulvey’s influential essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” which conceptualizes the male gaze. Screening Feminism will also explore cinema that challenges or upends traditional film theory, such as Céline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), which the director once called a “manifesto about the female gaze.”
Although the course will focus on viewing, analyzing, and writing about film, you won’t need to have a background in cinema studies to get the most out of the course. In fact, the diverse educational and professional backgrounds of MPhil students can add a lot to the classroom experience. “It's always exciting to see what students bring from their own backgrounds, so I design courses that encourage the sharing and synthesis of ideas and critical theory regardless of what department or program ‘houses’ the course,” says Sadashige. Likewise, a course like Screening Feminism can provide valuable tools or insights for MPhil students with a wide range of interests: communication, writing, public culture, global studies, and gender and sexuality studies (to name just a few). “Barbie (2023) became a box-office phenomenon because it resonated with a segment of the population who likely felt that much of mainstream cinema made them feel invisible and didn't reflect their lived experiences,” reflects Sadashige. “Would we have ‘brat summer’ in 2024 without the work of directors like Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig, and Emerald Fennell who took girlhood seriously and made it cool?”
MLA 5020: Screening Feminism is an example of the rich intellectual study that characterizes the Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. Ideal for lifelong learners who previously completed a master’s degree in the liberal arts, Penn’s MPhil offers the independence of self-directed study with the expertise of world-class faculty and advising. Available on a full- or part-time basis, students select the courses that develop their interests and fit their schedules. With advanced interdisciplinary coursework that excites discussion and deep engagement, the MPhil program opens the doors of the University to individuals with a passion for academic exploration.
Contact our program director, Dr. Christopher Pastore, to schedule an appointment to review your current research and explore your options for pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts at Penn.
(215) 898-7326
lps@sas.upenn.edu
www.upenn.edu/mla-mphil
