Dr. James Lastra

Associate Professor

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Biography

James Lastra specializes in American film and has published extensively on sound film, particularly in relation to the unfolding history of modernity and aesthetics of high vernacular modernisms. His sound interests include the material history of human sensory experience and the conditions surrounding the emergence and normalization of representational technologies. His latest research addresses theories of asynchronous sound in film and Wagnerian aesthetics in modern sound design for American cinema. Lastra has specific research interests in Surrealism in Europe and the United States, silent film comedy, American experimental film, and the works of filmmaker Luis Buñuel. As a member of the Department of Cinema and Media Studies, he approaches American cinema as part of a global system of cultural production and exchange.

Research Interests

Courses

Film Moving Image Classical Film Theory History International Cinema Part II: Sound Era Experimental Cinema Horror Issues Film Sound Camera Creatures Sound Studies Senior Colloquium Single-Shot Film Contemporary Horror Senses Technology Cinemas Immersion Surrealism American Cinema

Requirements for University of Chicago

Doctorate Program
Requirements
TOEFL
Listening
Required:26
Reading
Required:26
Writing
Required:26
Speaking
Required:26
Total
Required:104
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree Writing sample Candidate statement
Application Checklist
  • Candidate Statement
  • Transcripts
  • Letters of Recommendation (3)
  • Writing Sample
  • Application Fee
Specialization Notes

Department of Philosophy