21A.525 | Fall 2025 | Undergraduate

Oceans and Us

Calendar

Session 1: Introductions

Session 2: What Is the Ocean? Imagining and Encountering Ocean Animals

In-class viewing: 

  • Leviathan. Directed by George P. Cosmatos. Color, 98 min. 1989.
  • My Octopus Teacher. Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Color, 85 min. 2020.

Session 3: Seaside Leisure

In-class viewing: 

Session 4: Oceanic Economies

In-class viewing: 

Assignment due: Paper One

Session 5: The Microbial Ocean

In-class viewing: 

Session 6: The Black Atlantic

In-class viewing: 

Session 7: Pirates and Other Offshore Agents

In-class viewing: 

  • Stolen Seas. Directed by Thymaya Payne. Color, 90 min. 2012.

Session 8: Fishing, Overfishing, and Property

In-class viewing: 

  • The Cove. Directed by Louie Psihoyos. Color, 92 min. 2009.

Assignment due: Paper Two

Session 9: Reimagining the Pacific

Session 10: Mediated Ocean

In-class viewing: 

  • Purple Sea. Directed by Khaled Abdulwahed and Amel Alzakout. Color, 67 min. 2020.

Session 11: Sea Level Rise

In-class viewing: 

  • One Word. Directed by Viviana Uriona. Color, 83 min. 2020.

Session 12: Waves

In-class viewing: 

Assignment due: Paper Three

Course Info

Fall 2025
Readings
Written Assignments