Jeanine Basinger, the Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies, spoke on her latest work during the Staff Luncheon Series Nov. 28 in Daniel Family Commons. Basinger, who has been employed at Wesleyan for 58 years, recently completed her 12th book manuscript with a working title of “Musicals: History and Definition.” The book tells the history of the musical and defines the genre. Basinger, who’s collected film memorabilia her entire life, said film studies is a relatively new field of study. “Film was officially born in 1895, it wasn’t until the 1960s that it began to become an academic field. Wesleyan was one of the pioneers; we were one of the first universities (in the country) to add it to our curriculum.”
Besides the work she does in education in her native state of South Dakota, Basinger also is a senior advisor for The Film Foundation’s The Story of Movies, an innovative educational initiative that unites filmmakers and educators to create a curriculum to help students better understand the language of film. To date, The Story of Movies has introduced the film curriculum to more than 40,000 schools across the country.Following her talk, Basinger took questions from the audience. When asked her thoughts on animated musicals, Basinger said, “I like them. They’ve kept musicals alive and have introduced musicals to younger generations.” The Staff Luncheon Series provides an opportunity for faculty to share their research and current activities with staff members. (Photos by Olivia Drake)
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