In offering extended formal considerations of Spike Lee's cinematic oeuvre--in particular his uses of light, sound, and color--this course is interested in how various modes of critical inquiry can enable or broaden our cultural, political, or historical engagement with a film. We will pay special attention to the question of what it means to encapsulate a specific cultural moment, particularly in relation to differing demands of fictional and non-fictional representation, in sound and image. As well, we will attend to how Lee's aesthetic techniques, cultural politics, and wide-ranging critique of the American racial caste system helps us think about the role of film in ongoing struggles for racial justice.