Cinema and the 20th Century - Syllabus for Spring 2014 (Gen Ed, film hsitory)

Literature 246.001 Cinema & the 20th Century

Spring 2014, Mondays and Thursdays, 2:35-3:50PM Screenings: Thursdays, 5:30-8:00PM

Professor Jeffrey Middents Battelle-Tompkins 221, x2979, [email protected]

Screening Assistant: Sean Donovan, [email protected] Office hours: Mondays 4-7pm, Thursdays 12-2pm, or by appointment

The American film critic Manny Farber said that every movie transmits the DNA of its time. The Day the Earth Stood Still was made right in the middle of the Cold War, and it has the tension, the paranoia, the fear of nuclear disaster and the fear of the end of life on planet

Earth, and a million other elements, more difficult to put into words. These elements have to do with the play of light and shadow, the emotional and psychological interplay between the characters, the atmosphere of the time woven into the action, the choices that were

made behind the camera and that resulted in the immediate film experience for viewers like myself and my parents. …

But what happens when a movie is seen out of its time? For me, 1951 was my present when I saw it. I was nine. For someone born 20 years later, it’s a different story.

For someone born today, they’ll see it with completely different eyes and a whole other frame of reference, different values, uninhibited by the biases of the time when the picture was made. You can only see the world through your own time – which means that some values

disappear, and some come into closer focus. Same film, same images, but in the case of a great film the power – a timeless power that can’t be articulated – that power is there even when the context has completely changed.

-- Martin Scorsese, “Persistence of Vision: Reading the Language of Cinema,” NEH lecture, 2013

mailto:[email protected]

Cinema & the 20th Century, Spring 2014 –

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This course offers a historical study of cinema as an art form through the 20th century, covering

major cinematic developments in aesthetic, technological and cultural terms. We will examine films

both as individual texts and within their historical and cultural contexts, and study the role of film as

a medium for the representation of major social, political and cultural events.

This course will:

Introduce you to the main principles, methods and approaches to the study of film as an art

form, a visual medium, a cultural and social institution, and a form of expression

Introduce you to the history of cinema, focusing on historical and aesthetic developments

that include early cinema, the classical studio film, experimental traditions, and international

cinema

Situate films within their cultural and historical contexts

Provide you with fundamental critical and research skills in the field of cinema studies

Discuss and research questions regarding the representation of historical conditions on film,

and their translation into narrative and imaginative forms

Grades for this class will be assessed by six elements:

A sequence analysis that will bolster your experience with cinema study, worth 10%;

Participation on the course Blackboard site, as detailed below, 1% for twice leading discussions,

½ % for responding each of 26 additional times, worth 15% total;

A 7-10 page research paper about a topic of your choice related to the course, worth 20%, along

with a presentation of the material from that paper at the final exam date, worth 5%, and two

very short preliminary assignments totaling 5%;

Three timed exams, to be done online over the course of the semester, worth 10% each, 30%

total;

Class participation, attendance and attitude, worth 20%.

You will note that the above grade breakdown adds up to 105%. Therefore, extra credit is already

included in the syllabus. I believe there is enough work to be done already in this class; as such, there

will be no “extra credit” offered under any circumstances. Please do not ask for any.

With regard to your final grade, the following breakdown applies:

A: 94 or above A-: 90-93 B+:87-89

B: 84-86 B-: 80-83 C+: 76-79 C: 74-76

C-: 70-73 D: 60-69 F: 59 or below


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Within the curriculum The course is one of the courses in Curricular Area 1 (The Creative Arts) of the General Education program at

American University. Students taking any course in Curricular Area 1 will:

examine the nature of creativity, especially imaginative and intuitive thinking,

situate creative works, and judgments about those creative works, in their appropriate social and

historical context, and/or

develop the student’s own creative and expressive abilities, so that the student can better understand

the qualities that shape an artist’s work.

This course focuses on the first two of these goals, with particular emphasis on the second. Courses in this

area are oriented toward interpreting works of art across a variety of disciplines. It is important to realize that

one does not need to follow (or precede) this course with another course oriented around film. As someone

who readily buys into the idea of “General Education” (and not just because they pay me), I suggest taking as

wide a variety of courses throughout the Gen Ed program as possible. (Hence, the name “General

Education.”) Please examine the General Education website for the most updated list of courses that can

complete Area 1. Don’t forget a number of courses called “Sophomore seminars” which are courses that

potentially cover multiple areas, offered under the GNED prefix!

Additionally, Cinema and the 20th Century fulfills multiple functions within the Literature major:

as the required gateway course for the Cinema Studies track,

as a cinema or creative writing requirement within the regular track, or

as a survey course for the regular or Creative Writing tracks of the major

Upper-level courses on a variety of topics – genre, national cinemas, auteurs, etc. – are offered periodically by

the Department of Literature, with topics changing each semester. (This semester, for example, Professor

Wong is teaching a course on Chinese cinema writ large, and Professor Pike is teaching about cinematic slums

and, thanks to the Center for Israeli Studies, Professor Chyutkin is teaching a course on Israeli cinema.)

Please contact Professor Kakoudaki ([email protected]) as the Cinema Studies advisor during office

hours for additional information about any of these tracks, or myself ([email protected]) as the

Undergraduate Studies adviser for the Literature major in general.

Written Work Written expression is an extremely important skill; it should come as little surprise that, even in a survey

course like this, written material accounts for a considerable amount of your grade. There are many different

facets of writing and I will be assessing your knowledge based on one semi-structured writing assignment (the

Scene Analysis), one formal essay assignment (the Final Essay) and ongoing informal written responses over

Blackboard.

Specific information for all three writing portions of this class are detailed in the appendices; a more detailed

breakdown of assessment for the discussion boards can be found there. In general, here’s a rough idea

concerning how I will assess your written work:

http://www.american.edu/provost/gened/AreaOne.cfm




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“A” work seriously delves, interacts and/or engages with the texts, readings and/or discussions.

Risks are taken with your chosen topic, but the paper is executed successfully. (As an analogy, think

of Olympic gymnastics, diving or figure skating here: for a perfect score, the routine must not only

be executed flawlessly but also must have a significantly high degree of difficulty.) Questions are

raised, considered, explored and (if possible) answered concerning specific issues raised by the work

itself. Arguments not only exist, but are backed up with sufficient evidence from primary and/or

secondary material. The work is also concise and clear, not relying on jargon

“B” work touches on interesting issues and topics related to the texts, readings and/or discussions

and delves into them somewhat, but lacks an in-depth analysis. There is a strong argument with some

evidence from primary and/or secondary material. . Risks may be taken, but not executed as elegantly

– or the topic is executed well, but is relatively “safe.” Writing is clear and effective. A so-called “good

paper” will fall into this range.

“C” work will brush upon topics relating to the texts, but not explore them in any depth. There is an

argument, but it might be confused or insufficiently grounded by (or is lacking) primary and/or

secondary material. Missing information makes comprehension difficult for anyone who is unfamiliar

with the primary texts. Writing serves to obscure somewhat rather than illuminate.

“D” work references the texts and/or topics related to the texts without any sense of synthesis.

Evidence of an argument might have existed at some point but is now lost. No reference is made to

either primary or secondary material. Comprehension is difficult even for those familiar with primary

texts. Most of your writing seems to have more “fluff” than function.

Do you really want information on what a failing paper looks like? Please.

Exams The larger ideas for this course relating history and cinema will be the focus for the majority of the written

work; as something of a survey course, however, there is also a certain degree of actual material knowledge

that you should gain over the course of the semester. Broad and contextual knowledge of cinema history is

not just useful for the very narrow field of cinema studies; understanding Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950)

in historical context relates to contemporary Western legal ideas and journalism (the “Rashomon effect”).

To be sure you grasp both the general and the specifics, there will be three exams administered over the

course of the semester. All of the exams will be administered online, to be done whenever you would like

over the course of a 72-hour period (over a weekend). You should work independently on your own exam.

Naturally, since you will be taking them at home, this means that the exams will necessarily be open-book;

that said, all exams will also be timed; once you begin the exam, you will have only one hour to finish.

This means that if you have read nothing before the exam begins, it will be unlikely for you to finish within

the proper amount of time.

Material for the exams will be based on any and all material (readings, screenings, class discussions) discussed

up to that point in the semester with some particular attention to the Wheeler-Dixon textbook (as that is the

one we will be delving into the least in our face-to-face interactions). Each exam will be worth 11%,

encompassing a total of 30% of your grade.


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Participation, Attendance and Attitude Participation and Attitude: Your participation and attendance is expected, primarily in an attempt to foster a

sense of cinephilia (the love of film). Be prepared to discuss, having thought about the films and the readings.

(Yes, you should do the readings. I will assume you have read what you need to read by the specified class

date.) The more you participate, the better the class will be. I expect a respectful, if critical, attitude to

permeate the class as well. Arguments and disagreements are encouraged, just be respectful as you are

disproving your classmate’s (or my) idea. Just to be clear, forms of unacceptable attitude include: sleeping,

doing other work or studying for other classes, slouching under the chairs, being unwilling to participate in

small group activities, excessive sarcasm, negative comments, etc.

The grading rubric for participation is very similar to the rubric below for written work: “A”-quality

participation (18-20) involves thoughtful, sustained interaction and/or engagement with the texts (even if

such positions involve taking a risk), provocative questions and continued involvement throughout the

semester. “B”-quality participation (16-17) finds you touching on interesting issues and topics and

occasionally delving into them further but you are timid in approaching larger issues within discussion. “C”-

quality participation (14-15) occasionally finds you participating in discussions, but generally you are staying

on the surface and are unwilling to take any risks. “D”-quality participation (12-13) lets me know you’ve seen

the films – and that’s it. (I will also consider excessively negative attitude to fall in “D” range.) A failing

participation grade of 10 will be given if you never contribute to class discussions or have such a negative

attitude that it affects the class.

Attendance: Attendance to classes and screenings is mandatory. You should be aware that your participation

grade will start to drop to a maximum of 16 after three absences and will drop significantly after six absences

to a maximum of 14. At nine absences, the grade will drop automatically to a failing grade of 11 and then

another full point for every subsequent missed class. Arriving more 20 minutes after the start of class or

leaving more than 20 minutes before the end of class for any reason whatsoever constitutes a half-absence.

If you have to miss a class or screening for some reason, don’t worry or freak out – I realize these things

happen. I don’t have to know why you were out; for me, there is no difference between an unexcused or

an excused absence. If you’re going to be absent for a significant period of time (particularly if this involves

an illness), please come talk to me. I am more amenable to you talking to me before you hit the eight absences than

after you’ve reached that point.

In case of emergency: The University is making a particular effort to ensure that classes will still continue

even if the physical campus has to close (due to snow, extreme cold, hurricane, swine flu, presidential

candidate visit, etc.). Here is the official statement concerning the possibility of an emergency closing:

“Should the university be required to close for a period of time, we are committed to ensuring that all aspects

of our educational programs will be delivered to our students. These may include altering and extending the

duration of the traditional term schedule to complete essential instruction in the traditional format and/or use

of distance instructional methods. Specific strategies will vary from class to class, depending on the format of

the course and the timing of the emergency. Faculty will communicate class-specific information to students

via AU e-mail and Blackboard, while students must inform their faculty immediately of any absence due to

illness. Students are responsible for checking their AU e-mail regularly and keeping themselves informed of

emergencies. In the event of a declared pandemic or other emergency, students should refer to the AU Web

site (www.prepared.american.edu) and the AU information line at (202) 885-1100 for general university-wide

http://www.prepared.american.edu/


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information, as well as contact their faculty and/or respective dean’s office for course and school/college-

specific information.”

As such, note the following: (1) the attendance policy will be modified accordingly; and (2) Blackboard will

come even more into play than I originally intended it to. Depending on how things work (and whether you

will all be in the Anderson computer lab or scattered to wherever you come from), we may also use Skype

and Netflix. In the event of such an emergency, stay tuned as you can and keep me informed.

Frequently Asked Questions Who is the bearded guy who thinks he’s so special and why should we care about him? The guy

in is Sean Donovan, my motivated, awesome screening assistant for the duration of the course. He will

be running the screenings throughout the semester, which includes leading the post-film discussions– and

he’ll track your participation during those discussions as well. Asking him for advice about the course

might also be a good idea, since he has one up on me by having actually taken this class as before with

another professor (along with two others from me). He is also a great resource for writing ideas for the

final project and you should take advantage of him. In my absence, he functions in my place and deserves

equal respect and attention.

When the credits roll at the end of the movie(s), can I leave? Not quite yet. After each film, Sean will

run a relatively brief (maybe 20 minutes or so), very informal post-film discussion. Because the screenings

run a little on the long side, and nearly all feature at least a short film to accompany them, please be

prepared to stay the full duration. The attendance sheet will not be passed around until the discussion

begins – so don’t even ask to sign it early. (Nice try, though.) Treat these discussions like a regular class:

participate like crazy. (Note: Generally, the first question will be “So, did you like it? Why or why not?”

Answering “Because” is generally not good enough.)

Where should I turn in my assignments? Nearly everything for this course will be submitted

electronically; please do so within Blackboard.

I think Night of the Hunter is off the hook and want my other friends to see it. Can I bring them

along? Officially, no. In fact, the dean (and the FBI) frowns upon this, and it violates copyright. Only

class members officially enrolled in the course legally are allowed in screenings.

What if class falls on a religious holiday that I observe? Before the first day of class, you will be

asked to fill out an information questionnaire; at the bottom of the page will be a prompt that says

“Please, please tell me now, is there something I should know?” Among other things, please make a note

there if you think you might have to miss class because of a holiday. As such, I will accept the days and

evenings of the actual religious holidays. I have a list handed from the Kay Spiritual Life Center as to

when officially recognized holidays fall and I am well aware which start at sundown and the like. (Note

that taking off on Tuesday morning for a holiday that begins on Friday evening does not constitute a

“religious absence.” Nor does travel time: if your parents want you back in Saskatchewan for Diwali and

you need to leave three days early to catch the only dogsled to get to your hometown in time, you’re still

going to get an absence from me.) If the holiday is not noted on the info questionnaire, then it will be

counted against you.

What if I’m *cough* sick *urp* and don’t think *ACK* I can make it to class? If you are that ill,

get yourself to a hospital, make sure you’re admitted and make sure you have proof of your hospital stay

for me. The same goes for your being in a car accident. If you have been exposed to something like swine


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flu or the plague, please also be kind enough to stay home. Yes, it counts as an absence – which is fine,

since people get sick all the time. Please alert me with a phone call or email if and when you get a chance.

Can you hang on for a second? My cell phone just rang. Uh, no. This is really bad etiquette. I find it

ridiculous that I have to put a note about this in the syllabus. Common sense dictates that you should

turn off your cell phones during class. If you need to receive an important call, set your phone to vibrate,

quietly exit the class and make sure not to disturb other classes when you leave the classroom. If I hear

your cell phone ring at any point during the semester, I will deduct one point from your final grade each time it happens.

Texting doesn’t make the phone ring. Do you care about that? Text messaging is not much better,

basically because the buttons you continually press annoy everyone else – not to mention that texting will

prevent you from paying attention to the scintillating conversation we will be having in class. (This is

even more annoying when we are watching a movie, because the light of your screen is very distracting.)

You usually do not expect your cell phone to go off; text messaging is your choice, however, and the

penalty is therefore more serious: each time Sean or I detect that you are text messaging/chatting/etc., I will deduct a

full letter grade (i.e. from a B to a C) from your participation grade. Also: stop checking your phone to see what

time it is. No matter how boring you think the movie is, it’s not going to be that long and it’s rude and

distracting to have to see your phone.

Jeez, what if I bring a laptop to class? Honestly, I didn’t care until recently. Laptops are great for

taking notes, looking up information, showing clips; they’re also great sucking voids for your attention

when you’re surfing the net or IMing others during class. Not only do such activities prove distracting for

you, they also tend to distract those around you. The problem: I can’t (and won’t) police everyone’s

computing habits. Even if I did, you would continue to chat and stealthily lower the screen when I came

by. (Yes, it’s obvious. You know what else is obvious? Checking Facebook throughout class.)

So, as of this semester, I am instituting a new policy: laptop computers are banned from both class

and screenings, unless you specifically ask permission to use them ahead of time. (I am slightly

more amenable to tablet usage than laptops.)

If and only if you have permission from me to use a laptop in class, you may do so under the tacit class

or screenings. (Plus, if I need something looked up on the fly, you will be the go-to person to do so.) If

either I or your classmates complain about your computing activities, then you agree to a four point deduction

on your final class participation grade. For etiquette purposes, I would ask you to consider those behind you

and please sit at the back of the classroom.

But there is this particular date or fact that you got wrong just now. The correc- Actually, I’m

going to interrupt you, which shouldn’t offend you since you’ve just done that to me. Facts and figures

are important and it’s good to be as accurate as possible; for the grand majority of this class, however,

such minutiae are certainly not important enough to arrogantly stop class dead for a correction. The error

is often less important than the general concept being discussed. Choose your moments wisely, and

correct graciously.

Can I revise the final paper? No – there’s not enough time. But please feel free to show any drafts to

me and to discuss it however many times you would like during office hours. Sean is also willing to talk

things over, and you might want to work with the Writing Center as well. Start this with plenty of time –

don’t forget there is some research involved, and you’ll want to do it sooner than the night before.

I’m really stressing and I’m considering just trying to find something on the Internet and pasting

it into a Word document to pass it off as my own. Is that a good idea? Not on your life. First of all,


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the nature of these assignments is such that I do not envision problems of this sort: you really aren’t

going to find very much written out there that will answer what I’m looking for. (Have a friend who took

my class last year? Or the year before? Too bad – almost all the films have been changed, and those that

remain have a different assignment attached.) Standards of academic conduct are set forth in the

University’s Academic Integrity Code. By registering for classes, you acknowledge your awareness of the

AIC and you are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code.

Violations of the AIC will not be treated lightly and are unacceptable at any time. Disciplinary actions

will be taken should such violations occur. Don’t test me on this: I will ask for the maximum penalty if I

find any evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism (which includes inadequately citing sources), which is

failure of the course with notation on transcript. As long as you’re doing your own work, you’ll be fine.

Why aren’t we watching Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)? It’s, like, considered the best movie ever.

Yes, I agree. We really should watch it. We should watch a lot of other movies, too. But we’re not

watching Citizen Kane – or, for that matter, Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958), which actually displaced Kane on

that chart just a couple years ago. Sorry. Are there any others you really think we should have watched

instead? Well, you’ll have your say about that: look at Appendix C.

Gosh, this syllabus is really long. You waste a lot of paper. Actually, not so much: note, for example,

that you have received the syllabus early and electronically. This course is actually a Certified Green

Course. After this point, I will use Blackboard almost exclusively for all subsequent distributed material

from my end (except for film notes, which will come via paper at each screening). To help make our class

as green as possible, I encourage you to buy used books and read course readings online rather than

printing copies. In addition, for printed materials, I encourage you to double-side the work, use space-

and-a-half spacing instead of double spacing, and to recycle the paper at the end of the semester.

Wow, you sound intense and intimidating. Should I come visit you in office hours ever? Yes,

please! Despite the severe tone (and the length) of this syllabus, I’m really a nice guy. As a general rule,

you should never hesitate to go see your professor during office hours, no matter how unapproachable

they seem. (In my mind, that’s what we’re here for.) If you can’t make my office hours, send me an e-mail

and maybe we can schedule an appointment via Skype. To get to my office: come up the main set of

stairs in Battelle-Tompkins, make a left and another left. My office is on the right side and, if I’m in, I

usually have my Pandora set to a station that plays some mixture of electronica, folk, New Wave and

Britpop that generally results in a lot of Imogen Heap.

The Texts Wheeler Winter Dixon and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, A Short History of Film, 2nd edition. 2013. (Note:

Readings below are denoted as “Dixon/Foster” below with chapter numbers.) Note: This book is

actually available as a PDF for free through the library. Type the title into ALADDIN at the

main page and you can access the material easily there.

Additional essays (to be read for the class for which they are assigned) which can be found in Blackboard

under E-reserves as listed below.

The films themselves! You should think of them as texts, because they are. All the films are owned by the

University and may be re-viewed at your leisure at the Bender Library Media Center in the basement. The

call number for each film has been printed on the syllabus for your convenience. You cannot take films

from the library which are reserved for my or any other professor’s class, but there are a number of

viewing stations to view things there. (Feel free to watch other films we have in our archive in a similar


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manner!) The library has instituted a good number of films on DVD and VHS which are available for

home use for a two-day period. See the folks in the library for details.

Class schedule of meetings, screenings and assignments

Class Date Topic, Screenings and Readings Due

BEFORE THE FIRST DAY

Watch (on your own, in whatever format you would like) Hugo (USA, D: Martin Scorsese, 2011, 126m. DVD/BLU 9765.

1 M 1/13 Introduction. Details of scene analysis.

Thompson, “HUGO: Scorsese’s birthday present to Georges Méliès.”

2 Th 1/16 Of Cinema and Attraction.

Dixon/Foster, Chapter 1

Gunning, “‘Now You See It, Now You Don’t’: The Temporality of the Cinema of Attractions”

Scr A Th 1/16 A cornucopia of silent short films from the age of the Cinema of Attractions (Program TBD)

M 1/20 NO CLASS – HAPPY LABOR DAY!

3 Th 1/23 The Rise of Narrative.


Keil. “D.W. Griffith and the Development of American Narrative Cinema”

Scr B Th 1/23 The Kid, USA, D: Charles Chaplin, 1921, 68m. DVD 3800.

Bronenosets Poyomkin/Battleship Potemkin, USSR, D: Sergei Eisenstein, 1925, 66m. DVD 43

4 M 1/27 Revolution and Film: Editing and early Soviet Cinema.


Nichols, “Battelship Potemkin: Film Form and Revolution”

5 Th 1/30 Of Film and History (and Film History)

Chapman, Selections from Film and History

Scr C Th 1/30 She Done Him Wrong, USA, D: Lowell Sherman, 1932, 65m. VHS 7642.

Freaks, USA, D: Tod Browning, 1932, 66m. DVD 919

F 1/31 SCENE ANALYSIS DUE ELECTRONICALLY BY 11:59pm.

6 M 2/3 Morality and the Movies: The Production Code of America


Kuhn, “Investigating Film Censorship”

“Don’ts and Be Carefuls” and “1930 Prodution Code”

7 Th 2/6 Propaganda Stories


Scott, “Capra and Riefenstahl: Politics, Propaganda and the Personal”

Scr D Th 2/6 Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht/Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces, Germany, D: Leni Riefenstahl, 1935, 27m. DVD 834.

Private Snafu: Spies, USA, D: Chuck Jones, 1941, 3m. DVD 2220.

Bringing Up Baby, USA, D: Howard Hawks, 1938, 102m. DVD 1143.

8 M 2/10 The Rise of Hollywood

Salamensky, “Bringing Up Baby: Screwball and the Con of Modern Culture”

Jewell, “How Howard Hawks Brought Baby Up: An Apologia for the Studio System.


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9 Th 2/13 The Avant-Garde

MacDonald: Introduction to Cinema 16: Documents Toward a History of the Film Society

Suárez, “Meshes of the Afternoon: Dream Ritual and Uncanny Domesticity”

Scr E Th 2/13 Meshes of the Afternoon, USA, D: Maya Deren, 1943, 15m. DVD 4243.

Double Indemnity, USA, D: Billy Wilder, 1944, 107m. DVD 51.

F 2/14-Su 2/16 EXAM ONE TO BE TAKEN ELECTRONICALLY.

10 M 2/17 Film Noir and Consumerism

Dussere, “Out of the Past, Into the Supermarket: Consuming Film Noir”

Studlar, “Double Indemnity: Hard-boiled Film Noir”

11 Th 2/20 Reel War.

Pesce, “Film and War Imaginary: The Hollywood Combat and Cultural Memory of World War II”

Schatz, “World War II and the Hollywood ‘War Film’”

Scr F Th 2/20 Der Fuehrer’s Face, USA, D: Jack Kinney, 1943, 8m. DVD 811.

Roma, città aporta/Rome, Open City, Italy, D: Roberto Rossellini, 1945, 103m. DVD 9411.

12 M 2/24 Reality and the Movies: Italian Neo-Realism and the World as It Is


Landy, “Rome, Open City: From Movie to Method”

13 Th 2/27 Blinding the 1950s with Science!

Kaiser, “The Postwar Suburbanization of American Physics.”

Scr G Th 2/27 King of the Rocket Men, Chapter 11: “Secret of Dr. Vulcan,” USA, D: Fred C. Brannon, 1949, 14m. DVD 8740.

Notorious, USA, D: Alfred Hitchcock, 1946, 102m, DVD 338.

14 M 3/3 Hollywood and Post-War Relations

Castro, “Notorious: Hitchcock’s Good Neighbor Film”

15 Th 3/6 Suburbia and the Fifities.

Biskind, “Pods and Blobs”

Shary, “Teen Films: The Cinematic Image of Youth”

Scr H Th 3/6 A Movie, USA, D: Bruce Conner, 1958, 12m. DVD 5665.

Night of the Hunter, USA, D: Charles Laughton, 1955, 93m. DVD 1235.

3/10-3/13: NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK!

16 M 3/17 Of Cinema and Television.

Hilmess, “Cinema and the Age of Television, 1946-1975”

17 Th 3/20 Re-emerging Stories, Europe and Elsewhere


Truffaut, “A Certain Tendency of French Cinema”

Scr I Th 3/20 Tokyo Monogatari/Tokyo Story, Japan, D: Yasujiro Ozu, 1953, 136m. DVD 696.

F 3/21-Su 3/23 EXAM TWO TO BE TAKEN ELECTRONICALLY.

18 M 3/24 East-West Stories.

Desser, “Tokyo Story: The Space of Ambivalence”

19 Th 3/27 New Waves, French and Otherwise.


Neupert, “The New Wave’s American Reception”

Phillips, “The 400 Blows: Youth and Entrapment in the French New Wave”

Th 3/27 Film for final project must be claimed by screening time at 5:30pm.

Scr J Th 3/27 Tire dié/Throw a Dime, Argentina, D: Fernando Birri, 1958, 35m. DVD 10118.

Cléo de 5 à 7/Cleo from 5 to 7, France, D: Agnes Varda, 1962, 90m. DVD 4151.


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F 3/28 PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE ELECTRONICALLY BY 11:59pm.

20 M 3/31 Revolution and Cinema, Redux.

Conway, “‘A New Wave of Spectators’: Contemporary Responses to Cleo from 5 to 7”

García Espinosa, “For an Imperfect Cinema”

Rocha, “An Aesthtic of Hunger”

21 Th 4/3 The Movies We Don’t Talk About (Except We Do).

Rapfogel, “American Underground Film”

Stevenson, “Grindhouse and Beyond”

Scr K Th 4/3 Now, Cuba, D: Santiago Álvarez, 1965, 6m. VHS 6697.

The Graduate, USA, D: Mike Nichols, 1967, 106m. DVD 29.

F 4/4 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE ELECTRONICALLY BY 11:59pm.

22 M 4/7 The New Wave Comes to Hollywood.

Harris, Selections from Pictures at a Revolution:

23 Th 4/10 New American Cinema.

Cook, “Auteur Cinema and the ‘Film Generation’ in 1970s Hollywood”

Scr L Th 4/10 Thriller, USA, D: John Landis, 1983, 13m.

Dog Day Afternoon, USA, D: Sidney Lumet, 1975, 125m. DVD 2109.

24 M 4/14 Blockbusters and Consumer Culture.


Holm, “Dog Day Aftertaste”

25 Th 4/17 Europa, Europa.

Elsasser, “European Cinema, National Cinema, the Auteur and Hollywood”

Scr M

Th 4/17 Ryan, Canada, D: Chris Landreth, 2004, 14m. DVD 1348.

Trois Couleurs: Bleu/Three Colors: Blue, France/Poland/Switzerland, D: Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1993, 98m. DVD 2137.

F 4/18 PAPER DUE ELECTRONICALLY BY 11:59pm.

26 M 4/21 Miramax and the Rise (and Fall) of the Little Movies.

Nettelbeck, “Is There a ‘European’ Cinema? The ‘French’ Films of Krzysztof Kieslowski as Case-Study”

Perren, “sex, lies and marketing: Miramax and the Development of the Quality Indie Blockbuster”

27 Th 4/24 Does the top fall?


Enticknap, “Electronic Enlightenment or the Digital Dark Age? Anticipating Film in an Age without Film”

Scr N Th 4/24 The Hardest Button to Button, USA, D: Michel Gondry, 2003, 4m. DVD 4439.

Cidade de Deus/City of God, Brazil/France, D: Fernando Meirrelles & Kátia Lund, 2002, 130m. DVD 849

F 4/25-Su 4/27 EXAM THREE TO BE TAKEN ELECTRONICALLY.

28 M 4/28 Endings: Postmodernism and the World.

McClennan, “From the Aesthetics of Hunger to the Cosmetics of Hunger in Brazilian Cinema: Meirelles’ City of God”

Final presentations will be done during the exam period on Monday, May 5th from 2:35-5:05PM. You must be present for the entire period to get full credit for your presentation.

Cinema & the 20th Century, Appendix A: The Scene Analysis – 12

Appendix A

The Sequence Analysis This assignment is due electronically on Friday January 31st at 11:59PM.

For many of you, this is the first time you are taking a film course at any level; for some of you, this is old hat.

To grasp the history of film, it’s also important to be sure that you are actually looking at the text – that is, the

film – and interpreting the images there. In literary analysis, we consider this close reading; in essence, cinema

studies applies a very similar type of formalist analysis. In order to enhance your confidence – or to really get

a grasp – on how to approach the technical requirements of cinema study, I will ask you to complete a short,

detailed analysis of a single scene from the movie I asked you to watch before the semester began. I will

spend the first weeks modeling a scene analysis with all of you using some of the earliest films made.

This short paper aims to:

familiarize you with the vocabulary of film production and film analysis

challenge you to notice visual elements that may be submerged by narrative

move your analytical emphasis from plot to visual representation

allow you to experiment with film writing

This paper should be submitted electronically on Blackboard. You should use the Sequence Analysis

Template (found on Blackboard) to format your paper.

The paper has two parts: Part 1 is a shot by shot technical description that uses a table format, as shown in

the template. This part may be more than 3-4 pages long. Part 2 is your interpretation and analysis of the

scene’s structure. This part should be 1-2 pages long, double-spaced.

Note that I have provided an example for you (using a scene from Walt Disney’s The Three Caballeros) as a

model within Blackboard.


Part 1: Sequence Outline

I have provided a single clip from Martin Scorsese’s Hugo in the Blackboard folder for this project. While

watching scenes on your computer is not ideal for film study, our focus in this assignment is on editing and

structure. Your first task is to write a shot by shot outline of the structure of the sequence.

You should:

1. Watch the sequence a number of times

2. Take notes on all the visual elements and visual transitions you see in the sequence. Describe in detail

what you see in the frame. Take note of how things are framed within the shot. Don’t be afraid to try

to sketch the shot to note what is important.

3. Start making a list of the sequence’s structure shot-by-shot

4. Using the Format Template, fill in the information that you noted by watching the sequence. You

will notice that the template requires certain kinds of information you may not have noticed when

watching the clip for the first time, and so you should plan to watch the clip even as you are filling in

the template.

5. There is a list of terms that you should be familiar with provided online; look them up or ask me if

you need clarification. (Do not assume, for example, that a “zoom” refers to a camera movement in

any direction; indeed, a zoom is not a movement at all.) There is an excellent resource within the

External Links that I have titled “A primer on film analysis”) on Blackboard.

Remember:

A shot is what you see between transitions or cuts. Your outline basically follows these transitions to

determine the beginning and end of shots.

You should note the mode of transition from one shot to the next. Cuts are the most frequent mode

of transition (and indeed, in this sequence, that is all we will have), but other films that you may be

watching will have fades, dissolves, wipes, etc.

The camera may move within the shot. To account for the movements and their impact you should

split your description of the shot's segments into parts (A, B, C). Know the difference between a

dolly, a pan, a crane and a tilt, and note directions (left, right, up, down, forward backward); know

also that movements may be multiple. Note when the camera is handheld or using a Steadicam

(note: trademarked spelling)

You should take note of important elements of the mise-en-scene: acting, sets, costume, makeup

and lighting, which will help you evaluate the meaning and impact of the visual style and sequence

structure.

Don’t forget sound, both diegetic (that is, something that is clearly occurring in the world of the

film, like dialogue, street noise, etc.) and non-diegetic (things like narration or, often but not always,

music).

The template is designed to help with many kinds of scenes, so not all the elements (lighting,

costume or dialogue) may be notable or changed in all shots. You should consider all these

categories, but you do not have to fill in boxes that don’t add relevant information.

Often, shots will repeat; note this, and also note especially when things start out one way, and then

change.


Don’t try to do this at the last minute. The clip is short but provides a wealth of information; don’t

be surprised how long it will take to detail a two-minute shot! Give yourself enough time to do this

well and to learn from the process.

Part 2: Interpretation and Analysis

For the second part of your analysis you can synthesize your impressions of the structure of the sequence, as

well as your ideas about the meaning and implications of editing, cinematography, mise-en-scène, dialogue,

lighting and style as these interact with the sequence structure. The interpretation of the scene should address

the sequences that immediately surround it (I have only provided you with a sequence, not the full scene;

however, you should relate this part of the sequence to the full scene) as well as the film as a whole. (Think:

what is the point of this scene in context with the entire film?) Often, it may sharpen your point to contrast

the shot or sequence you've examined with something than happens elsewhere in the film.

This part is also informal, but it should be written in an analytical expository style that allows you to provide

the basis of an interpretation for the scene as you saw it. This part should be 1-2 pages in total length,

double-spaced.

Cinema & the 20th Century, Appendix B: Discussion Board Assessment– 15

Appendix B

The Discussion Boards My classes tend toward extensive use of the discussion board function within Blackboard. I use them for two

primary reasons: (1) this allows for a more holistic “reading check” instead of more directed quizzes and the

like; and (2) this allows us to start discussion on particular readings ahead of time, which permits more

efficient use of face-time in class for more problematic/detailed discussions as well as more clips. There are

particular elements of certain films and readings that may not be covered during class, or perhaps you would

like to further discuss certain parts of them in more detail. Hence, I would like you to continue your thoughts

and ideas (or, indeed, spark them while you’re reading) on the discussion board.

The way that this works best is to make a regular habit of checking and posting to the discussion

boards. While posting to the boards is relatively easy, I will also expect you to keep checking regularly even

after you have posted so that you may be involved in the discussion that ensues. (Hence: discussion!) For class

purposes, I will assume that you have read your peers’ postings before coming to class. This means that some topics,

specifically pertaining to the readings, may not surface during class because they will have played out on the

discussion boards; this does not mean that you are not responsible for these readings, nor that you should be

careless in your interactions with them.

I will say that this is the easiest portion of your grade to complete since in theory you will already be doing the

readings. Failure to post anything, however, will result in a loss of the full number of points, which is a

significant blow to your grade. (I say this since in the past a portion of the class failed to do this and their

grades were severely affected.)

Upon entering the discussion board site, you will find a discussion board already generated for each dass

period for which there are readings. There are also two special boards detailed below. Feel free to add new

threads within these boards; the flow of the discussion should come from you. I will be monitoring (though

not necessarily moderating) the threads and your response will steer in-class lectures in a particular direction if

there is enough interest generated about a certain topic.


Participation in the discussion boards comprises up to 15% of your grade. The evaluation of these elements,

however, is slightly complicated:

The first thing you should know is that the class has been randomly split into one of three discussion

groups (named for famed studios) with ten people each. That is in order to keep discussions at a

manageable level for yourselves, particularly so you are not stepping on each other’s toes.

At the beginning of the semester, you will each be assigned two reading dates from throughout the

semester. For those assigned dates, you will be discussion leaders and are responsible for posting 24

hours before classtime on the reading(s) for that day. (For days where there is more than one reading,

you should try to bring both readings into play.) These posts should not summarize material, but rather

engage with the readings: your goal is to start discussion about the readings. Toward this end, you might:

ask questions; highlight particular passages that were interesting/enlightening/confusing (note the

multiple “passages”; working off a single passage, unless you do a great job explaining why, is not good

enough); relate concepts between different readings within the same week (or from before); discuss the

relevance of the readings with regard to particular film examples; etc. These initial postings should be at

least 200 words long.

The rest of the group are contributors. The nature of your posts should be participatory and meant to be

in the spirit of discussion. Up until two hours before class, contributors should return to the discussion

board and comment on other responses; feel free to respond to what other people have said about

your posting as well. A well-written discussion post should generate a conversation, so part of the

assessment will include how people have commented on your original posting – as well as how often you

post to those written by others. Please reply by 9:00AM on the day the readings are due. This will

allow everyone (including me!) to read everyone’s comments before class.

Please note that contributors do not necessarily need to wait for leaders to post, and can take the

initiative early and often. Just be sure to come back and read that day’s discussion as well.

Note that terse postings that invoke information gathering (“what are we supposed to read?”, “can I

borrow somebody’s book?”, “can someone summarize the film’s plot for me?”), non-sequiturs (“is

anyone also taking bio 115? how are we supposed to get everything done in this class with a midterm in

that class?”) or rudeness (“what a stupid interpretation – of *course* that represents a penis, dumb-ass!”)

will not be counted and may count against you in terms of your general attitude portion of the grade.

You may continue to post to the discussion boards following the class period the discussion is due

(including at this point bringing up elements discussed in class), although I will assume that no one

(including myself) will be checking those boards two days following the reading. I will move the

discussion board to the bottom of the page after the second day, unless discussion is so heated it merits

continual observation; if you are still interested in the earlier discussions, they can be found by scrolling

to the bottom of the page. You may also continue discussion about the individual films following the

screenings on the omnibus Film Posting Board. (Note that there are no individual boards for each film.)

Either of these kinds of postings done in a consistent manner will count positively toward the holistic

portion of the postings grade as well as your overall participation grade.

The discussion period will officially end (for credit purposes) at noon on the day of class. At that point, I

will assess the discussion boards using the following rubric adapted from a rubric by Laura L. Bush):

o Excellent work (1 point for leaders; ½ point for responders):


Leader posts an initial message of more than 200 words on time; posting generates

comments from at least five other members of the group. Responder replies in

meaningful and extended ways

Demonstrates excellent critical thinking skills, including logical analysis, synthesis and

interpretation of the texts (both reading and film); provides sufficient and persuasive

evidence for support.

Offers prompt, timely and relevant contributions to the conversation, voluntarily

moderating, playing devil’s advocate, or synthesizing ideas and parts of the conversation

as needed, including from texts beyond the immediate class

o Satisfactory work (½ point for leaders; ¼ point for responders):

Leader posts an initial message of two hundred words on time; posting generates

comments from at least five other members of the group OR Excellent work above

generates fewer than five additional comments. Responder replies, going through the

motions, but does not really enter into the discussion; comment does not address other

postings, which could be evident by parroting positions already stated without

developing them further.

Demonstrates fair critical thinking skills by analyzing, synthesizing and interpreting

although post tends somewhat toward summary; offers evidence for support, although it

may be sometimes insufficient or unpersuasive.

Keeps up somewhat with discussion and does not dominate, but establishes a

discernable presence

o Insufficient work ( ¼ point for leaders):

Leader posts an initial message of under two hundred words, OR posts late, BUT

posting still generates more than five comments from other members of the group; OR

Satisfactory work described above generates fewer than five comments from other

members of the group

Summarizes rather than analyzes, evidence is absent or insufficicent; responders struggle

to maintain discussion or change topic to do so.

o Deficient work (0 points for both leaders and responders):

Leader does not post OR Insufficient work described above generates fewer than five

comments from other members of the group. Responders either do not respond, or say

little more than variations of “I agree,” “Good point” or “I disagree”

Please note that there is also a discussion board titled Suggestion Box. Feel free to get your feelings about

the class off your chest in an anonymous fashion – what you like about the class, how you feel it can be

improved, what really didn’t work, etc. I will monitor this board in particular and try to address whatever

issues there are as they develop, hopefully in order to correct matters before the semester ends. (Posting here

obviously does not count toward your grade.)

For your information, the Blackboard site will also have the most updated versions of the syllabus and all

assignments, as well as screening guides for all the films and some secondary readings as noted in the class

reading schedule.

Cinema & the 20th Century, Appendix C: The Research Project and Presentation – 18

Appendix C

The Research ProjectSo you think that all the painstaking effort I have put into the syllabus just isn’t enough? You think that you

can do better than me?! OK, then: prove it.

The major paper for this class (medium-length, 7-10 pages) involves picking a completely different film and

arguing why it should have been included as a fully screened film itself. Your argument concerning the film

must have some sort of historical component, must address other films and readings already in the course

and must contain some outside research to establish historical context, cinematic and otherwise.

SCHEDULE OF IMPORTANT DUE DATES (electronically by 11:59pm, unless noted):

Friday, March 7th: Information Literacy Tutorial due

Monday, March 17th: Start claiming films by emailing Professor Middents

Thursday, March 27th: Film must be claimed by 5:00pm

Friday, March 28th: Preliminary bibliography assignment due

Friday, April 4th: Annotated bibliohraphy due

Friday, April 18th: Paper due

Choosing a film:

In choosing your text, here are a few rules:

You may not choose a film listed within the syllabus screened on Thursday afternoons; you may

choose one, however, that is excerpted in clip form during class.

You may not choose Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1953) or Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941), which

are obvious choices. (If you haven’t seen them, you owe it to yourself to see both of them, if for no

other reason than because they are heavily referenced by other people. Yes, I know I should have put

them in. I have 14 slots and chose differently.)


The film you choose should accomplish a particular task differently than another primary text currently

used in this course. For example, picking Vittorio de Sica’s Bicycle Thieves because it is a prime

example of Italian Neo-Realism merely matches a primary reason why I selected Rome, Open City;

there are any number of additional reasons why Bicycle Thieves could work, however.

Your choice can be a film made in the United States or a film made elsewhere in the world; you have

full range of all periods and countries. The film should be feature-length, although I am amenable to

good arguments for short films.

One more thing: everyone has to choose a unique film. You may claim your film starting on the

Monday after Spring Break by emailing me, first-come, first-claimed.

The paper itself should not explicitly address the issue of “why this text should be added,” but that particular

question should be answered by your essay. (In other words, please do not write “Citizen Kane is such a world-

renowned film and thus would be good for this class because” or any variant of its kind.) Your argument

should relate your film in the context of other films as well, including the films we are screening for class.

You may claim your film at any point after we return from Spring Break on Monday, March 17th. Simply e-

mail Professor Middents at [email protected]. You must claim a film by Thursday, March 27th in

order to do the next assignment, although you may change to another film up to a week before the paper is

due (that is, as late as April 11th).

Research Assignments: Preliminary and Annotated Bibliographies

In developing this paper, you should do some research. Indeed, your paper should address at least four

sources, not including your textbook. (There is no maximum.) At least two of the sources should come from

outside this class; at least one of your sources must come from this class (and, again, is not the textbook).

Finally, at least three of your sources (preferably all) should be scholarly in nature.

Because library research is important for this assignment – and because we do not have time to have an

explicit library visit – I would like you to complete the University Library Information Literacy Tutorial by Friday,

March 7th. When you complete the tutorial, the library will automatically generate an email to you; simply

forward me that e-mail and it will be considered complete. (If you have already done this tutorial for another

class, simply forward me the older e-mail; there is no need to complete this a second time.)

Preliminary Bibliography: Due Friday, March 28th via ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION.

To begin with, you will have to see what research is out there. To get an idea of what research might be useful

and available, I would like you to compile a quick preliminary bibliography. This list will consist of five sources,

at least four of which should be scholarly in nature. Please arrange the entries alphabetically by author’s last

name, as you would for a regular bibliography. For full credit, these entries should be submitted in MLA style.

Include all information necessary; a percentage of your grade will be discounted for incorrect style or

insufficient citation material. A good guide, if you need one, can be found via Pudue University’s Online

Writing Lab (OWL) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/. Please also note that not all

citation software gets everything absolutely correct, therefore it behooves you to know how to properly cite anyway in

order to double-check your own software. Also note that neither Wikipedia nor IMDB are ever a proper


http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/


source, at least not in this class.

In addition, based on this preliminary research, please write 1-2 sentences maximum concerning the

information you expect to find in this source. Note that you do not have to have read, nor have access yet to

these sources to guess why they might be useful. (Please do not include sources that you cannot figure out

why they will be useful. Also, do not include your textbooks for this section, however useful that may be of

use for your actual written study.)

Complete and correct submissions will receive a full 2% toward your final grade.

Annotated bibliography: Due Friday, April 4th at 11:59PM via ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION.

After this, you will write bibliographic annotations on two of the sources you originally found. I am

requesting a precise structure for these annotations. (Full disclosure: My ideas here are modified from a

writing pedagogy-oriented blog; the original source can be found at

http://aristotelianbirdseyeview.wordpress.com.)

Each annotation should be structured as follows, to be completed in no more than six or seven sentences:

The first sentence should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the date of publication in

parentheses, a rhetorically accurate verb (such as asserts, argues, suggests, implies, claims), and a that-

clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement) of the work: for example, “In ‘Men and

Machines,’ Joan Smith . . . .” Follow this with a strong, rhetorically precise verb such as “discusses,”

“explores,” “argues,” “demonstrates,” “traces.” Then state the thesis of the article: “traces man’s use of

machinery to make the work easier and the world more livable.”

Sentence two should explain how the author develops and/or supports the thesis. This sentence should

discuss methodology—how the article works; that is, how the author accomplishes his/her task. This

sentence should also support the strong verb used in SENTENCE 1. (This may take more than one

sentence.) For instance: “Smith discusses three specific technological advances: the steam engine, the

internal combustion engine, and the computer chip. She claims that these inventions are milestones that

signaled great chances in man’s mechanical progress.” You should cite in your text where to locate the

specific points you address. (See example below.)

If relevant, describe the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the

audience. Identify the audience and/or the purpose of the essay. (This may also take more than one

sentence and these sentences should support what has gone before.) You could use information about

where the essay was originally published to draw conclusions about audience. For instance, if Smith’s

article was published in The New Yorker, you would immediately know that she wrote for highly educated

business and professional people interested in the ways social and technological changes interact.

State the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an in order to (to, for) phrase. In the example above,

Smith’s purpose is to inform her readers, perhaps so that they can better understand what the past can

reveal about the influence of technology on the future.

Finally, provide an evaluation or judgment of the source. Is this source useful or credible and, more

importantly, why (specifically) do you think this? How does it bring a new perspective on your film

and/or the historical context around your film? Do you agree with it? What do you get out of it? What

http://aristotelianbirdseyeview.wordpress.com/


questions does this source raise in your own investigation? (This is not usually part of an annotated

bibliography, but will be useful for me and, hopefully, for you.)

EXAMPLE

Falicov, Tamara L. “U.S.-Argentine Co-productions, 1982-1990: Roger Corman, Aries Productions, ‘Schlockbuster’ Movies and the International Market.” Film & History 34.1 (2004): 31-38.

In “U.S.-Argentine Co-productions, 1982-1990,” Tamara Falicov argues that movies produced in Argentina under the aegis of Roger Corman’s production companies during the 1980s negatively impacted the Argentine film industry. She supports this primarily through close readings of several films directed by Héctor Olivera, contrasting how his Argentine productions have more contextual coherence than similar films made in English for Corman. She concludes that such co-productions support how the economic model of “dependency theory” might be applied to “how First World elites exploit poorer nations in their exhaustive search for ever cheaper sources of labor, raw materials and lax governmental regulations abroad” (36). Falicov’s goal is to bring attention to the unequal relationship between otherwise ignored exploitation filmmaking designed for the U.S. home video market and the more art-oriented “national cinema” of Argentina. The article provides a good model for how to approach exploitation filmmaking in a Latin American context, even though her narrow focus on a single Argentine director invites other methodologies with other countries.

Complete and correct submissions will receive a full 4% toward your final grade.

The paper itself! Worth 20% of the final grade:

Some general guidelines:

Papers should be roughly 7-10 pages in length, though that is only meant as a guideline as to how complex

I think your argument should be. I prefer a shorter paper to one that adds “filler” to pad a paper to the

page limit; then again, if your paper is significantly shorter – say, four pages – you may wish to consider

whether you have developed a strong enough argument.

MLA style please, both in considering in-text parenthetical citations and the accompanying bibliography;

this is a course in the Literature department and I don’t care that you’re in SIS. You will not get an A, I don’t

care how brilliant your paper is, if you have cited incorrectly.

Don’t be scarce. I’m here to help. If you start with a general idea, please feel free to come in and I’d be

more than happy to help you out with finding sources, narrowing your topic, helping with an argument.

You know when the office hours are, so make me work. Sean is also a valuable resource here; if you can

convince him of your argument, you can probably convince me.

Please realize that there is absolutely no way you can get all of this done the night before each assignment

is due. Claim your film early and start reading right away so that can start researching as early in the

semester as possible. Pacing yourself is key.

Use the library as a resource. Most films – and the historical moments in which they were created – have

a considerable amount written about them, so use the library generously.

Use support from texts and secondary sources to develop your argument. This can only help – think

about textual support as a foundation upon which you can build a strong paper.


The Discussion, worth 5% of the final grade:

The second part of this project is simple: prove your case to the rest of the class! At the final exam time, you

will have four minutes to present your film, and your argument, to the class. That’s not a lot of time: you will

need to distill your argument into something very quick and dirty. Powerpoint/Prezi presentations might be

useful here, as might a (very short) clip from your film; be aware the technological difficulties may impinge on

your presentation time, however.

This portion of your grade consists of 5 points, broken down as follows:

3 points for content – the information you present, the relevance of your presentation to the course,

the strength of your argument, the clarity of your position, etc.

2 points for presentation – the manner in which you present, staying within the time constraints,

entertainment value/ability to keep class awake and/or interested, etc. (Please note that going more

than a minute over the time limit will result in a maximum of 1 points for this section, including

technological snafus.)

One more thing: have fun with this! This kind of project is a lot of work, but it is also rewarding and fun to

put together. Good luck!

Cinema and the 20th Century - Syllabus for Spring 2014 (Gen Ed, film hsitory)

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Transcript of Cinema and the 20th Century - Syllabus for Spring 2014 (Gen Ed, film hsitory)