English 340: Reading Film
Professor Lohn
Spring Semester, 2006
Tuesdays:
Macmillan 321
This is the only
paper copy of this syllabus you will receive.
All subsequent changes will be published ONLY on the course web
site. You will find all links to other
course documents and material at http://aurora.wells.edu/~lmlohn/
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Professor
Linda M. Lohn |
Spring
Semester Office Hours |
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301
Macmillan Hall |
On AOL IM
(Prof Lohn) Monday |
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Office:
364-3314 |
Tuesday: |
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Home: (607)
272-9198 |
Thursday: |
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e-mail:
lmlohnwells.edu |
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A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION: While you will receive a body of knowledge in this course, I am less concerned that you assimilate information than I am that you acquire a particular way of viewing yourself and the material you will read and discuss. To put it another way, I am much more interested in your “education” than your “training.”
Both “training” and “education” are processes, but they differ radically from each other. “Training” you to complete a task relies upon rote behavior, the lowest form of mental activity. In training,, the processes and the outcomes are already determined: as a student, you merely accept them, memorize them, and engage in the proper activity. Actually, “training” is a very comforting way to direct your life. You have absolutely no responsibility for making a “wrong” decision; the fault inevitably lies in the process you memorized or with the person who trained you.
“Education,” in contrast, depends upon your discovering, fostering,, and adopting the habits of intellectual curiosity: giving and accepting guidance and criticism with aplomb and kindness, engaging in meaningful communication with others, and participating actively in a community of learners. This way of learning is decidedly not a comforting way to direct your life. You will make wrong decisions; more disconcerting, you will have to accept the responsibility for them. You will have to challenge yourself to think independently and share your thoughts with folks who will disagree with you. “Education” is not always “fun.” Outcomes may not correspond to your expectations. But, you will learn about yourself; and as you do, learning becomes a joyful process. Remember Socrates’ adjuration, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
This course is governed by the provisions of the
COURSE GOALS: This course offers a cultural and theoretical approach to the analysis
of film, emphasizing its origins in popular culture and examining its unique
position on the cusp of art and entertainment.
The major goal is to learn the language of film criticism and the
conventions of writing about film. In
addition, we will examine films as historical and cultural artifacts of American “civilization”.
TEXTS AND
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Barsam, Richard, Looking at Movies: an Introduction to Film, Norton (comes with CD) Corrigan, Timothy, A Short Guide to Writing About Film, 5th edition, Pearson/Longman Ross, Steven J., Movies and American Society, Blackwell Sklar, Robert, Movie-Made Tarantino, Quentin, Pulp Fiction, Hyperion |
Your responsibility as a reader of these texts is to come to class with the reading completed, to ask questions when you haven’t understood a portion of a text, and to make an honest effort to apply what you have read to the films we will view.
VIEWING ASSIGNMENTS: You will view twenty-one films in the class. The titles are listed on the schedule itself. You may view the films in any way you please: on your personal computer, with friends on DVD players you may find in dorm lounges or the library, on the DVD player in room 307 Mac, with popcorn or without. As I understand it, our classroom is often locked at night, and you will probably not have access to it.
You may be wondering how you will receive copies of the films for viewing. The debate about film and the “Fair Use Doctrine” of copyright law is still raging fiercely. Recently, a company which sold software to defeat the copy-protection encoding on films and allow owners of films to make “backup” copies, was forced to remove the copy-protection-defeating software from its product. Because the legal issues are complicated, because this course guide will be published to the web, and because I have no desire to break the law, we will discuss ways in which you might see the films during our first class meeting.
WRITING
ASSIGNMENTS: You will write three
kinds of essays in this class: first, you will complete three “clip
tests”, two to three page analyses of a brief segment of film (follow this link
for a detailed explanation of clip tests); you will also write two film
reviews of films we have viewed in class or films you have seen on your
own, and one critical essay;
finally, in lieu of a final
examination, you will complete a critical, analytical, cultural comparison of
two films, one we have seen in class and one of your own choosing. In keeping with college policy, the final paper
will be due at the end of the regularly scheduled examination time:
On the course web site I have posted a link to a set of grading criteria I will use in assessing your work this semester; read it carefully, and if you are uncertain about ANY of it, please see me or ask about it in class.
Because this course is at the 300 level, I will not give specific assignments for the Critical Paper and your Final Paper. You must design your own topics and thesis statements. However, virtually every week I will suggest some possible topics. I would recommend that you visit the office to share your thesis statements if you are worried about them.
Read the Statement on
Plagiarism posted on the course web site.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT LOGISTICS: You will submit all
your work to me (except for your final paper) as an e-mail attachments in
either MS Word® or RTF
(Rich text format). NO OTHER FORMATS ARE
ACCEPTABLE. Why? Because I cannot open
them on my campus computer. Documents
generated by the Microsoft Works® word processor are also
unacceptable because they are unreadable.
If you do not own MS Word, DO NOT go out and buy it. Virtually all word processors allow you to
save a document in RTF. Your documents must also have a file name that
indicates who you are and what paper you are writing. For example, I would save my first clip test
as “ 340 lohn two” because I skipped the first clip test assigned—I just had
too much to do for English 385 that week.
So, a good file name is simply your last name and the number of the
assignment. If you are enrolled in more
than one class with me, please do place the number of the course before your
name in your file name. I keep your work
stored on my computer throughout the
semester. When you are ready to turn work
in, simply address an e-mail to me (lmlohn@wells.edu), attach your paper (with
its simple but informative file name), and push the send button.
In its electronic version, your written
work must conform to some standard manuscript conventions. While you
do not need a title page except for your Final Paper, your name and a
title must appear on the first page.
More challenging, your title must be meaningful. You must conform to conventional page numbers
and appearance (the first page is counted, but the number “1” does NOT appear;
page numbers appear in the upper right-hand corner); margins should be 1 inch all around; all
textual references must be documented according to MLA parenthetical format:
include a “works cited” statement. If
you fail to meet any of these standards, your paper will be returned to you
graded but without comment.
DEADLINES FOR WRITTEN WORK: Each professor has her own policies about late work. There is no “official” college policy. In this course, late work is unacceptable. However, you will be allowed a “way out”: while you must complete three clip tests, I will give you four opportunities. Clips Tests must be submitted for grading the week after you have viewed the clip.
You may submit your two film reviews and your Critical Paper any time between February 28 and May 2. In theory, you could wait to submit both your film reviews and your Critical Paper on May 2. However, work submitted on May 2 will receive a grade but no comments. That limitation is designed to encourage you to submit work earlier in the term rather than later.
Your Final Paper, due May 19th by
GRADING: Your grade will be distributed as follows:
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Three Clip Tests |
30% (10% apiece) |
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Two Film Reviews |
20% (10% apiece ) |
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Analytical Paper |
15% |
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Participation and Attendance |
10% |
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Final Paper |
25% |
If you do not complete the Final Paper, you will not pass
the course.
CLASS PARTICIPATION
AND ATTENDANCE: It is essential that
you attend class, not only because showing up is important practice for your
future, but also because discussion and exchanging ideas is at the foundation
of a liberal arts education and the founding principle of my philosophy of
teaching. Certainly, you may question my
philosophy and I will be happy to discuss this policy with you; nevertheless, I will adhere to the following
template for grading participation and attendance:
· "A"—(no more than one absence) Takes the initiative in class on a regular basis, provides original and valuable insights, information or service to the class.
· "B"—(no more than one absences) Demonstrates good levels of volunteer leadership and participation, but on a lower level than expected for an "A", or on an inconsistent basis.
· "C"—( no more than two absences) Average attendance and/or doesn’t volunteer in class discussion, or only volunteers under crisis (if called upon by name, for example).
· "D"—(automatic with three absences) Merely bodily presence.
· "F"—Progressively more unsatisfactory levels of attendance, obvious lack of preparation and engagement with the class.
CONFERENCES
AND OFFICE HOURS: I would
encourage you to visit my office
whenever you have questions about reading or writing assignments,
comments or questions about class discussion, a desire to continue pursuing
issues or topics which arose in class, a wish to try out an idea you aren’t
quite ready to share with your classmates, or simply a longing to sit down in
an old, beaten-up but comfortable chair.
I will endeavor to keep my office hours faithfully; however, I
occasionally may be called away by a campus meeting or other unexpected,
pressing commitment. In that case, I
will provide you advance notice. You do
not need to make an appointment to come to office hours; however, if you do
make an appointment, make certain that you show up! (Remember, a dentist or doctor will charge
you for an appointment if you don’t give a 24 hour cancellation notice.). Please remember to use the AOL IM office
hours on Monday. Too often your
professor overdoses on computer games simply because no better entertainment
comes along!
Schedule
Jan 31
Introduction
to Course
GOALS: What this course is NOT!
METHODS: Juggling three approaches to film
EXPECTATIONS: Why is there a syllabus in this class?
VIEW IN CLASS: Movies of the Twenties, Thirties, and
Forties
February. 7
Silent
Films and Social Criticism
VIEW: The Crowd, King Vidor (1928)
VIEW: Modern Times, Charles Chaplin (1936)
READ: Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing about Film Chapters 1-3
READ: Richard Barsam, Looking at Movies, Chapter 1
VIEW IN CLASS: Film:
Twentieth Century Legacy
February 14
Film
Noir
VIEW: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
VIEW: Double Indemnity, Billy Wilder (1944)
READ: Richard Barsam, Looking at Movies, Chapter 2
READ: Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing about Film Chapters 4-5
OF INTEREST: Screenplay
for Double Indemnity
February 21
Romance,
or The Things We Do For Love
VIEW: Dodsworth, William Wyler (1936)
VIEW:
READ: Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing about Film Chapters 5-6
READ: Linda M. Lohn “Camera Eyes and Sebaceous Glands: Dif(De)Fusing Identity in
George Stevens’
VIEW IN CLASS: Legacy of the
February 28
Buddy
Films
VIEW: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, John
Huston (1948)
VIEW: The Wild Bunch (1969)
READ: Richard Barsam, Looking at Movies, Chapters 3 and 4
March 7
Chick
Flicks
VIEW: Stage Door, Gregory La Cava (1937)
VIEW: Thelma and Louise, Ridley Scott (1991)
READ: Richard Barsam, Looking at Movies, Chapter 5
VIEW IN CLASS: The Role of Women in the Movies
OF INTEREST: Screenplay for Thelma and Louise
March 14
Gender Benders
VIEW: Some Like it Hot, Billy Wilder (1959)
VIEW: Boys Don’t Cry ,
READ: Richard Barsam, Looking at Movies, Chapter 6
VIEW IN CLASS:
March
21-- Spring Break
March 28
The
Cold War and the Space Race
VIEW: Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick (1964)
VIEW: 2001: A Space Odyssey,
READ: Richard Barsam, Looking at Movies, Chapter 7
READ: Robert
Sklar, Movie-Made
READ: Steven Ross, Movies and American Society: Chapters 1-3
OF INTEREST: Early scripts of Dr. Strangelove and 2001
April 4
The “Epic” Film
VIEW:
READ: Robert
Sklar, Movie-Made
READ: Steven Ross, Movies and American Society: Chapters 7-8
April 11
Two Directors: Alfred Hitchcock and Woody Allen
VIEW: Rear Window (1954)
VIEW:
READ: Robert
Sklar, Movie-Made
READ: Steven Ross, Movies and American Society: Chapters 9-10
April 18
Alternate Visions and Social Criticism
VIEW: Blade Runner, Ridley Scott (1991)
VIEW: Batman Begins (2005)
READ: Steven Ross, Movies and American Society: Chapter 11
OF INTEREST: Script for Blade
Runner
April 25
The
Chronicles of “Noir”nia?
VIEW:
OF INTEREST: Script for
May 2
Four Tales of Violence and Redemption: Art Imitates
Life
VIEW: Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino (1994)
READ: Quentin
Tarantino, screenplay for Pulp Fiction
May 9
The
shame of
VIEW IN CLASS: Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black
Experience in