DR. DEBORAH WILSON: Witherspoon 145; Office phone:
968-0482
Office hours: 12:30-2:00 p.m. TR, and by appointment
MWF
This is NOT a complete and final syllabus. We will no doubt have to make adjustments
as we go along, depending on film length and discussion times. What you do have on this syllabus is a
list of the films planned (hopefully we will get to all of them) and the
sequence in which we will cover them.
Otherwise, be advised that this is a TENTATIVE syllabus.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Phillips, William H. Film: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. MartinÕs,
2001.
GRADES:
The majority of your grade (60%) will come from two major exams, a mid- term
and a final, both of which will include both objective and essay questions (and
no surprises). You will have a
review sheet for both.
There will also be a few quizzes, usually
unannounced, on the films, class notes, and the assigned readings. Quizzes will be given at the beginning
of class, so you need to be on time.
Tardiness may result in a zero, since quizzes may not be made up. BE ON TIME!
Finally, there will be some brief (as in 1-2 pages),
specific writing assignments, in which you will respond to questions I
pose. These must all be typed,
double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all four sides (size 12 font, with the
word count printed at the end).
All assignments must be turned in on time (that means at the beginning
of the class period on the due date).
I do not accept late homework.
Your grades for these papers will be based on your honest, serious
effort to answer the question and the fulfillment of the length
requirement. The quizzes and
writing assignments combined will make up 30% of your grade for the course.
Those of you not mathematically challenged have
noticed there remains 10% of your
grade unaccounted for. Since this
is a general education course, I do have an attendance policy. We meet only once a week,
for a total of 14 times (we are actually one week short of a full semester due
to the Labor Day holiday). You may
miss NO MORE THAN 2 WHOLE CLASSES.
The only excused absence is for university business, so I would suggest
you resist the urge to miss for any non-emergency reason. We are, against my personal preferences
and sense of required rigor, watching the films in class, which means that all
the rest of our class time must be packed with valuable information and
activity. As a result, the
penalty upon your 3rd absence is an automatic F.
Since you are adults, you are responsible for keeping
up with your own absences. I will
check roll each time we meet (both at the beginning of each class period, and
again after the mid-point break), but I will not warn you of impending doom. If you reach the end of the semester
with no absences, you will receive 100 points for your attendance grade. One absence will lower your grade to an
85, two absences will reduce the grade to 70, and on the third, you fail the
course anyway. JUST BE HERE! And if you come in after the roll call,
make sure to let me know after class that you were present.
ASSIGNMENT LIST: readings are due on the dates listed.
Monday, August 25--Introduction to course
VIEW: Desperately Seeking Susan (1985; dir. Susan Seidelman; 1 hour 43 minutes)
September 1ÑHOLIDAY
Sept. 8--READ: Chapter 1
VIEW: Rebecca (1940; dir. Alfred Hitchcock; 2 hours 12 minutes)
Sept. 15--READ: Chapter 2
VIEW: various clips (which will be on the exam)
Sept. 22ÑREAD: Chapter 8
VIEW: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953; dir. Howard Hawks; 1 hr. 32 minutes)
Sept. 29--READ: Chapter 3
VIEW: Out of the Past (1947; dir. Jacques Tourneur; 1 hr. 37 minutes)
Oct. 6--READ: Chapter 7; review for exam during first
half of class
VIEW: Mildred Pierce (1945; dir. Michael Curtiz, who also directed Casablanca; 1 hour 52 minutes)
Oct. 13Ñ MID-TERM EXAM during first half of class
Discuss Mildred Pierce during second half.
Oct. 20ÑREAD: Chapter 12
VIEW: Rear Window (1954; dir. Alfred Hitchcock; 1 hour 53 minutes)
Oct. 27Ñdiscuss Rear Window
VIEW: Some Like It Hot (1959; dir. Billy Wilder; 2 hours 2 minutes)
Nov. 3--READ: Chapter 4
VIEW: Jungle Fever (1991; dir. Spike Lee; 2 hours 11 minutes)
Nov. 10--READ: Chapter 6
VIEW: Alien (1979; dir. Ridley Scott; 1 hour 56 minutes)
Nov. 17Ñdiscuss Alien
VIEW: Die Hard (1988; dir. John McTiernan; 2 hours 12 minutes)
Nov. 24--READ: Chapter 11
VIEW: IÕve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987; dir. Patricia Rozema; 1 hour 22 minutes)
Dec. 1-- READ: Chapter 9
VIEW:
non-narrative film, Un Chien Andalou (1928; Luis Bunuel; about 15 minutes) and excerpts
from Olympia (1936; Leni
Riefenstahl)
Finishing up and review for final exam, which will be Dec. 8th.
My purpose in this course is to provide you with some
basic analytical tools for viewing film.
Furthermore, I believe you will discover that developing a more
sophisticated, analytical eye and mind enhances rather than detracts from the
pleasure of watching movies. There
will be more to consider and discuss with your friends than merely restating
the plot, quoting a few lines, describing a few favorite scenes, and giving the
thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Numbers
of students from previous film classes IÕve taught have told me that the things
they learned have expanded their interest and pleasure in film. I hope you have the same experience.
As for the films IÕve chosen to view in class, they
are a TINY sampling of the seemingly limitless possibilities. They are not an attempt to include the
most popular or the ÒgreatestÓ films (although I find all of them worth study,
and if I didnÕt enjoy them we wouldnÕt be watching them), and thereÕs no way I
can please all of you in all my choices.
This selection is an attempt to present essential concepts through
several genres and directors. You
will also see more than one film by some directors in an attempt to study
authorial Òsignatures.Ó I have
also intentionally selected some films I assume are less familiar to you (a
number of which are black and white films) in part to engage your interest in
films you might not otherwise investigate. Often I find that students can manage a greater critical
distance from more ÒalienÓ films than is possible with extremely familiar
films.
Be open-minded and actively engaged in the reading,
watching, and discussions that will constitute this course, and I think youÕll
both enjoy and learn a great deal.