American Film & Culture

MSCR 2336: American Film & Culture Syllabus

Northeastern University, Summer 1, 2019

Contact Information Nathan Blake, [email protected], 617.373.6599 Office: 123 Holmes Hall Mailbox: Media and Screen Studies, 204 Lake Hall Office Hours: via appointment through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra

Course Description As an overview of American film, this course examines what cinema reveals about the ideologies and material conditions of the United States over the past century. The course is also a survey of American film genres, for such genres—from the Western to the science fiction film—often present particular characters, settings, and conflicts that reflect the anxieties or desires of their time. While covering American cinema from the 1920s (when the studio system was fully established) to the present, we pay particular attention to films from the mid- 20th century, as this was the peak of Hollywood production and global dominance, as well as a period in which concepts of “America,” and the roles of men and women, were often explicitly evaluated and projected to audiences at home and abroad. Topics covered in the course texts and films include urbanization and the rise of mass consumer culture in the 1920s, the precarious nature of labor and class in the 1930s, shifting gender roles and the reintegration of veterans in the 1940s, Cold War paranoia and nuclear war dread in the 1950s and 60s, urban crime and white flight in the 1970s, corporate power and alienating technology in the 1980s, independent cinema and the inclusion of diverse perspectives in the 1990s, and contemporary warfare and the pervasiveness of digital media in the 21st century. In short, we address a range of influential films that are both of and about culture and society in the United States, that illuminate what it might mean to be “American.”

Course Objectives After successful completion of the course, students will be able to: • Effectively read, analyze, critique, and discuss cinema and scholarly writing about American film. • Identify how formal elements of film, and particular film genres, convey meanings about American culture. • Analyze American cinema and culture through various critical lenses, including gender, race, sexuality, disability, and class. • Describe how the cultural context of a particular film informs the decisions that go into its production and distribution, as well as the ways in which we might interpret the film today.

Required Texts All readings are available as PDFs on the course site at northeastern.blackboard.com.

Required Films The movies are available via Kaltura (a video streaming service) in each class folder as well as the “All Films” folder on the course blackboard, and most are available through a number of alternative commercial services. The materials on the course blackboard are reserved for the use of students enrolled in this course, for the educational purposes of this course, and may not be retained or further disseminated.

Course Requirements 15% Discussion Board Comments 24% Quizzes (3 quizzes, 8% each) 18% Essay 1 (2–3 Pages) 18% Essay 2 (2–3 Pages) 25% Final Essay (5–7 Pages)

Course Structure As indicated on the course schedule (below), each week is divided into two class modules, each of which would cover the material of a week over a full semester. You are expected to read the material and watch the film/s that are listed under each class. The readings and film clips can be found in each class folder; the feature films can be found in the in the class folder as well as the “All Films” folder. If you encounter difficulties, try another browser.

In short, each of the fourteen classes should proceed as follows:

1. Read the class handout, which introduces and/or summarizes the assigned texts and films, provides additional context, and suggests things to consider and discuss. 2. Read the assigned texts. “Suggested” texts are supplied for additional information and/or for writing on particular topics. 3. Watch the clips (if any, as indicated on the class handout) corresponding to that class. 4. Watch the film/s assigned for that class. Take notes. 5. Post comments or questions on the Discussion Board (at least seven times/weekly over the course).

Many of the texts will address the films in detail. If you’re concerned about “spoilers” (Lone Star in particular has a surprise twist), or would like to know what, exactly, the authors are talking about beforehand, you’re welcome to watch the films first. While I certainly don’t expect it, ideally, one would watch the movies first, with fresh eyes, then revisit them after reading the course material.

Video Conferencing I am available to meet via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, found through the “Video Conferencing” link under the “Discussions” heading. Email to arrange an appointment. I’m generally free weekday afternoons, Boston time, but understand that many of you may be working full time and/or in other time zones, and am willing to schedule some nights or weekends.

Discussion Board Comments You are expected to provide at least seven questions or comments on the assigned readings (primarily) and films (secondarily). Questions/comments should indicate a close and critical engagement with the texts and be approximately two full paragraphs long. Sample discussion board posts will be provided. This will be evaluated, in aggregate, at the end of the semester, but I will notify you if you’re not fulfilling the requirement and provide suggestions. I’m also happy to provide feedback at any time if you contact me directly. B-range grades are for 7 to 10 posts of approximately 2 paragraphs that adequately address a number of key concepts or elements from the readings and films. A-range grades are for 10 to 14 posts that are consistently thorough and/or insightful and demonstrate a close engagement with the course texts. C-range grades (and below) fall short of the required 7 posts, and are broad, vague, or don’t reflect an engagement with the course texts. You will be able to see the contributions of your peers once you have submitted a post, you’re encouraged to respond to others, and even give a star rating to great questions or insights.

Quizzes There are three quizzes issued over the semester, as indicated on the course schedule. Each quiz covers the readings and films assigned for the previous two or three weeks (as indicated on the schedule) and is available any time between the Wednesday and Sunday. There are approximately seven multiple choice questions and one short written response per quiz, and you have 30 minutes to complete. To assure the online quizzes run smoothly, close all other programs running on your computer; make sure you have a fast and reliable internet connection; do not use your browser’s refresh, back, or forward buttons or your mouse’s scroll wheel; single-click the buttons—do not double click; click “Save and Submit,” and then OK to submit when you are done. If you experience any problems, contact me immediately. I encourage you to take the practice quiz (no grade tallied).

Essays You are assigned three essays in which you are to incorporate course material. You will be given specific instructions on what is expected for each assignment. You do not need to conduct research but must demonstrate an understanding of the relevant terms and concepts presented in the assigned texts. Many of the “suggested” texts are material to be incorporated in the papers. Essays are submitted through the blackboard Turnitin system.

Paper Format Most academic journals of film, media, and culture adhere to The Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Handbook. While the MLA or APA Style is acceptable for papers in this class, I will provide a brief citation and style handout based on the 16th Edition of the Chicago Manual before the first paper is due. All papers should be double spaced, 11- to 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. Footnotes, endnotes, or in-text citations are acceptable. Any sources used must be fully cited and included in a complete bibliography.

Late Essays You are expected to submit all essays via Turitin by the set deadline (on syllabus schedule and paper prompts). Late papers will be marked down 5% for each day it is late. For example, an A- paper (93%) that is two days late becomes a B- (83%).

Essay Grades Essay grades are based on a 100-point scale. There is no curve. Grades are determined by performance in each area stated above and explained below. A-range grades are reserved for students who truly excel and surpass the expectations of the assignment. A-range papers complete all of the required criteria. The paper demonstrates a close engagement with the relevant texts, and these texts are applied to support a cogent and original argument. There are no irrelevant or redundant sentences or paragraphs; the prose is strong; and the format is flawless. Such papers not only demonstrate a mastery of the concepts addressed in the course, but also present the student’s unique insights in the best light. B-range grades are earned by students who do above-average work, clearly achieving the goals of the assignment in a thorough, solid fashion. B-range papers complete all of the required criteria. While there is a clear and compelling thesis, the paper’s structure does not always provide support; some examples or sources lead into other topics. Such papers demonstrate a clear understanding of the key issues addressed in the course, but could go further in the presentation of the student’s own insights. C-range grades are earned by students who satisfactorily meet the expectations of the assignment in an adequate fashion. C-range papers lack a specific or clearly articulated thesis. The sources and examples used in the paper relate only generally to the topic at hand. The structure of the paper is barely discernible; it consists of a string of interesting scenes, insights, and quotations; the connections are tenuous. A paper with irrelevant or distracting tangents is particularly problematic with short papers, as there is limited space to support your argument. In addition to some historical or analytical inaccuracies, there may be errors in format or citation. D-range grades are given to students who do not satisfactorily meet the expectations of the assignment. D-range papers lack an argument and show little understanding of the topic. Such papers do not utilize the required texts, and/or rely on websites like Wikipedia for support—which may be fine for preliminary research, but are generally not reliable and should not be used for academic papers. F-grades are given to students who fail to meet the expectations of an assignment, and/or who fail to complete the assigned work. A failing grade will automatically be assigned to any student who violates the academic integrity policy of the University.

Academic Integrity Academic dishonesty will be treated as an extremely serious matter and can result in expulsion. At a minimum, and without exception, any assignment that has been plagiarized will receive a zero, and there is no opportunity to resubmit the assignment. In many cases, this may result in a failing grade for the course. Acts of academic dishonesty will also be referred to the to the OSCCR (Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution). Any occurrence of plagiarism will be brought to the attention of the student’s Department Chair.

It is never permissible to turn in any work that has been copied from another student or copied from a source (including Internet) without properly acknowledging the source. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that all work meets the standard of academic honesty set forth by the university. If in doubt, it is much better to over-cite any text from which you derive ideas. I will be happy to discuss the rules and norms of academic writing any time throughout the course. Please read Northeastern University’s Academic Integrity Policy at http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academic-integrity-policy/.

Special Needs / Additional Assistance Students with special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act who need reasonable modifications, special assistance, or accommodations in this course should promptly direct their request to the Disability Resource Center (20 Dodge Hall, 617-373-2675). For additional information, please visit http://www.northeastern.edu/drc/. I strongly recommend that all students utilize the Writing Center (at 412 Holmes Hall and 136 Snell Library). Visit http://www.northeastern.edu/writingcenter/, or call 617-373-4549. If you have any issues that may affect your ability to write effectively, meet deadlines, or to view, hear, or follow lectures or media, please let me know early in the semester so that we can accommodate you. All discussions are confidential.

Video Conferencing and Discussion Board Conduct As with an on-campus class, students are expected to adhere to Northeastern University’s Code of Student Conduct, to join the discourse of the academy with honesty of voice and integrity of scholarship, and to show respect for staff, professors, and other students. Disruptive behavior which is persistent or significantly interferes with online classroom activities may be subject to disciplinary action.

CINE 2336: American Film & Culture Course Schedule Online

Week 1 (May 6–12) Hollywood Style & Ideology: Defining Modern America Part 1: American City / American Town Reading: John Belton, “Classical Hollywood Cinema: Style,” 41–59. Robin Wood, “Ideology, Genre, Auteur,” 288–302. Suggested: Carl Freedman, “American Civilization and Its Discontents: The Persistence of Evil in Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt,” 92–105. Robert Beuka, “Imagining the Postwar Small Town: Gender and the Politics of Landscape in It’s a Wonderful Life,” 36–47. Screening: Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1943), 108 min. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946), 130 min.

Part 2: Melodrama & Modernity Reading: John Belton, “Silent Film Melodrama,” 115–30. Miriam Hansen, “Ambivalences of the ‘Mass Ornament’: King Vidor’s The Crowd,” 102–19. Suggested: Mary Ann Doane, “The Economy of Desire: The Commodity Form in/of the Cinema,” 119–34. John Belton, “The Studio System,” 60–78. Screening: The Crowd (King Vidor, 1928), 98 min.

Week 2 (May 13–19) Working Girls Part 1: The Backstage Musical Reading: Maury Klein, “Depression America and its Films: Laughing through Tears,” 75–81. Jane Feuer, “The Self-Reflexive Musical and the Myth of Entertainment, 441–55. Pamela Robertson, “What Trixie and God Know: Feminist Camp in Gold Diggers of 1933,” 55–84. Suggested: Thomas Schatz, “The Musical,” 186–220. Lucy Fischer, “The Image of Woman as Image: The Optical Politics of Dames,” 2–11. Screening: Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933), 97 min.

Part 2: Screwball Reporters Reading: Thomas Schatz, “The Screwball Comedy,” 150–172. John Belton, “The Production Code,” 135–49. Verna Kale, “The Girl Reporter Gets Her Man: The Threat and Promise of Marriage in His Girl Friday and Brenda Starr: Reporter,” 341–60. Suggested: Thomas C. Renzi, “Toward Definitions of Screwball Comedy and Film Noir,” 5–28. David R. Shumway, “Screwball Comedies: Constructing Romance, Mystifying Marriage,” 7–23. Screening: His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940), 93 min.

Practice Quiz (No grade. Available from Wednesday, May 15 to the end of the semester.)

Week 3 (May 20–26) War & Noir Part 1: World War II & Reintegration Reading: Frank J. Wetta and Martin A. Novelli, “On Telling the Truth about War: World War II and Hollywood’s Moral Fiction, 1945–1956,” 259–82. Lesley C. Pleasant, “The Postwar Anxiety of the American Pin-Up: William Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives (1946),” 67–83. Sarah F. Sahn, “Between Friends: Disability, Masculinity, and Rehabilitation in The Best Years of Our Lives,” 17–34. Suggested: David A. Gerber, “Heroes and Misfits: The Troubled Social Reintegration of Disabled Veterans in The Best Years of Our Lives,” 545–74. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, “The Politics of Staring: Visual Rhetorics of Disability in Popular Photography,” 56–75. Ian S. Scott, “Why We Fight and Projections of America: Frank Capra, Robert Riskin, and the Making of World War II Propaganda,” 242–58. Screening: The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946), 170 min.

Part 2: Film Noir: Crime, Detectives, & Cities Reading: Raymond Durgnat, “Paint It Black: The Family Tree of the Film Noir,” 37–51. Edward Dimendberg, “Naked Cities,” 21–85. Robert Lang, “Looking for the ‘Great Whatzit’: Kiss Me Deadly and Film Noir,” 32–44. Suggested: James Naremore, “The Other Side of the Street,” 220–53. Vivian Sobchack, “Lounge Time: Postwar Crises and the Chronotope of Film Noir,” 129–70. Screening: The Naked City (Jules Dassin, 1948), 96 min. Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955), 106 min.

Quiz 1 (On all material covered in weeks 1–3. Available between Wednesday, May 22 and Sunday, May 26.)

Essay 1 Due via Turnitin on course blackboard, 5:00 PM, Friday, May 24.

Week 4 (May 27–June 2) The Frontier & The Final Frontier Part 1: The Mythic West, the Indian, & Miscegenation Reading: Thomas Schatz, “The Western,” 45–80. Douglas Pye, “Double Vision: Miscegenation and Point of View in The Searchers,” 228–35. Robin Wood, “Duel in the Sun: The Destruction of an Ideological System,” 188–95. Suggested: John Belton, “The Making of the West,” 228–55. Richard Maltby, “A Better Sense of History: John Ford and the Indians,” 34–49. Ken Nolley, “The Representation of Conquest: John Ford and the Hollywood Indian (1939– 1964),” 73–90. Laura Mulvey, “Afterthoughts on ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ Inspired by King Vidor’s Duel in the Sun (1946),” 29–38. Screening: The Searchers (John Ford, 1956), 119 min. Duel in the Sun (King Vidor, 1946), 129 min.

Part 2: Invasion! Reading: Peter Biskind, “The Mind Managers: Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the Paranoid Style in American Movies,” 137–44. Cyndy Hendershot, “The Invaded Body: Paranoia and Radiation Anxiety in Invaders from Mars, It Came from Outer Space, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” 39–50. Kirsten Ostherr, “From Inner to Outer Space: World Health and the Postwar Alien Invasion Film,” 79–120. Suggested: Susan Sontag, “The Imagination of Disaster,” 40–47. Stuart Samuels, “Science Fiction as Social Commentary: The Age of Conspiracy and Conformity: Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” 198–206. John Belton, “Hollywood and the Cold War,” 283–303. Katrina Mann, “‘You’re Next!’: Postwar Hegemony Besieged in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956),” 49–48. Susan A. George, “Keep Watching the Screens: Gender in Fifties Science Fiction Films and Beyond,” 161–91. Screening: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956), 80 min.

Week 5 (June 3–9) Life on the Street & Undead in the Mall Part 1: New Hollywood, New Noir, New York Reading: Mark A. Reid, “Black Action Film,” 69–91. Richard Martin, “Industrial Evolution,” 19–33; and “Seventies Revisionism” (excerpts), 63–69, 80–89. Andrew Spicer, “Neo-Noir 1,” 130–148. Suggested: Robin Wood, “The Incoherent Text: Narrative in the 70s,” 46–55. Matthew Henry, “He Is a ‘Bad Mother*$%@!#’: Shaft and Contemporary Black Masculinity,” 114–19. Katherine Bausch, “Superflies to Superkillers: Black Masculinity in Film from Blaxploitation to New Black Realism,” 257–76. Walter Metz, “From Harlem to Hollywood: The 1970s Renaissance and Blaxploitation,” 225–45. Screening: Shaft (Gordon Parks, 1971), 100 min. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976), 114 min.

Part 2: The American Nightmare: Horror, the Suburbs, & Consumer Culture Reading: Robin Wood, “The American Nightmare: Horror in the 70s,” 70–80. Kendall R. Phillips, “The Body as Contrast: Romero’s Living Dead,” 22–42. Matthew Bailey, “Memory, Place and the Mall: George Romero on Consumerism," 95–110. Suggested: Noël Carroll, “Fantastic Biologies and the Structures of Horrific Imagery,” 42–25. Aviva Briefel, “‘Shop ‘Till You Drop!’: Consumerism and Horror,” 142–62. Allan Cameron, “Zombie Media: Transmission, Reproduction, and the Digital Dead,” 66–89. Jordan S. Carroll, “The Aesthetics of Risk in Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later,” 41–59. Screening: Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978), 127 min.

Quiz 2 (On all material covered in weeks 4–5. Available between Wednesday, June 5 and Sunday, June 9.)

Week 6 (June 10–16) Hard Bodies & Soft Borders Part 1: Reagan-Era Cyborgs Reading: J.P. Telotte, “The Science Fiction Film as Uncanny Text: RoboCop,” 161–78. Christine Cornea, “The Masculine Subject of Science Fiction in the 1980s Blockbuster Era” (excerpt), 120–30. Michael Ryan and Douglas Kellner, “Technophobia,” 58–65. Suggested: Yvonne Tasker, “Dumb Movies for Dumb People: Masculinity, the Body, and the Voice in Contemporary Action Cinema,” 230–44. Drew Ayers, “Bodies, Bullets, and Bad Guys: Elements of the Hardbody Film,” 41–67. Susan Jeffords, “The Movies are Looking for a Few Good White Men,” 103–39. Screening: RoboCop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987), 102 min.

Part 2: Borders, Boundaries, & Immigration Reading: Sam B. Girgus, “Embodying a New Race for America: Mississippi Masala,” 19–39; and “Lone Star: An Archeology of American Culture and the American Psyche,” 40–64. Suggested: Binita Mehta, “Immigrants Twice Displaced: Race, Color, and Identity in Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala,” 153–69. Kim Magowan, “Blood Only Means What You Let It,” 20–31. Screening: Mississippi Masala (Mira Nair, 1991), 118 min. Lone Star (John Sayles, 1996), 135 min.

Essay 2 Due via Turnitin on course blackboard, 5:00 PM, Friday, June 14.

Week 7 (June 17–20) America Today & Tomorrow Part 1: War & Post-9/11 Action Cinema Reading: Patricia Keeton and Peter Scheckner, “Ideological Negotiations in the Combat War Film,” 119–29. Janet S. Robinson, “The Gendered Geometry of War in Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker,” 153–71. Suggested: James N. Gilmore, “Zero Dark Thirty and the Writing of Post-9/11 History,” 275–94. Barry Keith Grant, “Man’s Favorite Sport?: The Action Films of Kathryn Bigelow,” 173–93. Tanine Allison, “Virtue Through Suffering: The American War Film at the End of Celluloid,” 50–61. Lisa Purse, “Action Cinema after 9/11,” 150–69. Screening: The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008), 131 min.

Part 2: Technophilia: Desire & Digital Media in the 21st Century Reading: Mary Ann Doane, “Technophilia: Technology, Representation, and the Feminine,” 163–76. Donna Kornhaber, “From Posthuman to Postcinema: Crises of Subjecthood and Representation in Her,” 3–25. Screening: Her (Spike Jonze, 2013), 126 min.

Quiz 3 (On all material covered in weeks 6–7. Available between Wednesday, June 19 and Sunday, June 23.)

Final Essay Due via Turnitin on course blackboard, 5:00 PM, Tuesday, June 25.