Babak Tabarraee Global Cult Cinema Summer 2020

MES s342 (81480) / RTF s352 (73294) GLOBAL CULT CINEMA Summer session II 2020 (July 13 – August 14) Online (Hybrid Class): Synchronous Classes: MWF 1-2:30, Asynchronous classes: TTH 1-2:30 Zoom Link: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/99072657817

Instructor: Babak Tabarraee. Virtual Office Hours by appointment: [email protected]. Teaching Assistant: Benjamin Rangell. Virtual Office Hours by appointment: [email protected].

COURSE DESCRIPTION

With their dedicated fans and enduring presence in the public sphere, cult films unfold important crossovers between media and culture in different regional contexts. This course will analyze global configurations of cult cinema, especially in the Middle East. From various scholarly viewpoints, we will ask how and why certain movies have generated emotional attachments in different sociocultural environments. Reviewing the foundational texts on the concept of cult in cinema studies, we will examine several approaches to studying the applications and functions of cult films and film cults. We will specifically examine case studies from and through the Middle East to understand the resonance of cult media texts around the world. Moreover, we will investigate the communal identities displayed through the cultural expressions of cult fans in order to better understand people’s complex relationship with the political order and cultural power. As such, “Global Cult Cinema” will explore less examined but significant areas of international film canons and fandoms. The interdisciplinary nature of this course further enables us to investigate important constituents of audience reactions to the global and local media through the purposeful use of the theories on popular culture, fandom, stardom, and politics of national and transnational film reception.

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COURSE FORMAT AND ACCESS Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, this will be an all-online course in a hybrid format. We will have synchronous (real-time) classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. You can attend the virtual classroom by clicking on this link. Asynchronous classes consist of materials for reading and viewing on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The zoom link for the class will be active on these days at our regular class time so that the students have the option to join the meeting for watching the movies together and/or doing their assignment of the day.

UNDERGRADUATE FLAGS • Global Cultures Flag This course carries the Global Cultures Flag (GC). The GC-flagged courses will increase the students’ familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. “Global Cult Cinema” will address the beliefs, practices, and histories of people from various international regions, especially Middle Eastern and North African cultural groups, as represented through the medium of cinema over the past several decades.

• Writing Flag This course carries the Writing Flag (Wr). The Wr-flagged courses are designed to improve the students’ critical thinking skills and their ability to write in the academic style of a particular discipline.

The students in the “Global Cult Cinema” class have two important resources for completing their writing assignments. First, you can email the instructor and the teaching assistant of the course to schedule an appointment for a one-on-one zoom meeting. Second, I highly encourage you to consult The University Writing Center. You can make an appointment through Symplicity or contact the UWC through Chat for scheduling assistance (M-F 10-5). You can also use their handouts, which provide guidance on frequently asked questions.

MATERIALS • Required Readings All of the required readings will be posted on Canvas. These sources are all listed on the following course schedule. For several classes, different groups of students are assigned different readings. While you should complete your portion of the assignment before the class, you are strongly encouraged to read the assignment of the other group as well to have a better understanding of the topic of the class on those days.

• Recommended Readings In this class, we will think critically and write academically about films and audiences. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the students constantly consult the following textbook: ➢ Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing About Film. London: Pearson, any post- 5th edition. Moreover, we will have specific readings recommended (but not required) for certain classes. These readings will be available on Canvas.

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• Required Viewings There will be nine movies that all the students are required to watch on their own throughout the semester. The links to the streaming platforms of these films will be available on Canvas, but you can also join the zoom meeting of the class on Tuesdays and Thursdays during our regular class time for watching the films together. These films are listed on the following course schedule.

• Recommended Viewings There will be three recommended films throughout the semester, listed on the following course schedule. Watching these films will help you get a better understanding of different aspects and cases of global cult cinemas.

*** Please note that most of the chosen movies for this class have international origins, with the Middle Eastern cinemas having the highest representation. Therefore, the films will be shown in their original language with English subtitles. ***

Alphabetical Grades and Plus/Minus Scale A = 94 - 100 A- = 90 - 93.9 B+ = 87 – 89.9 B = 84 – 86.9 B- = 80 – 83.9 C+ = 77 – 79.9 C = 74 – 76.9 C- = 70 – 73.9 D+ = 67 – 69.9 D = 64 – 66.9 D- = 60 – 63.9 F = 0-59.9

GRADING SUMMARY Attendance and Participation: 30% Two Short Papers and One Revised Writing: 40% Final Project (Proposal and Research Video or Term Paper): 30%

DETAILED REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING • Attendance and Participation (30% of your final grade) The students are required to attend class regularly and to participate actively and consistently throughout the semester. All reading and viewing assignments should be completed before each session. The students should demonstrate their command of the assigned materials by contributing meaningfully to class discussions.

➢ Your presence in each of our fifteen synchronous classes (50%) ➢ Your active and meaningful participation in class discussions in each of our fifteen synchronous classes (50%)

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ONLINE CLASS ETIQUETTE Have all your needed materials (audiovisual device, paper, pen, water bottle, etc.) ready before the class begins Find a quiet location indoors and free of distractions to attend class. ▪ Other household members and/or pets should not be attending class with you. ▪ While most of you are in the comfort of your own home, please remember this is an online university class and you are required to dress as you normally would in a face-to-face class. Please dress properly for the class. ▪ Please avoid any audio or visual distractions, e.g. the TV should not be on in the background, your cell phones should be silent and not be used during class time, your pets should not be in the frame or making noises when your microphone is on, etc. Ensure your audio and video work before the class begins. Join the Zoom meeting AT LEAST 3 MINUTES before the class begins. Here is the policy about being late to the class:

▪ 1-5 minutes = Losing 20% of your Attendance & Participation credit for that class. ▪ 6-10 minutes = Losing 40% of your Attendance & Participation credit for that class. ▪ 11-15 minutes = Losing 60% of your Attendance & Participation credit for that class. ▪ 16-20 minutes = Losing 80% of your Attendance & Participation credit for that class. ▪ More than 20 minutes = Losing 100% of your Attendance & Participation credit for that class. Once in the class, please remain in one spot. Please do not leave your seat repeatedly and please do not turn off your webcam. Webcam must be enabled during Zoom class times. Microphones must be muted when you are not speaking. Do not engage in individual chat sessions except with your TA. Do not open a web browser and begin to use the internet unless instructed to do so. For example, do not check your email during class time.

• Two Short Papers and One Revision (40% of your final grade)

Throughout the semester, the students are required to write two short papers. Each paper should be 4-6 pages or 1200-1800 words, double spaced, font size 12, Times New Roman, Normal (1 inch) margins. Each of the two short papers is worth 15% of your final grade and they will be evaluated based on the following rubric:

➢ A clear and well-thought controlling idea (20%) ➢ Sufficient support of the main idea (20%) ➢ Proper use of the pertinent approach as discussed in class (20%) ➢ Compatibility of the approach with the authentic case study chosen (20%) ➢ Referencing at least three sources with consistent citation style (20%)

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For short paper #1 (due by Thursday, July 30, at 1 pm via email to both the instructor and TA, 15% of your total grade), the students have two options: Option A. Analysis of an Online Fan Community o A quantitative or qualitative research paper on a community of online fans. OR Option B. Analysis of the Textual Elements of a Cult Film o A textual analysis of a cult film in which the cultifying factors in the text of the film are sufficiently elaborated.

For short paper #2 (due by Thursday, August 6, at 1 pm via email to both the instructor and TA, 15% of your total grade), the students have two options: Option A. Autoethnography of Your Own Movie Fandom o A reflective paper on your own cult fandom of a film in which you analyze a variety of social, political, and cultural factors that have formed your identity as a fan. OR Option B. Analysis of the Cultural Context of Cultification o In this paper, the students need to address the role of a specific context in cultifying a film experience through analyzing the social, political, and cultural significance of a cult film for its regional fans.

Revision of One of the above Papers (due by Thursday, August 13, at 1 pm via email to both the instructor and TA, 10% of your total grade) The students are required to revise one of their papers based on the instructor’s and TA’s documented suggestions and comments as well as our office-hour conversations. This paper may be slightly longer than its previous version (maximum one page can be added) and it is worth 10% of your final grade. Revised paper rubric:

➢ Addressing the instructors’ comments on the previous version (50%) ➢ Expansion and elaboration based on the instructor’s suggestions (50%) *** Late papers will be punished by 20% of the grade for each 5 minutes-24hours that they are late. ***

• Final Project (30% of your final grade) The final project must focus on one aspect or case study of global cult cinemas. The students are encouraged to start working on their final projects as early as the second week of the classes and to discuss their topic and approach well in advance of the deadline with the instructor and TA during office hours.

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Proposal (5% of your final grade, due by Tuesday, August 11, at 1 pm via email to both the instructor and TA): All of the students are required to submit a one-page proposal about their final project via email to both the instructor and the TA. This proposal is worth 5% of your final grade. All students who submit their proposals on time will get the full credit. *** Late proposals will be punished by 20% of the grade for each 5 minutes-24hours that they are late. *** On the last day of classes (Friday, August 14), we will discuss these proposals in the class. Although you do not need to prepare a formal presentation, you must be able to coherently talk about the topic, research question, method, and possible findings in your final project for 2-4 minutes.

Your term project is worth 25% of your final grade. It is due by Monday, August 17, at 1 pm via email to both the instructor and TA. *** Late submissions will be punished by 20% of the grade for each 5 minutes-24hours that they are late. *** The students will have two options for their final project: Option A. Writing a 7-9-page research paper. The rubric for the final project (research paper):

➢ Clarity and strength of a controlling argument (20%) ➢ Development of ideas (20%) ➢ Academic style of writing in methodology, structure, and prose (20%) ➢ Optimum use of examples (20%) ➢ Referencing at least four sources (including two sources not mentioned in the syllabus as required reading) with a proper and consistent citation style (20%) OR Option B. Preparing a 7-9-minute video. The rubric for the final project (research video)

➢ Clarity and strength of a controlling idea (20%) ➢ Development of ideas into a cohesive form (20%) ➢ Organization and structure (20%) ➢ Creative and purposeful use of audiovisual elements (20%) ➢ Respecting the culture about which the video is made (20%)

ACCOMMODATIONS Students who seek special accommodation because of a documented disability must present an official letter to the instructor from Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). It is the student’s responsibility to discuss the accommodations with the instructor and the student should remind the instructor of any testing accommodations five business days before each exam.

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RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS Students who wish to observe religious holidays must inform their instructors within the first two weeks of each semester of their intent to observe the holiday even when the exact date of the holiday will not be known until later so that alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest opportunity.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY In accordance with federal and state law, the University of Texas at Austin prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sex, age, disability, citizenship, and veteran status. For further information, including the procedures of filing discrimination complaints, please see https://policies.utexas.edu/policies/nondiscrimination-policy.

CURSE OUTLINE CURSE OUTLINE Week 1: Introductions July 13 – July 17 Week 2: Audiences July 20 – July 24 Week 3: Texts and Contexts July 27 – July 31 Week 4: Functions August 3 – August 7 Week 5: Conclusions August 10 – August 14

*** Please note that the following course schedule is like a road map. We might need to make some stops, detours, and shortcuts throughout our journey together. But all possible changes will be announced via email or Canvas ahead of time. ***

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CURSE SCHEDULE Week 1: Introductions Day 1 (M, July 13): Course Introduction → Synchronous • The Syllabus. • Corrigan, “Chapter 3: Terms and Topics for Analyzing and Writing about Films,” A Short Guide to Writing about Film (9th edition, 2015), 38-81. o Recommended viewing: El Topo (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970, Mexico). o Recommended reading/listening: “What Cult Classics Can Teach Us about Art, Representation—and Failure,” CBC Radio, May 19, 2020. Day 2 (T, July 14): Historical Definitions in Film Criticism → Asynchronous • Watch Ha Trempist (An American Hippie in Israel, Amos Sefer, 1972, Israel). • Gil Shefler, “Finding a New Life as A Cult Classic,” The Forward (2011). • Hartman, “‘Horrendous’ Israeli ‘70s Film Becomes a Cult Favorite,” The Jerusalem Post (2011). o Recommended reading: “Cult Cinema: A Critical Symposium,” Cineaste 34, no. 1 (2008), 43-50. Day 3 (W, July 15): Definitive Fields in the Academy → Synchronous • Half of the students (Group 1) → Mathijs and Mendik, The Cult Film Reader (2008), 1-11. • Half of the students (Group 2) → Mathijs and Sexton, Cult Cinema (2011), 1-9. Day 4 (TH, July 16): Cult and Gender → Asynchronous • Watch Qeysar, Masud Kimiai, 1969, Iran. o Recommended reading: Hollows, “The Masculinity of Cult,” in Defining Cult Movies, 35- 53. Day 5 (F, July 17): Local / Global → Synchronous • Atwood, Reform Cinema in Iran (2016), 142-156. o Recommended Reading: Tierney, “Mapping Cult Cinema in Latin American Film Cultures,” Cinema Journal 54, no.1 (2014), 129-142.

Week 2: Audiences Day 6 (M, July 20): Cult Film Audiences → Synchronous • Gray, Sandvoss, and Harrington. “Why Study Fans?,” in Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated Era (2007), 1-16. • Mathijs and Sexton, “Fandom,” in Routledge Companion (2020), 253-256. Day 7 (T, July 21): Fan Cultures → Asynchronous • Watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman, 1975, United Kingdom). • Austin, “Portrait of A Cult Film Audience,” Journal of Communication 31, no.2 (1981), 43-54.

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Day 8 (W, July 22): Global Fandom → Synchronous • Staiger, “Cult Movies and Fan Interpretive Behaviors,” Reception: Texts, Readers, Audiences, History 1, no. 1 (2008), 43-69. o Recommended Reading: Harrington and Bielby, “Global Fandom/Global Fan Studies,” in Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World (2007), 179-197. Day 9 (TH, July 23): Cult Practices and Reception → Asynchronous • Watch Al-Risālah (The Message, Mustafa Akkad, 1976, Lebanon, Libya, Kuwait, Morocco, UK). Day 10 (F, July 24): Transnational Cult Experience → Synchronous • Smets, “Connecting Islam and Film Culture: The Reception of The Message (Al-Risālah) among the Moroccan Diaspora,” Participations 9, no.1 (2012), 68-86. o Recommended Reading: Pavlov and Khanova, “Transnational Experiences of Western Cult Cinema in Late Soviet and Early Post-Soviet Russia,” Transnational Cinemas 8, no. 1 (2017), 49-64.

Week 3: Texts and Contexts Day 11 (M, July 27): “Good” Bad Films → Synchronous • Mathijs and Sexton, “Camp and Paracinema,” Cult Cinema (2011), 86-96. • Singh, “The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Mockbuster,” Cinema Escapist (2018). • Eddy, “The Legendary Cult Movie Known as 'Turkish Star Wars' Now Has a Smashing New HD Scan,” Gizmodo (2018). o Recommended Viewing: Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (The Man Who Saves the World, 1982, Çetin Inanç, Turkey). Day 12 (T, July 28): Classic Cults → Asynchronous • Watch Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942, United States). • Eco, “Casablanca: Cult Movies and Intertextual Collage,” SubStance 14, no. 2 (1985), 3-12. Day 13 (W, July 29): Cult Classics → Synchronous • Work on your short paper #1. o Recommended Reading: Jerslev, “Semiotics by Instinct,” in Media Cultures (1992), 181- 198. Day 14 (TH, July 30): Cult and the City / Cult Potentials → Asynchronous → Short Paper 1 is due! ← • Watch In Bruges (Martin McDonagh, 2008, US, UK, Belgium). o Recommended Reading: Mathijs and Tabarraee, “Why Did In Bruges Win?,” cultsurvey (2011). o Recommended Reading: Stewart, “In Bruges: Cult Movie Comes to Life with a Tour of Shooting Locations,” Traveller (2019).

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Day 15 (F, July 31): Cult Genres? → Synchronous • Willis, “Spanish Horror and the Flight from Art Cinema, 1967-1973,” in Defining Cult Movies (2003), 71-83. • Hantke, “Cult Horror Cinema,” in The Routledge Companion (2020), 50-58.

Week 4: Functions Day 16 (M, Aug. 3): Autoethnography → Synchronous • Ellis, Adams, and Bochner, “Autoethnography: An Overview,” Historical Social Research 36, no. 4 (2011), 273-290. o Recommended Reading: Hills, “Autoethnography,” in Fan Cultures (2002), 43-52. Day 17 (T, Aug. 4): Cult and Transgressions → Asynchronous • Watch Mārmulak (The Lizard, Kamal Tabrizi, 2003, Iran). o Recommended Reading: Tabarraee, “Iranian Cult Cinema,” Routledge Companion (2020), 98-104. Day 18 (W, Aug. 5): The Double Feature → Synchronous • Half of the students (Group 1) → Telotte, “Beyond All Reason: The Nature of the Cult,” The Cult Film Experience (1991), 5-17. • Half of the students (Group 2) → Grant, “Second Thoughts on Double Features,” Unruly Pleasures: The Cult Film and Its Critics (2000), 12-27. Day 19 (TH, Aug. 6): Cult and Popular → Asynchronous → Short Paper 2 is due! ← • Watch The Chaos Class. o Recommended Reading: Behlil, “Close Encounters?: Contemporary Turkish Television and Cinema,” Wide Screen 10, no. 2 (2010), 1-14. Day 20 (F, Aug. 7): Cult and Subculture → Synchronous • Half of the students (Group 1) → Jancovich, “Cult Fictions: Cult Movies, Subcultural Capital and the Productions of Cultural Distinctions,” Cultural Studies 16, no. 2 (2002), 306-322. • Half of the students (Group 2) → Hills, “Cult Cinema and the ‘Mainstreaming’ Discourse of Technological Change: Revisiting Subcultural Capital in Liquid Modernity,” New Review of Film and Television Studies 13, no. 1 (2015), 100-121.

Week 5: Conclusions Day 21 (M, Aug. 10): Cult Cosmopolitanism? → Synchronous • Smith, “Cult Cosmopolitanism: The Transnational Reception of Bollywood as Cult Cinema,” Transnational Cinemas 8, no. 1 (2017), 20-34. Day 22 (T, Aug. 11): Cult Stars, Gender, and Ideology → Asynchronous → Final Proposal is due! ← • Watch Looking for Oum Kulthum (Shirin Neshat, 2017, Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, Germany, Austria, Italy, Lebanon, Qatar) o Recommended Reading: Elsaket, “The Star of the East: Umm Kulthum and Egyptian Cinema,” Stars in World Cinema (2015), 36-50.

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Day 23 (W, Aug. 12): Cult Voices → Synchronous • Guest Lecture by Dr. Claire Cooley.

Day 24 (TH, Aug. 13): Cult students! → Asynchronous → Revised Paper is due! ← • Work on Your Final Project and Paper Revision. o Recommended Viewing: Al-Irhāb wal Kabāb (Terrorism and Kebab, Sherif Arafa, 1992, Egypt). o Fun Reading: Kaabi, “9 Cult Arab Films You Need to Watch,” Mille (2020). Day 25 (F, Aug. 14): Last class → Synchronous • Conclusions. • Discussion about final projects. Monday, August 17: → Final Project is due by 1 pm Via Email to both the UT and the Instructor! ← *************************************************************************************

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