ENGL A270 | HISTORY of FILM Fall 2021 | Tuesday & Thursday, 4:55-6
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ENGL A270 | HISTORY OF FILM Fall 2021 | Tuesday & Thursday, 4:55-6:10PM Bobet 216 Instructor: Mike Miley | [email protected] | 504.865.2286 Office hours: T/Th 4:15-4:45 PM, 6:15-7:15 PM and by appointment Course Description History of Film is an introduction to the rich and troubling history, impact, and legacy of the motion picture as a commercial narrative art form. The course begins with the creation of the medium in the 1890s and travels around the globe to reach our extremely uncertain and precarious present. Although the medium has developed tremendously throughout the decades due to advancements in style, technology, production, and exhibition, the course will strive to create a sense of continuity, showing how films speak to the legacy of cinema by pointing out the ways in which films influence each other and respond to films of the past. The course will pay particular attention to films and filmmakers who divert from or critique the dominant narratives and forms of film and film history to provide students with a fuller picture of cinema’s capabilities. The goal of the course is not only to educate students on the major figures and developments in cinema but also to expose them to the dynamic field they participate in as spectators and creators to give them the necessary context for a creative and compassionate life in the field. Students who successfully complete the course will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of major events, figures, and films in the history of cinema and will be comfortable with writing about film as a narrative art. Content Disclaimer This class contains content whose depictions of physical violence, racial prejudice, gender discrimination, homophobia, sexual situations, sexual assault, suicide, and other sensitive situations may be problematic or disturbing for some students. Please inform your instructor if you require further information about the course material or if you feel unable to participate in any or all of the requirements of the class. Course Materials Textbooks Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film. Any Edition. Dixon, Wheeler Winston and Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey. A Short History of Film. Third Edition. Rutgers UP, 2013. ISBN 978-0813595122 ($34.95) Films Prerequisite Viewing Star Wars (dir. George Lucas, USA, 1977) Pulp Fiction (dir. Quentin Tarantino, USA, 1994) Course Films All films will be streaming on the course’s Canvas page. Students will be expected to view these films prior to the class meetings to discuss them. Week 1 Early cinema mixtape Week 2 Within Our Gates (dir. Oscar Micheaux, USA, 1920, 79 min.) The Battleship Potemkin (dir. Sergei Eisenstein, USSR, 1925, 75 min.) Week 3 Modern Times (dir. Charles Chaplin, USA, 1936, 87 min.) Un Chien Andalou (dir. Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, France, 1929, 16 min.) Meshes of the Afternoon (dir. Maya Deren, USA, 1943, 14 min.) Week 4 Citizen Kane (dir. Orson Welles, USA, 1941, 119 min.) Week 5 Fireworks (dir. Kenneth Anger, USA, 1947, 15 min.) Bicycle Thieves (dir. Vittorio De Sica, Italy, 1948, 93 min.) Week 6 Rashomon (dir. Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1950, 88 min.) La Jetée (dir. Chris Marker, France, 1962, 28 min.) Week 7 Psycho (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1960, 109 min.) Week 8 MIDTERM BREAK Week 9 Cleo from 5 to 7 (dir. Agnes Varda, France, 1962, 90 min.) Daisies (dir. Vera Chytilová, Czech Republic, 1966, 74 min.) Week 10 Black Girl (dir. Ousmane Sembene, Senegal, 1966, 65 min.) The Color of Pomegranates (dir. Sergei Paradjanov, USSR, 1969, 74 min.) Week 11 Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (dir. William Greaves, USA, 1968, 75 min.) Killer of Sheep (dir. Charles Burnett, USA, 1978, 80 min.) Week 12 Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (dir. Chantal Akerman, Belgium, 1975, 201 min.) Week 13 Canoa: A Shameful Memory (dir. Felipe Cazals, Mexico, 1976, 115 min.) Week 14 The Watermelon Woman (dir. Cheryl Dunye, USA, 1996, 90 min.) Week 15 Unknown Pleasures (dir. Jia Zhang-ke, China, 2002, 112 min.) Week 16 Taxi (dir. Jafar Panahi, Iran, 2015, 82 min.) Objectives, Assessments, and Grade Percentages While the course is intended as an introduction to the field of film studies, writing is the skill that the course will emphasize most. In addition to being tested on film history, students will be asked to write and revise frequently, with the final goal being a paper where a student demonstrates their understanding of the scope of film history by being able to write a paper that effectively argues for a film’s place in cinema history. Objective Assessment Grade Percentage Ability to craft a cogent argument about a film & its contribution to the art form 4 Short essays 20% Ability to convincingly argue for a film’s importance to cinema by placing it in a historical context Final Paper 20% Ability to independently learn about a topic & communicate that knowledge to one’s peers Presentation (individual or group project) 20% Ability to engage with others in an interrogation of cinema style and history Engagement (Participation + Preparation) 10% Ability to demonstrate understanding of cinema history in a broad context Midterm & Final Exam 10% / 20% Grading scale: 100-90%=A; 92-90=A-;89-87=B+; 86-83=B; 82-80=B-; 79-77=C+; 76-73=C; 72-70=C-; 69-67=D+; 66-60=D; 59% and below = F Description of Assessments Short Essays Based upon your own further reflection and the discussions that we have in class, your understanding of film will deepen, and these assignments give you the opportunity to flesh out your thoughts and refine your writing voice and style. The central question three of these essays should address is: What did we not get to cover about the film that we should have? In other words, please continue our discussion by taking the conversation further, deeper, and to unexplored-but-essential territory. You can choose to discuss the film as a whole, a scene, a performance or element of the film (cinematography, production design, etc.), or an individual shot. Your last short essay will be a preliminary draft of your final paper. These essays should have: - a strong thesis statement that clearly articulates the interpretive claim the rest of the essay will argue. - strong topic sentences that direct each body paragraph. - specific evidence from the film to support your claims. These essays should not: - restate class discussion. - summarize the events of the film. - present/paraphrase outside research—these should be your thoughts. These essays should be double spaced, with the pages numbered in MLA format. These assignments should be around 500 words and are due in class every other week, although the due dates will be staggered, so pay close attention to when yours is due. Please write all of these essays in the same Google Doc that you’ll share with me. Please name the Google Doc “[LastName] [FirstName] Film Essays”. Presentation This can be a group project or an individual project. That’s your choice. While we cannot cover everything that has happened in film history, we can certainly try, and we will get closer to our goal if we share the load. You’ll pitch me on your Top 5 topics from a list I provide you with, along with you (and/or your group’s) reason for why you should be the one(s) to research that topic. From there, you’ll get lost in this area of film history and emerge from your journey ready to share your insights about it, along with its importance to film history, with the rest of the class in the form of a presentation. Your presentation can be delivered either in class or via Canvas. It should last no more than 8 minutes and should tell your peers what you have learned about your topic and what you think they need to know in order to put this topic in the context of film history. This presentation should resemble the type of analysis that we will do in class, so please spend more time on visual/thematic analysis and less on factual information. If there is a specific clip you’d like the class to see to prepare for your presentation, please send it to me in advance so I can share it on Canvas. Final Paper This 1,250-word (minimum) paper will grow out of your presentation. You’ll choose a film related to the topic that you’re covering for your presentation and discuss how the film represents the topic and contributes to cinema. (Films screened in class will not be allowed. Each member of the research group will study a different film.) In the paper, you will analyze the film and its ideas, giving special attention to how it fits into film history as you understand it. This paper is asking you for your thoughtful and considered opinion as well as your unique historical perspective and knowledge; support your opinion with evidence and insightful explanation. Show how this film taps into what came before it and uses its influences to alter the course of film. How is this film a game-changer, and why is its contribution so important for us to understand? Think of this paper as the culmination of what you learned in the class. You may incorporate outside sources into your argument if you like; however, this paper is not a summary of what others have said about the film: your insights into the film and your thoughts on its importance should drive the paper. You are welcome (and encouraged) to start writing this paper as early (and often) as you like.