Tufts Summer Session I - 2020 S. E. King [email protected]
ENG 0191–A The Childhood Canon and Disney
children guessed, but only a few, and down they forgot as up they grew –e. e. cummings
Syllabus
Wk. 1: Nursery Rhymes Revisited MAY 21(TH) INTRO: TROPES, TYPES, ARCHETYPES AND STEREOTYPES VIEW: MICKEY MOUSE MONOPOLY: DISNEY, CHILDHOOD AND CORPORATE POWER https://vimeo.com/ondemand/12335 (preview) Access: Tufts Library: Kanopy (stream) DUE: TAKE NOTES ON VIDEO; 3 TALKING POINTS
Wk. 2: Fairy Tales, Freud and Feminism MAY 26(T) WICKED STEPMOTHERS AND CHARMING PRINCES READING: THE BROTHERS GRIMM (SELECTIONS) BRUNO BETTELHEIM, THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT (SELECTION) WARNER, FROM THE BEAST TO THE BLONDE (SELECTION) MOVIE: SNOW WHITE RESEARCH: CINDERELLA(LIVE ACTION); TANGLED DUE: TWO PAGE JOURNAL APPLYING READINGS TO FILM VIEWED
MAY 28(TH) BOYHOOD, MOTHERHOOD, AND “THE RIDDLE OF EXISTENCE” READING: J. M. BARRIE, PETER PAN FILM: PETER PAN (ORIGINAL DISNEY ANIMATED VERSION) RESEARCH: NEVERLAND; LIVE ACTION VERSIONS OF PP; OR HOOK DUE: TALKING POINTS ON THE PETER PAN PARADIGM (GENDER ROLES/GENDER FLUIDITY)
Wk. 3: Revising the Classics JUNE 2(T) SAVING MARY POPPINS READING: P. L. TRAVERS, MARY POPPINS [ AND ARTICLES ON CANVAS] DUE: DIRECTED JOURNAL ON MARY POPPINS (PROTO-FEMINISM AND MARXISM LITE)
June 4(TH) WELL DONE OR RATHER STUPID? MOVIE: MARY POPPINS (ORIGINAL DISNEY LA/ANIM.) RESEARCH: SAVING MR. BANKS; MARY POPPINS RETURNS READING: NYT OP-ED: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/movies/mary-poppins-returns-blackface.html DUE: JOURNAL: MEANINGFUL CHANGES IN THE SCREEN ADAPTATION (CLASS, GENDER)
Wk. 4: Parental Discretion Advised JUNE 9(T) KIDDIE COLONIALISM AND DISNEY CONTROVERSIES READINGS: MME. BEAUMONT, “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” KOHL, “SHOULD WE BURN BABAR” MOVIE: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LIVE ACTION REMAKE) RESEARCH: ARIEL DORFMAN, THE EMPIRE’S OLD CLOTHES (REFERENCE) WELLS, “NEW DISNEY, OLD STORIES?” (REFERENCE) DUE: JOURNAL ON: B&B—FROM STOCKHOLM SYNDROME TO FEMINIST BELLE
JUNE 11(TH) WOMAN, NATIVE, OTHER MOVIE: POCAHONTAS READ: KILPATRICK, “DISNEY’S POLITICALLY CORRECT POCAHONTAS” RESEARCH: POCAHONTAS I; MOANA; MULAN; LILO AND STITCH; ALADDIN DUE: JOURNAL: HISTORY AND “EXOTIC” OTHERS
DUE BY 3PM SUNDAY, 6/14: TWO PARAGRAPH FINAL PAPER PROPOSAL (1 PAGE)
Wk. 5: Proud Patriarchs and Primogeniture
JUNE 16 (T) A MODERN FABLE: DEATH AND DEITY READING: FELIX SALTEN, BAMBI RESEARCH: WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS; TYRUS MOVIE: BAMBI DUE: JOURNAL: LOSS AND SOLITUDE IN THE AGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS
JUNE 18 (TH) INTERTEXTUALITY AND UPGRADES: BAMBI, KIMBA, OEDIPUS, HAMLET MOVIE: THE LION KING RESEARCH: THE LION KING, LA/CGI; KIMBA THE WHITE LION;TOTORO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfJvKIDS9n8 DUE: JOURNAL: SHOULD WE BOW DOWN TO THE LION KING?
Wk. 6: Fairy Tales Revisited JUNE 23(T) SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE : POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS AND POST-PRINCESS DISNEY READING: HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (SELECTIONS) MOVIE: FROZEN RESEARCH: FROZEN II; SAMI BLOOD (2016); MALEFICENT DUE: JOURNAL: FEMALE EMPOWERMENT NARRATIVES
JUNE 25(TH) AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER STUDENT-LED DISCUSSION/PRESENTATIONS DUE : FINAL PAPER (10 PAGES)
COURSE GUIDELINES
1. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COURSE IS TO FAMILIARIZE STUDENTS WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL METHODOLOGIES AND STRATEGIES FOR READING, VIEWING, DISCUSSING AND WRITING ABOUT LITERARY, CRITICAL AND VISUAL TEXTS IN A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT. THEREFORE, A CLOSE, CRITICAL READING OF EACH TEXT WHEN IT IS ASSIGNED AND A FRESH VIEWING OF EACH ASSIGNED FILM IS ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOPING YOUR OWN CRITICAL LENS AND FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE COURSE.
2. STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WRITE EITHER A JOURNAL OR TALKING POINTS AS INDICATED IN RESPONSE TO ASSIGNED MATERIALS. JOURNALS AND TALKING POINTS SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY 5:00 ON THE DAY SPECIFIED (TUES. OR THURSDAY) UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT.
3. SOME CLASSES HAVE ADDITIONAL READINGS OR FILMS LISTED AS “RESEARCH”—THESE ARE NOT REQUIRED AS PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT, BUT PROVIDE CONTEXT THAT MIGHT BE USED IN DISCUSSIONS OR FOR THE FINAL PAPER.
4. THE FINAL PROJECT IS A 10 PAGE PAPER WITH A SHORT CLASS PRESENTATION (SUBJECT TO CHANGE).
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH STUDENT FEEDBACK, AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO MAXIMIZE THE NEW ON-LINE FORMAT.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
ALL TEXTS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON CANVAS. STUDENTS WILL NEED TO OBTAIN ACCESS TO DISNEY+, EITHER THROUGH A FREE TRIAL OFFER, AS AN ADD-ON (TO VERIZON OR HULU, FOR EXAMPLE), OR BY PURCHASING A MONTH-LONG SUBSCRIPTION (CURRENTLY $6.99).