CL323 (34485), EUS347 (36595); GSD330 (38190) Prof. Lynn Wilkinson Spring 2021
Scandinavian Cinema since 1980: Crime, Passion, and Identity in Northern Europe
What does it mean to be a Scandinavian in the last decades of the twentieth and early twenty-first century? To what extent does film reflect or even construct a sense of national or transnational identity? This course will begin with two detective films which tie these issues to the presence of new groups of people within the borders of Scandinavia and to the links between contemporary Scandinavian culture and society and the European past. We will then turn to a recent comedy by Benedikt Erlingsson, before moving on to films by younger filmmakers in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Some, such as Lasse Hallström’s My Life as a Dog, Bille August’s Pelle the Conqueror, and Fischer Christensen’s Becoming Astrid, turn back to the past, at times nostalgically, at times critically. Others, such as Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration, turn a scathing eye on contemporary Scandinavian culture. Still others, such as Per Fly’s The Inheritance, Lars (von) Trier’s Dogville, and Susanne Bier’s Brothers, respond to economic and political crises of recent years.
This course carries the Global Cultures Flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING: One two-page paper (10%); one five-page paper (30%); twelve quizzes (50%), you may drop your two lowest grades. Class participation will count 15%.
Please note that late papers will not be accepted unless you have made arrangements with me in advance.
ATTENDANCE: This is a small class and your attendance and participation are important. If you are absent for more than five classes, your grade will go down by 1/3 of a grade for every subsequent absence – i.e. from B to B-, etc. It is also important that you come on time. If you are more than 15 minutes late, you will be counted absent for half of that class.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Please let me know by the third day of class at the latest if you have a disability that has been certified by SSD, Services for Students with Disabilities. See http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/resp_fac.php or the SSD website for more information.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: I will make accommodations for students who wish to observe religious holidays. Please let me know at least one class day in advance if you need such accommodation.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Your writing must be your own work. If you plagiarize, I will report you to Student Judicial Services and you will fail the entire class. Simple rule of thumb: “If you use words or ideas that are not your own you must cite your sources. Otherwise you will be guilty
1 of plagiarism.” If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please see the page on the Student Judicial website: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis_plagiarism.php
LEGAL MATTERS: Sharing of Course Materials is Prohibited: No materials used in this class, including, but not limited to, lecture hand-outs, videos, assessments (quizzes, exams, papers, projects, homework assignments), in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets, may be shared online or with anyone outside of the class unless you have my explicit, written permission. Unauthorized sharing of materials promotes cheating. It is a violation of the University’s Student Honor Code and an act of academic dishonesty. I am well aware of the sites used for sharing materials, and any materials found online that are associated with you, or any suspected unauthorized sharing of materials, will be reported to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students. These reports can result in sanctions, including failure in the course.
Class Recordings: Class recordings are reserved only for students in this class for educational purposes and are protected under FERPA. The recordings should not be shared outside the class in any form. Violation of this restriction by a student could lead to Student Misconduct proceedings.
Posting Student Work Online: I will be posting your first versions of your two papers on Canvas under the subsection “Student Papers” in “Files.”
TurnItIn All assignments in this course may be processed by TurnItIn, a tool that compares submitted material to an archived database of published work to check for potential plagiarism. Other methods may also be used to determine if a paper is the student's original work. Regardless of the results of any TurnItIn submission, the faculty member will make the final determination as to whether or not a paper has been plagiarized.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Bordwell and Thompson: Film Art: An Introduction. Available as an e-text on Amazon.
Recommended: Tytti Soila et al.: Nordic National Cinemas Routledge: ISBN-10: 0415081955 Available as an electronic resource Braudy and Cohen: Film Theory and Criticism. 6th edition Oxford Univ. Press: ISBN 10 0195158172 PN1994 M364 2004 Mette Hjort: Purity and Provocation: Dogme 95 British Film Institute PN1995.9 E96 P87 2003 Philip French: Wild Strawberries British Film Institute PN 1997 S63 F74 1995 Anna Westerståhl Stenport: Lucas Moodysson’s Show Me Love University of Washington Press, 2012 PN 1997 S4782 S74 2012
2 Claire Thompson: Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration University of Washington Press, 2013 Available online: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utexas/docDetail.action?docID=10808905 Mette Hjort: Lone Scherfig’s Italian for Beginners University of Washington Press, 2010 PN 1997 I51555 H56 2010 Björn Norðfjörð: Dagur Kári’s Nói the Albino University of Washington Press, 2010 PN 1997 N5255 N66 2010
FILMS: Oplev: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Amazon Prime) August: Smilla’s Sense of Snow (Amazon Prime) Erlingsson: Woman at War (Amazon Prime; Hulu) Axel: Babette’s Feast (Amazon Prime; Criterion) August: Pelle the Conqueror (Amazon Prime) Fischer Christensen: Becoming Astrid (Amazon Prime) Hallström: My Life as a Dog (Amazon Prime; Criterion) Vinterberg: The Celebration (YouTube) or Scherfig: Italian for Beginners (Amazon Prime) Moodysson: Together (Amazon Prime) Vinterberg: The Commune (Amazon Prime) Fly: The Inheritance (Amazon Prime) Bier: Brothers (Amazon Prime) Trier: Dogville (Amazon Prime) Kaurismäki: The Man without a Past (Amazon Prime) Bier: Love Is All You Need (YouTube Movies)
Useful websites: For background information concerning the films and filmmakers: http://www.imdb.com On Ingmar Bergman: http://www.ingmarbergman.se The Swedish Film Institute: http://sfi.se The Danish Film Institute: http://www.dfi.dk/english or http://www.dfi.dk
SYLLABUS
Week One: Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 4 Jan. 19 Introduction Jan. 21 Oplev: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Week Two Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 5
3 Jan. 26 How to Read a Film? The elements Oplev: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Jan. 28 August: Smilla’s Sense of Snow
Week Three Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 6 Feb. 2 August: Smilla’s Sense of Snow Feb. 4 Erlingsson: Woman at War Quiz 1
Week Four Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 3 Feb. 9 Erlingsson: Woman at War Feb. 11 Axel: Babette’s Feast Quiz 2
Week Five Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 7 Feb. 16 Axel: Babette’s Feast Recommended: Isak Dinesen: Babette’s Feast; “Sorrow-Acre”; Out of Africa Carl Theodor Dreyer: Ordet; Pollack: Out of Africa TWO-PAGE PAPER DUE ON CANVAS BY 11:59 pm Feb. 18 August: Pelle the Conqueror Quiz 3
Week Six Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 8; Feb. 23 August: Pelle the Conqueror Recommended: August: The Best Intentions, The House of the Spirits, Les Misérables Feb. 25 Fischer Christensen: Becoming Astrid Quiz 4. Week Seven Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 9 Mar. 2 Fischer Christensen: Becoming Astrid Mar. 4 Hallström: My Life as a Dog Quiz 5 Week Eight Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 11 Mar. 9 Hallström: My Life as a Dog Recommended: Hallström: The Cider House Rules; The Shipping News; Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Mar. 11 Moodysson: Together Quiz 6
S P R I N G B R E A K
Week Nine Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 1 Mar. 23 Moodysson: Together Recommended: Moodysson: Show Me Love; Lilya-4-Ever; Mammoth
4 Mar. 25 Vinterberg: The Celebration FIVE-PAGE PAPER DUE ON CANVAS BY 11:59 PM
Week Ten Reading: Bordwell and Thompson: Chapter 2 Mar. 30 Vinterberg: The Celebration Recommended: Vinterberg: The Hunt; Scherfig: Italian for Beginners April 1 Fly: The Inheritance Quiz 7
Week Eleven April 6 Fly: The Inheritance April 8 Trier: Dogville EXCEPT FOR THE QUIZ, THIS CLASS WILL BE DELIVERED ASYNCHRONOUSLY. Recommended: Trier: The Idiots; Dancer in the Dark, Melancholia Quiz 8
Week Twelve April 13 Trier: Dogville April 15 Bier: Brothers Quiz 9 Week Thirteen April 20 Bier: Brothers Recommended: Bier: Open Hearts, In a Better World, After the Fire April 22 Karismäki: The Man without a Past Quiz 10
Week Fourteen April 27 Karismäki: The Man without a Past Recommended: Le Havre April 29 Bier: Love is All You Need Quiz 11 Week Fifteen May 4 Bier: Love is All You Need LAST DAY TO TURN IN REWRITES; Post them on Canvas by 5 pm May 6 Quiz 12
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