<p> HRS 180: THE FILM, SECTION 1 DR. PHILIP C. DIMARE FALL 2007 MENDOCINO HALL 1003; THURSDAYS, 6:00-8:50</p><p>OFFICE: BENICIA 1011 OFFICE HOURS: MW: 1:00-3:45; Thursday: 4:00-5:30, or by appointment OFFICE PHONE: 278-5040 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/d/dimarep/</p><p>Why go to all the trouble to figure out underlying meanings when you can just sit back and watch the show. In-depth exploration can make watching films more interesting, more fun, and more useful. Almost all movies contain many more ideas and much more information than comes across on a superficial viewing. As with all the arts, the more you discover and understand about the aesthetic principles governing the work, the richer your experience of that work will be. And finally, a close examination leads to an understanding of how the media use values, social expectations, and widely shared beliefs and structures to affect viewers.</p><p>Margo Kasdan, et al, The Critical Eye: An Introduction to Movies</p><p>Catalogue Description: An introduction to the esthetics of cinema with special attention to the evolution of a critical theory of cinema within the framework of twentieth century arts and ideas. Note: Fulfills 3 units of credit for General Education, C2.</p><p>Course Description and Objectives: By way of a critical examination of film, this course seeks to allow students to become more than passive viewers of movies. As Richard Barsam points out in Looking at Movies, “[e]verything we see on the movie screen—everything that engages our senses, emotions, and minds—results from hundreds of decisions affecting the interrelations of formal cinematic elements: narrative, composition, design, cinematography, acting, editing, and sound.” What Barsam is suggesting here is that filmmaking is a collaborative effort, which it surely is. This course, however, will follow the arguments laid out by a number of French and American film critics and filmmakers who argued that the key figure in the creation of a “movie” is the director, or “auteur.” Using this notion that the director is the “author” of the film as a point of departure, then, this course asks students to “look at movies with an understanding and appreciation of how 2 filmmakers make the decisions that help them tell a story and create the foundation for its meaning.” Focusing on five prominent American filmmakers, Arthur Penn, Oliver Stone, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Altman, we will explore the role of these directors as auteurs, or authors of their films. Our filmic exploration of these artists will help us understand both the ideological notions and technical elements that are woven through their work. This will allow us to hone our analytical skills, while making our filmic experiences both more meaningful and more pleasurable. </p><p>Required Reading: Margo Kasdam: The Critical Eye: An Introduction to Looking at Movies Robert Kolker: A Cinema of Loneliness Robert Kolker: “The Auteur Theory” (Handout taken from Form, Form, and Culture)</p><p>Films: Citizen Kane The Chase Bonnie and Clyde Platoon U Turn Dr. Stranglove Full Metal Jacket Raging Bull After Hours Mash The Player</p><p>Requirements: 1) Students are required to do all the reading and demonstrate that they understand the material. 2) You will take two in-class essay exams in which you discuss the films we have viewed (See exam schedule). You will be given exam prompts at least one week before the exam. Each exam will be worth fifty (50) points for a total of one hundred (100) points. (Essay exams will be graded by Graduate Assistant, Ms. Annie Muehlenbruch.) 3) You will write a 4-5 page paper discussing a film(s) by one of the directors whose films we have viewed (Papers due during Finals Week). You must choose a film that has not been viewed in class to discuss in you paper. This paper will be worth 100 points. (Final paper will be graded by Dr. DiMare.) An extensive prompt for this paper will be given two weeks before it is due. 4) Although I will not take roll, it is highly recommended that you come to class and participate in class discussions. Although lack of participation will not hurt you, it may influence, in a very positive way, my decision concerning final grades 5) You will have the option of writing an extra-credit essay at the end of the term. 6) Essays should be stylistically appropriate and grammatically sound when submitted. The instructor must approve late papers; there will be a one-grade penalty on late papers. I will be happy to read any drafts you may write before your essays are due. I will also be happy to discuss any of the course material with you; so do not hesitate to come to my office. 3</p><p>GRADING: Exam Dates Exams: 100 points First Exam: Thursday, October 4 Paper: 100 points Second Exam: Thursday, November 8 Total: 200 points Paper Due Date Thursday, December 20 GRADE BREAKDOWN: 200-190: A 189-180: A- 179-176: B+ 175-170: B 169-160: B- 159-156: C+ 155-150: C 149-140: C- 139-136: D+ 135-130: D 129-120: D- 119-0: F</p><p>ELECTRONIC DEVICES POLICIES: Cell Phones are not permitted for use in classroom during class sessions unless there is an emergency. This includes listening to messages, texting, e-mailing, etc. Turn phones to vibrate when you enter the room. If you are using a Cell Phone in the classroom during a class session you will be asked to leave the room for the rest of the session. You may use a computer in class to take notes or to check relevant course material. If you have other work to do on your computer or simply want to play games or watch videos, do those things somewhere else!</p><p>ACADEMIC HONESTY: The Sac State Catalogue says the following about Academic Honesty: The principles of truth and honesty are recognized as fundamental to a community of scholars and teachers. California State University, Sacramento expects that faculty, staff, and students will honor these principles, and in so doing, will protect the integrity of academic work and student grades. Students are expected to know and abide by university policy about cheating, including plagiarism. The entire document, Policies and Procedures Regarding Academic Honesty, may be found on the university’s web site. Cheating will not be tolerated in this course. If you cheat by using disallowed sources, copying from someone else’s paper, or plagiarizing, you will receive a failing grade for the course. You are also subject to being expelled from the university. 4</p><p>Course Outline: Week One: September 6: Introduction Film: TBA</p><p>Week Two: September 13 Film: Citizen Kane Read: Looking at Movies (Entire Text) “The Auteur Theory”</p><p>Week Three: September 20 Film: The Chase Read: A Cinema of Loneliness “Introduction” Chapter One: Body’s Montage; History’s Mise-en-scène Arthur Penn and Oliver Stone (Read section on Penn, pp.17-62)</p><p>Week Four: September 27 Film: Bonnie and Clyde </p><p>Week Five: October 4 Review and First Essay Exam</p><p>Week Six: October 11 Film: Platoon Read: A Cinema of Loneliness Chapter One: Body Montage; History’s Mise-en-scène Arthur Penn and Oliver Stone (Read section on Stone, pp. 62-96)</p><p>Week Seven: October 18 Film: U Turn</p><p>Week Eight: October 25 Film: Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Read: A Cinema of Loneliness Chapter Two: Tectonics of the Mechanical Man Stanley Kubrick</p><p>Week Nine: November 1 Film: Full Metal Jacket</p><p>Week Ten: November 8 Review and Second Essay Exam</p><p>Week Eleven: November 15 Film: Raging Bull Read: A Cinema of Loneliness 5</p><p>Chapter Three: Expressions of the Streets Martin Scorsese NO CLASS SESSION ON NOVEMBER 22, THANKSGIVING BREAK</p><p>Week Thirteen: November 29 Film: After Hours</p><p>Week Fourteen: December 6 Film: Mash Read: A Cinema of Loneliness Chapter Five: Radical Surfaces Robert Altman</p><p>Week Fifteen: December 13 Film: The Player</p><p>Week Sixteen: December 20 Paper Due Date: December 20 (No in-class essay exam)</p>