SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS

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1 SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Voyage: Fall 2014 Discipline: Media Studies MDST 3502: Trans-Atlantic Film as History Upper Division Faculty Name: Reade Dornan Pre-requisites: None. COURSE DESCRIPTION Cinema strives to bear witness to the plurality and variety of human experience. Film selections for this course represent significant moments--sometimes violent, often intense--in the histories of the countries we are visiting. Most are award-winning dramas directed by in-country directors. We will discuss these films examining the "allconsuming images" that portray their social issues as well as historic turning points. Some are documentaries that open up discussion about countries in our itinerary. Writing assignments include a 2-3 page analysis of each film and a longer comparative essay based largely on film theory at the end of the course. The films will be screened outside of class time. COURSE OBJECTIVES To introduce the history and contemporary social issues for each film To deepen our understanding of the cultures we will be exploring To experience a variety of cinematic styles and techniques To develop skill in discussing and critiquing films To read and discuss film theory To enjoy award-winning films, most by in-country directors REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AUTHOR: Turner, Graeme TITLE: Film as Social Practice PUBLISHER: Routledge ISBN 13 # 978-: (paperback) or DATE/EDITION: Fourth Edition, 2009 TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE Depart Southampton- August 23: 1

2 A1- August 25: Course Introductions Topic: The Russian Tsars--Peter the Great, Catherine I & II and Tsar Nicholas and their incredible art collection *A2-August 27: The Russian Ark St. Petersburg: August *A3- September 1: Das Boot Topic: Battle at Sea during World War II Hamburg: September 2-5 *A4- September 7: Antonia's Line Topic: Feminism in Europe--four generations to 1995 Antwerp: September 8-10 Le Havre: September *A5-September 15: Ulysses-- June 16, 1904, Bloomsday (no review due of film) Topic: Overview of Joyce's novel and its significance Galway: September 16 In transit: September 17: Dublin: September *A6- September 21: The Butterfly Topic: The Spanish Civil War, 1936 Lisbon: September Cadiz: September A7-September 29: Islam (a PBS Documentary)--no review on the film is due Read: Chapters 2 & 3 in Film as Social Practice IV Topic: Film Practices in the Islamic Community Casablanca: October 1-4 *A8- October 5: Xala Topic: West African Independence from colonialism--ghana (1957), Senegal (1959) *A9- October 7: Camp de Thiaroye Topic: Clash between African and French troops at the end of WWII Study Day: October 8 A10- October 10: African Film: New Forms of Aesthetics and Politics (a documentary)-- 2

3 no film review due-- film is available in Virgo Read: Chapters 4 & 5 in Film as Social Practice IV Topic: Coded language and representation in film: how it works Tema: October A11- October 16: Truth and Reconciliation Commission 1995, (Bill Moyers' PBS Special)- -no review of film due Study Day: October 18 A12- October 19: Midterm Exam Cape Town: October A13- October 26: Latitude and Longitude (Cambridge University online video in Virgo) Topic: In-class film about sea navigation (no review is due) Study Day: October 28: *A14- October 29: The Endurance (1993 film) Topic: Shackleton's adventure *A15- October 31: Motorcycle Diaries Topic: Che Guevara in South America Study Day: November 2 A16-November 3: Our Disappeared (a documentary) (no review of film due) Topic: Argentina's Political History ( ) and prep for Field Lab Buenos Aires: November 5-7: FIELD TRIP TO TOUR THE JEWISH SECTIONS OF BUENOS AIRES AND INVESTIGATE THEIR LINKS TO THE DISAPPEARED" Montevideo: November 8-10 *A17-November 11: The Mission Topic: 17th c. Conflict between the Spanish and the Portuguese in South America *A18- November 13: City of God Topic: Present day Rio, based on the true story of a boy trying to escape the Favella 3

4 Rio de Janeiro: November A19- November 18: Read Chapter 6 in Film as Social Practice IV Topic-- Is there "truth" in filmic narrative? What role(s) does ideology play? *A20- November 20: Aguirre: The Wrath of God Topic: A19th c. attempt at colonialism in South America Study Day- November 21 *A21- November 23: (Enter Amazon): 1492 Topic: Columbus' discovery of San Salvador e (and Dominica) Manaus- November Study Day- November 28 *A22- November 29: (Exit Amazon): Strawberry and Chocolate Topic: First Cuban Film released in the United States in Beginning in 1979, it helped to create shifts in attitude toward the LGBT community in Cuba and the U.S. A23- December 1: Preparation for the final exam. Discussion--What makes a good historical film? List as many criteria as you can think of. When does the need for accuracy let us down? How does it happen? How do the "all-consuming images" manipulate us? What makes a "true" representation of a people and its history? Do the ideologies of social practices spoil the aesthetic experience Roseau- December 4-6 December 7: study day A24-December 8 (All Day Finals): Due: the 5-7 page paper analysis that discusses two or more of the films AND the Field Lab experience. METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC To earn a passing grade in this class, students must accomplish ALL of the basic assignments as listed below: pass an in-class quiz on each of the Turner reading assignments (three quizzes in total) with a "D" or better pass the mid-term exam with a "D" or better 4

5 participate fully in the field trip and write about it in a 2-3 page paper complete an acceptable 5-7 page paper, applying film theory to 2 or more films maintain regular attendance (only 2 unexcused absences) To earn a D in this class, students must also write 2-3 page responses to 9 films To earn a C in this class, students must also write 2-3 page responses to 10 films To earn a B in this class, students must also write 2-3 page responses to 11 films To earn an A in this class, students must also write 2-3 page responses to 12 films All papers and exams are graded on a pass/fail basis. To receive a "pass," the papers should engage with the films in ways that demonstrate a thoughtful, critical understanding of them. No summaries will be accepted for credit, nor will warmed-over reviews based on material in the Internet. Effort counts. Papers should be well written and "original" with the author (see statement on plagiarism below). The final project should likewise be serious, reflecting on the Field Trip and demonstrating the uses of film theory for critiquing historically based films. ATTENDANCE: You are permitted TWO absences without question. Please save those days for emergencies-- heavy study schedule, external activities, long shore time-- allow excused absences ONLY for serious illness accompanied by a doctor's excuse or an equally serious event. Excess absences reduce your final grade in the course by a half grade (-.5) for each time missed beyond the allotted one. Skipping a film screening may mean you forfeit credit for that assignment. If you are having problems attending the class or viewing the films, please discuss new arrangements with me. The Honor System assumes that you do your own thinking, reading, and writing in this course. Plagiarism is the use of material that is in part or whole not entirely your own work without crediting those same portions to the original source. You must credit ALL ideas, sequences of ideas, wording, facts, opinions and any other intellectual property to the person or group of people who generated them. This applies to taking material verbatim from the Internet and to short phrases that you might borrow from another source as well as to full length sentences or whole paragraphs. Failure to treat your information sources honestly is a serious breach of academic protocol and could lead to failure in the whole course. If you have any doubt about how to treat your sources honestly, please ask me to read your paper before you hand it in for credit. LATE PAPERS are accepted only in case of very serious illness or if unmanageable circumstances, such as the ship's schedule, makes the deadline too difficult to meet. You glean little benefit from a personal response paper after the class discussion, therefore papers are due at the BEGINNING of class. Field Work 5

6 Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Please do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of our field lab. FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.) Proposed Field Lab #1: Title: Tour of the Jewish Sections of Buenos Aires Port: Buenos Aires Academic Objectives: 1. To learn more about Argentina's history--the contributions of the Jewish community to the country, the actual life of Eva Peron and the Peronistas, Argentina today in its current cultural climate. 2. To focus on the very sensitive time in Argentina, the troubling period of To debunk some of the myths planted by the Rice/Webber musical Evita. 4. To write about the links between The Disappeared and the tour. 5. To expand our understanding of Argentine cinema and its development. Field Lab Description: The Field Lab begins with the screening of Juan Mandlebaum's film The Disappeared. The point of it is to help students visualize an unforgettable part of Argentine history that was not covered broadly in the U.S. press. What little we Americans know about this period, we take from a musical about Peron's second wife Eva. We will spend the day onshore visiting key sites in both the Jewish communities and those connected with the politics of the "disappeared, which made a significant impact on the lives of educated Jews in Buenos Aires. We will end the day with a visit to Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva is interred, and personal journal entries. Associated Assignments: At the end of the semester, students will incorporate this day's experience in their discussions of the contributions (or distractions) that history makes to great cinema. Proposed Field Lab #2: Trip to the Hermitage Port: St. Petersburg Academic Objectives: 1. Compare personal experience to the representation of the Hermitage in the film, The Russian Ark. Evaluate the benefit of period costume and orchestra to enhance one's grasp of the Palace's role in the Tsarist era and later. 2. Visualize the extravagance of the Tsarist era before the Russian Revolution 3. Clarify any gaps in understanding about the fate of the Hermitage and the Tsar's family following the Russian Revolution. 4. Appreciate the scope and significance of artwork in the Hermitage today. 6

7 Field Lab Description: The Hermitage is remarkable for its treasures and its place in Russian history. It is a must-see for visitors to St. Petersburg. Its immensity makes the Palace and its complex roles--as home to the Tsars, as an art museum, as a public venue--difficult to comprehend in full. The class will review the history of the Tsars and discuss the many roles of the Hermitage before we land in St. Petersburg. Seeing The Russian Ark should also contribute to an understanding of its art and symbolic importance. The tour of the Palace will follow a two-day preparation. Back on the ship, students will write about the Hermitage, not as a whole, but by selecting one small part of the experience that stands in their mind for the whole. Associated Assignments: At the end of the semester, students will evaluate the contributions of historical material to the making of a great cinema. They will be asked to include comments about The Russian Ark and its value as a representative comment on Russian history. RESERVE LIBRARY LIST AUTHOR: Berger, John TITLE: Ways of Seeing PUBLISHER: BBC ISBN: DATE/EDITION: 1972 (a newer edition is fine too) AUTHOR: Hall, Stuart, ed. TITLE: Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices PUBLISHER: Sage Press ISBN: DATE/EDITION: 1997 or latest edition AUTHORS: Sturken, Marita and Lisa Cartwright TITLE: Practices of Looking: an Introduction to Visual Culture PUBLISHER: Oxford UP ISBN: DATE/EDITION: 2001 HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. 7

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SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor

SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor Voyage: Fall 2014 Discipline: Drama SEMS 2500-104: Theatre Around the Atlantic Division: Lower Faculty Name: Reade Dornan Credit