Communication 224: Film History and Analysis Spring 2016 BRN 106 Tuesdays 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Transcription

1 1 Communication 224: Film History and Analysis Spring 2016 BRN 106 Tuesdays 12:30-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Dr. Amy Darnell Office: St. Clair 230 Phone number: (573) Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 a.m., M 12:00-2:00 p.m., and by appointment Website: Columbia College Film: Course Description: Introduction to the world history of cinema from its origins to the present, featuring important and influential films of various types and genres from several countries. Basic formal and technical aspects of the medium and means of analysis are also introduced. Prerequisite: COMM 110. Course meets Multicultural Graduation Requirement. G.E. (Columbia College Undergraduate Catalog). Course Objectives: Once described as the ultimate art, films use all of the traditional forms of art (music, literature, painting) to create a wholly powerful medium. This class, through careful attention to a constantly emerging art form, traces the evolution of the film. By screening significant cultural and artistic contributions by some of the industry s most influential figures, we can better understand the art and skill of filmmaking. Course Goals: v To become familiar with the basic timeline of cinema, from its origins to the present v To acquire basic formal vocabulary and methods associated with film production, analysis, and appreciation. v To analyze films in terms of form and content. v To view historically significant films. v To view films as social, cultural, and artistic artifacts. COURSE SCHEDULE January 12 Course introduction, expectations, grading, etc. Screen Singin in the Rain (1952) 19 The Birth of Cinema: pages xi to 17 Screen early shorts by Edison, Lumière, Méliès, et al Quiz 1 (class material 1/12 and 1/19) 26 Beginnings of the Classical Style and Narrative Expansion: Chapters 3 and 4 Screen Nickelodeon/Griffith shorts February 2 Hollywood and Silent Film: Chapters 5 and 6 Screen The Gold Rush (1925) 9 German Golden Age: Chapter 7 Screen The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Quiz 2 (class material 1/26, 2/2, 2/9)

2 2 16 Soviet Cinema & Editing: Chapter 10 Screen Battleship Potemkin (1925) 23 Writing about Film: Chapters 1-4 of Corrigan Screen film and video clips March 1 The Classical Hollywood Tradition: Chapters 11, 12, and 14 Screen Citizen Kane (1941) 3-6 Quiz 3 (class material 2/16, 2/23, 3/1) 8 Classical Hollywood Tradition, continued: Chapter 9 15 Post-War Hollywood: Chapter 9; Ch. 5 Corrigan Screen Rear Window (1954) 22 Post-War Europe and Neorealism: Chapters 15, 18, and 19 Screen The Bicycle Thief (1947) Film Analysis Papers Due 29 Spring Break NO CLASS March 31- April 3 Quiz 4 (class material 3/8, 3/15, 3/22) April 5 National Cinemas: Chapters 16 and 21 Screen Tokyo Story (1951) 12 The American Renaissance: Chapter Screen Midnight Cowboy (1969) 19 Contemporary National Cinemas: Chapter 29 Screen A Separation (2011) Quiz 5 (class material 4/5, 4/12, 4/19) 26 Contemporary Film: Chapters Screen Drive (2011) at Ragtag Cinemacafe Wednesday, May 4 FINAL EXAM 10-12:00 p.m. Required Materials Corrigan, Timothy J. A Short Guide to Writing About Film. 9 th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, Rausch, Andrew J. Turning Points in Film History. New York: Citadel P Books, Recommended Materials Parkinson, David. 100 Ideas that Changed Film. London, England: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., 2012.

3 3 Online databases are available at: You may access them from off-campus using your eservices login and password when prompted. Students are expected to use respected research sources. Wikipedia.com, About.com, and the dictionary are not considered such sources. For specific film related information consider the following websites: The International Movie Database The Media History Project Yahoo! Movies ScreenSite Course Policies: 1. Students who are belligerent, insubordinate, disrespectful, and/or disruptive to the classroom environment can be dropped without a course warning. Student behavior includes all electronic communication occurring due to the class. Full and complete compliance with the Student Conduct Code (found in the CC Undergraduate Catalog) is expected. 2. Late work will not be accepted. Work is due at the beginning of class. 3. Exams cannot be made up. 4. All written assignments must be typed, double-spaced, stapled, follow the format given in the syllabus, and use the MLA style of citation. 5. Work is not accepted via It is possible to receive zero credit for any given assignment if the work is of poor quality. This also includes papers and/or outlines returned to the student ungraded. 7. Cell phones are not to be used during class. I understand that you may use the light from the phone to take notes during the course. Be mindful that if you are texting or surfing during class that you are in violation of course policy and will receive an appropriate punishment. 8. If after an assignment is graded and returned, you are not satisfied with the grading of a particular question or section, you must submit a written document explaining your appeal no earlier than 24 hours, and no later than 7 days after the item has been returned. This appeal will not be accepted via . Grades are not GIVEN, they are EARNED. Consult the course grading policy at professordarnell.com/courses for explicit grading procedures in this class. 9. Students with documented disabilities that may need classroom academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, or services are required to register with the ADA Coordinator, 214 Atkins-Holman Student Commons, phone # Food brought to class must not be a distraction to other class members and the instructors. Students can be asked to leave class if their fare is a distraction in any way. 11. Even though Columbia College allows the professor to give a grade of W after the end of the official drop date, I will not practice this policy. The grade you are earning at the end of the semester will be the grade reported. 12. Columbia College Athletes must provide a detailed schedule (including departure and return times) by the second week of classes. This is to insure that assignments can be met given the amount of time lost to travel. 13. Final exams are to be taken at the time designated in the syllabus, as determined by the Academic Affairs office. The appropriate professors must clear any change in the examination time. 14. Any revisions to the syllabus will be in writing and handed out in class.

4 4 Attendance: In today s job market, employers are increasingly vocal about their dissatisfaction with the manners of college graduates. This dissatisfaction affects the ability of these graduates to retain and advance in their jobs. I take it as part of my responsibility, as an instructor, to prepare you for professional behavior by encouraging and requiring it in our classroom. As a communication class, success does not occur unless the class, on the whole, communicates. Each day I will take roll at the beginning of class. For this one-day-aweek course, you are allowed 1 unquestioned absence. This includes excused and unexcused absences you do not need to tell me why you are absent. Any absences over the 1 will result in a loss of 10 points per absence. You are all adults and will be treated that way if your dog dies and you choose not to come to class you can make that decision. Pointedly, the campus nurse does not excuse you from class, and it most certainly does not excuse you from a quiz. I do not accept notes from physicians to excuse absences. Use your absences wisely. In that same vein, leaving early and arriving late disturbs the classroom environment for the other tuition-paying students and the instructor. Therefore, travel reservations and doctor appointments should not be made during this time. If you do leave early or arrive late, I will note that. Any 3 notations will equal one absence. Ten total absences will result in a zero (0) for the participation/citizenship portion of your grade. I want you to have a positive experience in this class. To that end, I try to be supportive in our interpersonal interactions. I ask you to not mistake me being a nice person for me being a doormat. You are responsible for all information given on days when absences occur. If you come to class late during a screening, BE AS QUIET AS POSSIBLE!!!! COURSE ASSIGNMENTS Film Analysis Paper 100 points. Students will choose one Academy Award winning Best Picture film and write a 5-6 page paper analyzing its cinematic style based on discussion and readings in class. Films will be reserved on a first come, first serve basis. Students much choose a film made before their birth. All written work will be submitted to the course dropbox for this course. Quizzes 50 points each, 5 total. These quizzes test your knowledge of readings in the text and class discussions. All quizzes will be online and will open Thursdays at 11 p.m. and close Sundays at 11 p.m. The quiz itself will only be open for 30 minutes. Final Exam 100 points. This comprehensive exam locates your overall knowledge of film history and analysis. Participation and Attendance 100 points total. Much like films themselves, this class will be a hit or flop depending upon class participation and contribution. This course is dependent upon the exchange of ideas and experience, and peer critique. Therefore, your participation and positive citizenship in this course is fully expected. To receive an average participation grade of 75% a student will regularly contribute to a positive learning environment in class. Staying current in all readings is critical to positive class discussions. Be kind of your fellow students. Don t be one of those people that is noisy and distracting during screenings. A MAGNIFICENT! Much more quality than is expected from a student at this level. Superlative work.

5 5 B GOOD WORK! Work done above the average for students at this level. Only 1 or 2 minor flaws. Above average work. C OKAY! Average quality that is expected from students at this level. Few minor flaws. Met the normal expectations in work. D MISSING SOME PIECES! Below the average work for students at this level. Many minor flaws or a major flaw. F WHAT HAPPENED???? Work that is completely below average for students at this level. Many major and minor flaws. Grading Scale Quizzes 250 points A % Final Exam 100 points B % Film Analysis Paper 100 points C % Participation 100 points D % F 59-0 % Total 550 points Written work should: - Have clear, coherent ideas - Exert critical thinking - Explain a creative process - Exhibit comprehension and use of concepts from class discussions - Be memorable PPPP Academy Award Winning Film Production Company 1928 Wings Paramount Famous Laskey Sunrise Fox 1929 The Broadway Melody Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front Universal 1931 Cimarron RKO Radio 1932 Grand Hotel MGM 1933 Cavalcade Fox 1934 It Happened One Night Columbia 1935 Mutiny on the Bounty MGM 1936 The Great Ziegfeld MGM 1937 The Life of Emile Zola Warner Bros You Can t Take It With You Columbia 1939 Gone With the Wind MGM 1940 Rebecca Selznick International Pictures 1941 How Green Was My Valley 20 th Century Fox 1942 Mrs. Miniver MGM 1943 Casablanca Warner Bros Going My Way Paramount 1945 The Lost Weekend Paramount 1946 The Best Years of Our Lives Samuel Goldwyn Productions 1947 Gentleman s Agreement 20 th Century Fox 1948 Hamlet J. Arthur Rank Two Cities Film 1949 All the King s Men Robert Rossen Productions 1950 All About Eve 20 th Century Fox 1951 An American in Paris MGM

6 1952 The Greatest Show on Earth Paramount 1953 From Here to Eternity Columbia 1954 On the Waterfront Columbia 1955 Marty United Artists (UA) 1956 Around the World in 80 Days UA 1957 The Bridge Over the River Kwai Columbia 1958 Gigi MGM 1959 Ben-Hur MGM 1960 The Apartment UA 1961 West Side Story UA 1962 Lawrence of Arabia Columbia 1963 Tom Jones UA/Lopert 1964 My Fair Lady Warner Bros The Sound of Music 20 th Century Fox 1966 A Man for All Seasons Columbia 1967 In the Heat of the Night UA 1968 Oliver! Columbia 1969 Midnight Cowboy UA 1970 Patton 20 th Century Fox 1971 The French Connection 20 th Century Fox 1972 The Godfather Paramount 1973 The Sting Universal 1974 The Godfather, Part II Paramount 1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest UA 1976 Rocky UA 1977 Annie Hall UA 1978 The Deer Hunter Universal 1979 Kramer vs. Kramer Columbia 1980 Ordinary People Paramount 1981 Chariots of Fire Warner Bros Gandhi Columbia 1983 Terms of Endearment Paramount 1984 Amadeus Orion 1985 Out of Africa Universal 1986 Platoon Orion 1987 The Last Emperor Columbia 1988 Rain Man UA 1989 Driving Miss Daisy Warner Bros Dances with Wolves Orion 1991 The Silence of the Lambs Orion 1992 Unforgiven Warner Bros Schindler s List Universal 1994 Forrest Gump Paramount 1995 Braveheart Paramount 1996 The English Patient Miramax 1997 Titanic Paramount 1998 Shakespeare in Love Miramax 1999 American Beauty Dreamworks SKG 2000 Gladiator Dreamworks SKG 2001 A Beautiful Mind Dreamworks SKG 2002 Chicago Miramax 2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King New Line Cinema 2004 Million Dollar Baby Warner Bros Crash Lions Gate 2006 The Departed Warner Bros. 6

7 2007 No Country for Old Men Miramax/Paramount Vantage 2008 Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight/Warner Bros The Hurt Locker Summit Entertainment 2010 The King s Speech The Weinstein Co The Artist The Weinstein Co Argo Warner Bros Twelve Years a Slave Fox Searchlight 2014 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Fox Searchlight 7

8 8 COMM 224: Film Notes Date Screened: Title Year Filmmaker(s) Information about filmmaker: Notable actors/characters: Description of film: How this film relates to the reading for this week:

9 9 ACADEMIC HONESTY & ACCOUNTABILITY CONTRACT FOR DR. DARNELL S CLASSES Aristotle believed that we are persuaded by three artistic proofs. One of these proofs is ethos, or the ethical character of a speaker. This class is based upon full and just ethical treatment of all academic work. It is not enough to speak well, but you must also be a good and upstanding person as you speak, to paraphrase Quintilian. To not be ethical in your scholastic work is to be academically dishonest. Academic dishonesty is a broad topic that entails many unethical education practices, of which plagiarism is the most well known yet most misunderstood. Plagiarism is a term that many of you may have heard of and even participated in, unknowingly. Therefore, let me define for you what I consider to be plagiarism and what I will not tolerate in this course. Specifically, the word plagiarism comes from the Greek plagiarius meaning an abductor or plunderer, and plagiare meaning to steal. Plagiarism is the knowledgeable and specific use of another s work while claiming that work to be your own original thoughts, ideas and work To avoid instances of academic dishonesty, be sure to review the academic dishonesty policy at Columbia in the Undergraduate Catalog. For this course, the following practices constitute academic dishonesty: Ø Reusing academic work from other courses without my consent. Ø Using another person s work with or without his or her permission. Ø Cheating on examinations. Ø Using group-produced work as individual work. Ø Falsification of information, which includes creating or citing sources for which bibliographic information and/or physical copies cannot be provided upon request. Ø Plagiarism in any and all forms. This includes: o Copying another s work verbatim or failing to give appropriate credit to another for an idea, opinion, or theory. o Citing sources as original when they were used as support for someone else s work. You must always cite sources when: 1. You are quoting another s work. 2. You use another s ideas, theories, arguments, and or viewpoints. 3. You use statistics, illustrations, or facts from another unless information is commonly known. To avoid questions, choose to cite rather than not to cite. I have read this entire plagiarism contract and I understand its content without exception. I agree to fully abide by its guidelines. All writing I submit in this class will be my own. If I use other sources than my own writing, I will clearly notate them and document them in parenthetical citation according to MLA style guidelines. I understand that submitting any writing with my name on it indicates it to be my own. Any instance of dishonesty, no matter the volume, nullifies the entire body of work. I understand that if I use writing from any source and submit it as my own, I will be in violation of this course s policy and the ethical cornerstone of higher education, and as such, this plagiarism will result in a grade of 0 being issued for the offending assignment and a grade of 0 for course participation. Student Signature Date Printed Name

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11 11 ACADEMIC HONESTY & ACCOUNTABILITY CONTRACT FOR DR. DARNELL S CLASSES Aristotle believed that we are persuaded by three artistic proofs. One of these proofs is ethos, or the ethical character of a speaker. This class is based upon full and just ethical treatment of all academic work. It is not enough to speak well, but you must also be a good and upstanding person as you speak, to paraphrase Quintilian. To not be ethical in your scholastic work is to be academically dishonest. Academic dishonesty is a broad topic that entails many unethical education practices, of which plagiarism is the most well known yet most misunderstood. Plagiarism is a term that many of you may have heard of and even participated in, unknowingly. Therefore, let me define for you what I consider to be plagiarism and what I will not tolerate in this course. Specifically, the word plagiarism comes from the Greek plagiarius meaning an abductor or plunderer, and plagiare meaning to steal. Plagiarism is the knowledgeable and specific use of another s work while claiming that work to be your own original thoughts, ideas and work To avoid instances of academic dishonesty, be sure to review the academic dishonesty policy at Columbia in the Undergraduate Catalog. For this course, the following practices constitute academic dishonesty: Ø Reusing academic work from other courses without my consent. Ø Using another person s work with or without his or her permission. Ø Cheating on examinations. Ø Using group-produced work as individual work. Ø Falsification of information, which includes creating or citing sources for which bibliographic information and/or physical copies cannot be provided upon request. Ø Plagiarism in any and all forms. This includes: o Copying another s work verbatim or failing to give appropriate credit to another for an idea, opinion, or theory. o Citing sources as original when they were used as support for someone else s work. You must always cite sources when: 1. You are quoting another s work. 2. You use another s ideas, theories, arguments, and or viewpoints. 3. You use statistics, illustrations, or facts from another unless information is commonly known. To avoid questions, choose to cite rather than not to cite. I have read this entire plagiarism contract and I understand its content without exception. I agree to fully abide by its guidelines. All writing I submit in this class will be my own. If I use other sources than my own writing, I will clearly notate them and document them in parenthetical citation according to MLA style guidelines. I understand that submitting any writing with my name on it indicates it to be my own. Any instance of dishonesty, no matter the volume, nullifies the entire body of work. I understand that if I use writing from any source and submit it as my own, I will be in violation of this course s policy and the ethical cornerstone of higher education, and as such, this plagiarism will result in a grade of 0 being issued for the offending assignment and a grade of 0 for course participation. Student Signature Date Printed Name