Hollywood and America

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Hollywood and America HIST/HRS 169 Section 02 Tuesday and Thursday 9 am 10:15 am Mendocino Hall rm. 2007 California State University, Sacramento Spring 2019 Instructor: Dr. Peter Gough peter.

1 Hollywood and America HIST/HRS 169 Section 02 Tuesday and Thursday 9 am 10:15 am Mendocino Hall rm California State University, Sacramento Spring 2019 Instructor: Dr. Peter Gough peter.gough@csus.edu Office: 217 Brighton Hall Office hours: 10:30 to Noon Tuesday and Thursday and by appointment Catalog Description HIST/HRS 169. Hollywood and America. 3 Units Chronological survey of American films and their cultural significance from the 1890's to the present. Focus on films produced in Hollywood, the contexts in which they were created, and the impact of Hollywood as a mythical place in the development of American culture. The course fulfills Area C4 of the CSUS GE Program. Students will write about 2500 words. As the tests and final paper requires substantial amounts of writing, this course is not recommended for Freshman.

2 Course Description This course examines crucial events and the chronological evolution of American history, from the 1890s to the present, through the lens of Hollywood film and other media. We will consider how these visual representations have influenced our present understanding of key matters such as the country s social and cultural development, presidential politics, religion, racial and class tensions, gender relationships, and war-making. Material to be viewed includes The Patriot, Gettysburg, Gold Diggers of 1933, The Best Years of Our Lives, West Side Story, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. We will conduct an historical poetics of contemporary American cinema, as we seek to understand the historical conditions that enabled modern American cinema to assume the form it has. We will consider all of the major topics discussed by historians of the period, including the break-up of the motion picture studios, demographic changes, the film ratings system, the blockbuster syndrome, the event film, independent filmmaking, home video, market globalization, and other stuff like that. We will not, however, cover such topics systematically. If instead we allow the particulars of particular movies to invite commentary, you are less likely than you might otherwise be to come away with pat knowledge of matters about which one can only pretend to understand completely. That way of operating will work fine, except that members of the class cannot know what they missed if they miss a class, and asking another student probably will not help: Those who attend the class in question are liable to have an understandable but invalid belief that nothing happened. Therefore, all members of the class must attend all of every class. Throughout, we will study movies as movies as experiences for spectators and we will never stray far from our central question and the only question about the cinema that I care much about: What is it about the movies people like that makes people like them? This course surveys some of the significant social issues and important historical moments of the last century as they were portrayed in films of the era by Anglo America, Asian American, African American, and Native American directors. We'll explore the ways in which Hollywood portrayed poverty, racism, immigration, sex, addiction, and violence, and we will also discuss the Great Depression (my specific area of research) the rise of gangster culture in the 1920s, the Hollywood Production Code, the star system, film noir, and other features important to an understanding of film during this period. A consistent theme in the pictures we'll see is the idea of the American dream: the ways in which it is defined by people in different decades, the events that cause it to seem possible (or impossible), and the ways in which films present the obstacles that prevent people from achieving it. To facilitate our discussions of the films, class members will be expected to read short pieces (essays or short stories) related to the film for that week, and most weeks there will be student presentations related to the content of the film. Course Objectives: To critically analyze, interpret, and evaluate a number of films and to ground that interpretation in the context of American film history, including directors, the star system, the Pre-Code era, and so forth. To analyze the way in which films convey the concerns, social problems, and stylistic features of their respective eras, and to see those features as reflecting the culture in which they were produced To search for instances of how American film culture, historically conceived, influences contemporary culture and to assess the ways in which films affect our current perspectives on such issues as race, class, gender, poverty, and sexuality. To produce papers, multimodal compositions, and other means of disseminating the results of focused student inquiry and research, including blogs, reports, and group presentations

Required Text Jon Lewis, American Film: A History Course Requirements Exams There will be three exams. The three exams will primarily be in essay form, but may also include multiple-choice questions.

3 Required Text Jon Lewis, American Film: A History Course Requirements Exams There will be three exams. The three exams will primarily be in essay form, but may also include multiple-choice questions. The second of the three exams will have a take home component which needs to be typed. Final Essay There will be one 7-9 pg. final essay One priority of this course is to improve the writing skills of all students. I recently read a poll taken where Americans were asked from what source of information are you most likely to believe what you learn about history? Number ONE on the list was museums and number TWO was motion pictures! Given that this course involves the cross-section of Hollywood film and American history and culture, I would like the final essay project to reflect this area of enquiry. With this in mind, I am going to have you watch a motion picture of an historical era. I am then going to have you research at least THREE sources, scholarly books or articles, and see what conclusions are drawn about the same time period in history. This SHOULD be fun and interesting, and I will talk about this much more as the class progresses. I strongly suggest using JSTOR articles or books from our CSUS Library. A) Watch a film from the period which is covered in our class, OR an earlier period -- America and the colonial period to the Civil War. Be aware of the points the film is making; what are its major arguments? What do you think the filmmaker intends the audience to glean from this film? What struck you most about the film? Did you actually like this movie? Watching it through the first time, do you think it was accurate and true to the historical period it was representing? Do you think the historical time-period in which the film was made was simply a background for which to tell the story OR do you think the film was ABOUT the historical time-period? What do you think audiences found/find most appealing about this movie?

4 These are just a few ideas and things of which to be aware when watching the film. After watching and thinking about the film, I would like you to find at least 3 scholarly articles or books that relate to the same time period as the film. Briefly describe the article, and the points it is making. Are there points of intersection with the film, or points of contradiction? Do not just be aware of the facts of history (sometimes filmmakers have to take justifiable liberties and make changes to make their presentation) but rather be aware of the overall themes and ideas and theses that are made by both the film and the articles. Have a thesis or argument or point to your essay! On the first page you need to have your name, a staple in the upper left-hand corner and then the title of the film, and then a brief bibliographic entry for the articles/books: author, title, publisher, and date of publication. NO URLs!!! Examples: Journal article: James, Russell. "Billion-dollar Treasures at the Bottom of the Sea." Mechanix Illustrated. Vol. 78, July 1982, pp , Books: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: New American Library, I would like to get a prospectus on what you will be doing before Thanksgiving break. For your Prospectus (optional but suggested) I would simply like to have: 1) The name and year of the film you will watch and be referencing (if you are doing this option.) 2) A bibliographical list of the articles and/or books you will be citing or referencing. Please have them in standard bibliographic form, including author, title, date, name of periodical, volume, publisher, etc. 3) A brief discussion of what you plan to discuss and proposed thesis (argument of point) of your essay. This can change before the completed essay is turned in, but you NEED to start thinking of it now! This is the first time I have made this assignment. You should try your best to be original, and demonstrate and understanding and thoughtfulness about the material. You can give me the prospectus following the last test on May 13 And, above all, HAVE FUN!!! Class Attendance 40 pts. Missed pts. (5 pts. x-credit)

5 GRADING: Exam #1-50 pts. Final Essay 100 pts. Exam #2-100 pts. Attendance 40 pts. Exam #3 100 pts. Prospectus 10 pts TOTAL = 400 pts. PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: The policy in this course regarding plagiarism and cheating is quite simple; if you are caught, you will receive a grade of F for the course. Further, you could be subject to expulsion from CSUS or a designation reflected on your permanent college transcript that you were found guilty of academic misconduct. Plagiarism is easy to detect, and is a serious offense. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability documentation to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, (916) Please discuss your accommodation needs with me after class or during my office hours early in the semester.

6 WEEKLY CALENDAR Week 1 EARLY CINEMA ( ) Jan. 22 Introduction: What can Hollywood tell us about US Society? Read: Preface, pgs. xii-xiv 24 Pre-Cinema and an American Film Industry Read: pgs Week 2 Jan. 29 Major Filmmakers in Early American Cinema Read: pgs THE SILENT ERA ( ) 31 A Studio Industry is Born Read: pgs Week 3 Feb. 05 Moviemaking and Moviemakers Read: pgs The Golden Age of Film Comedy Read: pgs Week 4 Feb. 12 EXAM # 1 TECHNICAL INNOVATION AND INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION ( ) 14 Technical Innovations: Sound and Color / The Studio System Read: pgs Week 5 Feb. 19 Censorship: Regulating Film Content Read: pgs Genre and Studio Hollywood Read: pgs

7 Week 6 HOLLYWOOD IN TRANSITION ( ) Feb : The Last Best Years Read: pgs A World at War Read: pgs Week 7 Mar. 5 Genre in Wartime Hollywood Read: pgs Transcending Genre: Key Film Casablanca Read: pgs Week 8 ADJUSTING TO POSTWAR AMERICA ( ) Mar. 12 Reinventing Hollywood Read: pgs Genre: Film Noir Read: Spring Break Week 9 Mar. 26 Transcending Genre, Transcending Hollywood Read: pgs Behind the Camera, Behind the Scenes: Women in Hollywood Read: pgs Week 10 Apr. 2 Exam # 2 MOVING TOWARD A NEW HOLLYWOOD ( ) Apr. 4 Industry Shakeup / Genre Read: pgs

8 Week 11 Apr. 9 Transcending Genre, Transcending Hollywood Read: pgs Two Key Films: Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate Read: pgs Week 12 A HOLLYWOOD RENAISSANCE ( ) Apr. 16 Reinventing Hollywood Read: pgs Major Films and Filmmakers of the Auteur Renaissance Read: pgs Week 13 Apr. 23 American Genre Cinema (Prospectus due) Read: pgs A NEW NEW HOLLYWOOD ( ) Apr. 25 A New Corporate Hollywood / Genres and Trends Read: pgs Week 14 Apr. 30 Auteur Filmmakers Read: pgs May 2 Independents and Independence Read: pgs Week 15 THE END OF CINEMA AS WE KNOW IT ( ) May 7 The New New Hollywood, Films and Filmmakers: Industry Trends Read: pgs Exam #3 Final Essay and Presentation: Tuesday May 14 10:15AM-12:15PM

Hollywood and America

Hollywood and America HIST/HRS 169 Section 01 Tuesday and Thursday Noon 1:15 pm Del Norte Hall rm. 1010 California State University, Sacramento Fall 2018 Instructor: Dr. Peter Gough peter.gough@csus.edu