CINE 212 Film History II Post-World War II Fall 2013 Professor: Email: Course URL: Office Hours: R.L. (Randy) Rutsky rlrutsky@sfsu.edu https://ilearn.sfsu.edu Monday 4-6, and By Appointment COURSE OUTLINE This course introduces students to the history of world cinema from World War II to more recent years. It aims to provide a broad overview of world cinema history, its movements and tendencies, as well as of major directors and their films, within a general social, cultural and historical context. Students in the course will be expected to be able to: Identify and demonstrate comparative knowledge of major international film movements, directors, and significant films since World War II Characterize the formal, technical, and ideological aspects of major film movements, directors, and significant films Summarize and explain the impact of important social, political and cultural events and trends and their effect upon film production, distribution, and exhibition during this period Understand and explain the business aspects of film, including the varying economic and industrial conditions that affect filmmaking and film viewing in different parts of the world Demonstrate knowledge of the chronology and causal relations of all of the above You are expected to engage in all Learning Tasks, most of which are located on the ilearn class website. To access the class website, you can use your personal computer, one in the library, or computer labs at SFSU. Reading: There are two books for this course: Film History, Kristin Thompson & David Bordwell, 3rd Edition and Film Analysis, Jeffrey Geiger & R. L. Rutsky There is also one essay--on the film Rashomon --which is available on ilearn. You can buy the textbooks either at the SFSU bookstore or from an online distributor. You are responsible for reading the book chapters and articles carefully and on time, as they form the basis of class discussions, quizzes, and exams. The readings on the syllabus must be read by the date specified. Screenings: You are responsible for screening one film per lesson. The specific titles are listed in this syllabus. Some of the titles may be available in the SFSU library, but others must be rented or purchased from video stores or from online distributors such as NetFlix, Apple itunes, Hulu, YouTube, or Amazon.com. Some shorter films will be provided on the online as part of the lectures. Cine 200, p. 1
In all cases, it is your responsibility to secure and watch the films. Watch them for more than entertainment. Take notes and view them numerous times. The screenings will be the subject of discussion, quizzes and exam questions. Academic Integrity: You are expected to turn in original work for this course. Quotations or ideas paraphrased from other work must be properly cited. Taking credit for another s ideas or writing is plagiarism, which is a serious violation of the College of Humanities code of academic integrity: Plagiarism is a form of cheating or fraud; it occurs when a student misrepresents the work of another as his or her own. Plagiarism may consist of using the ideas, sentences, paragraphs, or the whole text of another without appropriate acknowledgment, but it also includes employing or allowing another person to write or substantially alter work that a student then submits as his or her own. Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing and any other form of dishonesty. Note: Students with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations are encouraged to contact the instructor. The Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC) is available to facilitate the reasonable accommodations process. The DPRC is located in the Student Service Building and can be reached by telephone (voice/tty 415-338-2472) or by email dprc@sfsu.edu). GRADED WORK You are responsible for keeping up with all course information and materials. View screenings AND do readings weekly. Participate in the weekly eboard (Forum) discussions on ilearn. Take the bi-weekly quizzes on ilearn. Take Mid-Term and Final Exams during the specified periods, via ilearn. Participation/Discussion (25%): You are responsible for participating in the discussions that take place on the weekly ilearn forums (eboard). You should post TWO substantive comments or questions per Lesson (i.e., weekly). A "substantive" post is one that is thoughtful, developed and connected to the lesson topic; typically, substantive posts are more than three sentences long. These posts must keep up with the progress of the course. You cannot, for example, go back to the eboard/forum questions and post to a lesson after it has been completed and expect for the posts to be counted toward your participation grade. Moreover, your post must engage the substance of the readings, lectures, or screenings assigned each week. The teaching team will keep track of your participation, including assessing the value of what you bring to this interactivity. Refrain from flaming or ad hominem comments. Be rigorous but constructive. Bi-Weekly Quizzes (25%): Quizzes will focus on the course readings and lectures, but may include questions about assigned films as well. You will be given a specific time Cine 200, p. 2
period (usually a week) during which to complete each quiz. You will be allowed to retake each quiz at least twice within the time period. Your lowest quiz score or one missed quiz will be dropped from your total. Online Mid-Term Exam (25%): Students will be asked to provide answers to a set of questions based on course material covered during the period specified. Questions plus instructions will be posted one day before the due date. Each student should plan on his/her activities and social engagements on that day so that there will be abundant time to finish the assignment within 24 hours. Missing an exam will result in a zero grade, except in cases of an emergency. You should contact the instructor as soon as possible in the event of an emergency. Online Final Exam (25%): Same as Above. Grading Scale: A... 90% or Greater B... 80-89 % C... 70-79 % D. 60-69 % F... Let s not go there **No Extra Credit Assignments** SCHEDULE This schedule is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. Readings are due to be completed on the dates listed. This course is comprised of 15 lessons. Each includes all or some of the following tasks: 1. Reading: Read a Chapter from the Assigned Book 2. Screening: Study Films Screened for Class 3. Lecture: View Streaming Video Lectures 4. Media Clips: Review Scenes Referenced in Readings & Lectures 5. eboard/forum: Pose and Answer Questions on the Forum 6. Quizzes: Answer Quiz Questions on ilearn Lesson 01: (08/25) Reading: Film History, Chapter 16 Lecture: Introduction to the Course / Italian Neorealism Screening: Bicycle Thieves [Ladri di biciclette] (aka The Bicycle Thief) (1948 Italy) Vittorio De Sica (93 m) Cine 200, p. 3
Lesson 02: (09/01) Reading: Film History, Chapter 15 Lecture: Postwar Hollywood Screening: The Trouble with Harry (1955 US) Alfred Hitchcock (99 m) Quiz 1: on ilearn Lesson 03: (09/8) Reading: Film History, Chapter 17 Film History, Chapter 18, pp. 358-360 (General Introduction) Neepa Majumdar, Pather Panchali: From Neorealism to Melodrama Film Analysis Lecture: Postwar World Cinema Screening: Pather Panchali (1955 India) Satyajit Ray (122 m) Lesson 04: (09/15) Reading: Film History, Ch. 18, pp. 360-63 (Japan), 373-80 (India & Latin America) & Film History, Ch. 19, pp. 388-90 (Kurosawa) & Aaron Kerner, Rashomon Available on ilearn Lecture: Japanese & Non-Western Cinema Before the 1960s Screening: Rashomon (1950 Japan) Akira Kurosawa (88 m) Quiz 2: on ilearn Lesson 05: (09/22) Reading: Film History, Ch. 19: pp. 381-88; 390-402 & Kriss Ravetto-Biagioli, 8 ½: The Circus of the Self, Film Analysis Lecture: Art Cinema and the Auteur Screening: 8 1/2 (1963 Italy) Federico Fellini (138 m) Lesson 06: (09/29) Reading: Film History, Ch. 20, pp. 403-34 Lecture: New Waves: Breaking with the Tradition Screening: Masculine-Feminine (1965 France) Jean-Luc Godard (103 m) Quiz 3: on ilearn Lesson 07: (10/6) Reading: Film History, Ch. 23, pp. 494-509; Ch. 20, pp. 434-38 & Gilberto Blasini, The Last Supper: Cinema, History, and Decolonization, Film Analysis Lecture: New Political Cinemas Cine 200, p. 4
Screening: Forum: The Last Supper [La Última Cena] (1976 Cuba) Tómas Gutiérrez-Alea (120 m) Engage with Your Classmates in Discussion and Debate On-line Mid-Term Exam Due on ilearn 10/11 Lesson 08: (10/13) Reading: Film History, Ch. 21, pp. 439-51 Film History, Ch. 24, pp. 536-48 Lecture: Screening: Forum: Quiz 4: Documentary in the Post-War Era Chronicle of a Summer [Chronique d un été] (1961 France) Jean Rouch & Edgar Morin (88 m) Criterion DVD/Blu-ray scheduled for release on Feb 26 2013 Engage with Your Classmates in Discussion and Debate on ilearn Lesson 09: (10/20) Reading: Film History, Ch. 21, pp. 451-469 Film History, Ch. 24, pp. 548-65 Lecture: Experimental Films in the Post-War Era Screening: Various experimental films as time permits Lesson 10: (10/27) Reading: Film History, Chapter 22 Cynthia Fuchs, Taxi Driver: I got some bad ideas in my head, Film Analysis Lecture: Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s Screening: Taxi Driver (1976 US) Martin Scorsese (113 m) Quiz 5: on ilearn Lesson 11: (11/3) Reading: Film History, Chapter 23, pp. 531-35 Film History, Chapter 25 Shohini Chaudhuri, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul: An Anatomy of Racism, Film Analysis Lecture: Europe Since the 1970s Screening: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul [Angst essen Seele auf] (1974 Germany) Rainer Werner Fassbinder (93 m) Lesson 12: (11/10) Reading: Film History, Chapter 26 Hamid Naficy, Close-up: Reality, Realism and Neorealism, Film Analysis Cine 200, p. 5
Lecture: Screening: Forum: Quiz 6: Beyond the West I Close-Up (1989 Iran) Abbas Kiarostami (m) Engage with Your Classmates in Discussion and Debate on ilearn Lesson 13: (11/17) Reading: Film History, Chapter 27 Jenny Kwok Wah Lau, Peking Opera Blues: Imploding Genre, Gender, and History, Film Analysis Lecture: Beyond the West II Screening: Peking Opera Blues (1986 Hong Kong) Tsui Hark (104 m) Lesson 14: Fall Recess: No Classes (11/25) Lesson 15: (12/02) Reading: Film History, Chapter 28 Sharon Willis, Do the Right Thing: A Theater of Interruptions, Film Analysis Lecture: U.S. Cinema and the Entertainment Economy Screening: Do the Right Thing (1989 US) Spike Lee (120 m) Quiz 7: on ilearn Lesson 16: (12/09) Reading: Film History, Chapter 30 Lecture: Digital Cinema and Beyond Screening: Hugo (2011 US) Martin Scorsese (126 m) Online Final Exam: Due on ilearn 12/16 Cine 200, p. 6