French 2323/4339 Fall 2015 French Cinema as Cultural Memory & Artistic Artifact Course Information Sheet and Syllabus Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls. Ingmar Bergman Course: *French 2323/4339 Introduction to French Cinema in English *Prerequisite Comp. I & Comp. II. *Description-An introductory course to French Cinema. Instructors: Dr. Irina Armianu irina.armianu@utrgv.edu Course Topics: Introduction to French Cinema focuses on the basics of film analysis around the fundamental question of stereotypes. We propose exploring French society and culture as it is reflected in the recent films major directors such as Renoir, Pagnol, Truffaut, Berri, Jeunet, Besson. The class is taught in English with a component of French Language for the 4339 section. All films will be shown with subtitles. No previous knowledge of French necessary. This course fulfills the Creative Arts Core requirement. Description du cours 4339: pendant les sessions du cours on va regarder des films, tout comme lire, interpréter et discuter une sélection de textes critiques. Notre but est de comprendre les poétiques du cinéma. Les lectures introduisent les débats critiques pour chaque auteur/genre analysé. The course will include texts, music, films, writing, and discussion. Methods to Access & Address THECB Core Objectives FREN 2323 is highly-applied. Students are assessed on the following objectives through exams, essays, and team-work presentations. THECB Objective-Critical Thinking (CT) : CT is aligned with FREN 2323 objectives 1, 2, & 3. Students are introduced to French and Francophone films from across the globe, thus acquainting them with examples of creative and critical thinking in film. Further, by examining closely movies, students develop themselves methods of creative and critical thinking skills. THECB Objective-Communication (COM): Students sharpen their communication skills, by engaging in exercises of analysis, logical reasoning, and the effective development of written communication and by presenting exposés on their written work or team exposés. THECB Objective-Social Responsibility (SR): Students view and study films from France and Francophone nations from throughout the world, thus promoting an understanding of cultural differences and diversity in the fundamental definition of the art 1
of cinema. THECB Objective-Team Work (TW): Students are asked to analyze clips of films and to present their interpretations (based on theoretical concepts) in class as teams. Grades: Students final grade will be based on the following breakdown: *Participation=15% Each class is worth one point of your final grade. *Quizzes=20% Quizzes on the material from weekly films, readings and previous classes: main theoretical points or thematic content. *One mid-term essay=20% *One final partner project in class=20% (details distributed in class) *One final essay=25% (details distributed in class) Readings: We will review, discuss, and analyze movies and readings in class; it is imperative that you complete the assigned readings, as the quizzes will cover the material. Basically, you should a.) Take notes while you read the theoretical work; b.) Dialogue with the content of the book; don t just take robotic notes; c.) Make a summary page of the key ideas developed during the class; d.) Be prepared to discuss the theoretical ideas, the plot, themes, and characters of the movies we watch together. In short, you should be able to participate actively in class discussions. Attendance and Participation: Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class; if you are unable to attend on a given day, you should contact your professor electronically or by telephone. There will be no make-up quizzes, unless you provide a legitimate excuse with written proof. Please provide the written proof to your professor before you approach her about your absence. Lectures: The syllabus gives a list of the material we will cover this semester: we will discuss the movies and readings in class, polish your writing and oral skills, open your mind on French cinema and its legitimacy as an art. Student Learning Outcomes: 1. To introduce students to French and Francophone cinema, thus familiarizing them with creative thinking in cinema from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and thus encouraging intercultural competence. 2. To sharpen communication skills notably dialectical approaches to arguments about ideas and films and to acquaint students with the art of analysis, logical reasoning, and the effective development of communication in written or team-presentations. 3. To promote a firm understanding of the fundamental relationship between art and technology, thus encouraging students to make connections between the two fields. TEXTBOOK Michael Temple and Michael Witt (ed.), The French Cinema Book, London: The British Film Institute, 2007. ISBN: 978-1-84457-012-6 2
Film Theory and Criticism (7 th Ed., or earlier edition). Ed. Mast, Braudy and Cohen. Final Project To Assess the Acquisition of Communication & Critical Thinking and Teamwork Skills Purpose This assignment asks you and your partner to work as a team to become experts on a single actor or director and to use the skills of visual analysis to reach critical and creative conclusions about that person s work. You and your teammate will share your findings with the rest of the class via an oral presentation (perfecting and exhibiting oral communication skills); your team will also present a final critical and creative analysis to your professor in a written essay (making manifest and fine-tuning your written communication skills). Overview In this course you have been introduced to many of the major French actors and filmmakers. For the Final Project, you are asked to dig deeper into the work of a single artist. You and your partner will choose one actor or director and then learn everything you can about that person. This will require your team to do research together into this person s life and work. Your team will also need to watch as many films by this person as you can. After spending most of the semester working on this Final Project, you and your partner should become experts on this artist. And so, this assignment asks your team to share this knowledge and your critical and creative analysis with your peers through an oral presentation to the class. The Final Project will therefore involve three parts: 1) teamwork to prepare the project; 2) the oral presentation in class in which you will receive a grade for your oral communication skills; and 3) a final team-essay submitted to me, which will also be graded for your written communication skills and the success of a dialectical presentation of your arguments. Team Oral Presentation (20% of final grade) In preparation for your team oral presentation, you will need to complete all of the research on your actor or director in advance. This should include biographical information as well research into what film critics and scholars have said about this person s work. Your preparation should include watching more of this artist s films. Remember that you need to go beyond the material that we have already covered in class to give your peers something new, something they don t already know. On the day of your presentation, your team will need to accomplish two central tasks: 1) give a biography and overview of the person s work; and 2) present an analysis of a single film that advances an interpretive argument from a dialectical perspective. Your presentation should last approximately 15 minutes. Team Final Essay (35% of final grade) This team essay will build on your oral presentation. You and your partner will write about the same actor or director. For this written component, however, you will focus on 3
analyzing one film this person has made. Note: this should be a film that we have NOT watched in class. Your argument for this paper should grow out of a close visual analysis of a single scene. You will need to reproduce all the shots of the scene within the body of your essay. Each shot will be accompanied by three written components: observation, analysis, and interpretation. (See the example we looked at in class). From your detailed analysis and interpretation of this scene you will build toward a larger thesis about the film. Beyond introducing your artist and their work (as you did in the oral presentation), your final essay must advance an interpretive argument about the film; it must include a dialectical approach. Assessment of Teamwork: Students will be graded on: 1/ Depth of synthesis and analysis of the film or artist grades:1-10; 2/ Distribution of responsibilities in the oral presentation grades 1-5; 3/ Dialectical approach in the exposé and in the final team-essay project grades: 1-10. WEEK MATERIAL COVERED IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTS BEFORE CLASS. Recall that there will be pop quizzes 1 2 3 4 5 6 Introduction to the class What is cinema: cinema as entertainment, art, the social and educational role of cinema. French cinema: reciprocal influence on French culture, politics, economy. L auberge espagnole (2002) 2 days in Paris-fragments L auberge espagnole (2002) 2 days in Paris-fragments Le divorce (2003) Qu est-ce qu on a fait au bon Dieu-fragments Le divorce (2003) Qu est-ce qu on a fait au bon Dieu-fragments ESSAY #1 mid-term essay PREMIER TRAVAIL ECRIT à rendre votre choix sur un sujet d un film. La date limite est en deux semaines. The Golden age of Cinema: (the Cinéma d avant-garde ) Cocteau film. Orphée. Fragments Jean Cocteau and the avant-garde film production. La recréation du symbole, du mythe et de l allégorie. Jean Cocteau et le cinéma expérimental. The New Wave Jean-Luc Godard. Fragments on movies and readings! Siegfried Kracauer. Basic Concepts Questionnaire. Envoi des questions pour la discussion en classe. Plato, The Allegory of the Cave Kraucauer. Basic concepts. Bazin, The Ontology of the Photographic Image Bazin, The Evolution of the Language of Cinema Truffaut, A Certain Tendency of French Cinema 4
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ESSAY #1 mid-term essay First composition. PREMIER TRAVAIL ECRIT à rendre sur un sujet d un film/movie review. Jean-Luc Godard. Fragments The Intouchables 2011 The Intouchables 2011 Samba 2014 ESSAY #2 final essay/ final partner project in class Samba 2014 Cinema and education: Entre les murs by Bertrand Cantet, 2008. Thanksgiving Break Nov. 23 Nov. 25 (Thurs. Sat.) Cinema and education: Entre les murs by Bertrand Cantet, 2008. Final Projects in class/at home final partner project in class Essay #1 due Walter Benjamin. The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. Laura Mulvey : film and visual pleasure. Christian Metz. Identification, Mirror. Christian Metz. The passion of perceiving. Maya Deren. Cinematography : the creative use of reality. Chrisitine Gledhill. Recent developments in feminist criticism. Essay #2 due 5