American Film and Psychology 01:050:301 Spring 2012 Instructor: Anthony Zoccolillo, Ph.D. Office Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 430p-530p Phone: 908-526-1200 x8986 Email: profzocc@andromeda.rutgers.edu Course Description: Despite the fact that most people watch movies as a means of entertainment, there is no denying the influence Hollywood has on the typical movie-goer. American Film and Psychology will explore the power of American film and understand its dynamic relationship with American culture through the eyes of psychological theory. We will explore the art of the film by examining films written, directed and starring influential American artists and look at how these films were both influenced by and influencers of American culture. Disclaimer: Every attempt has been made to select films and film clips that minimize offensive content. If given the choice between two similar films, I have always chosen the one that would generally be found as least offensive. That said, the films and clips chosen may contain content that some people may find offensive and that content has not been edited out. Offensive features may include sensitive story lines, graphic language, violence, sexual themes, and drug/alcohol/illegal behavior portrayals or references. There are plenty of references available online for you to read up on the film prior to coming to class the best of which is the Internet Movie Data Base (www.imdb.com) in the section they have for each film for Motion Picture Rating and Parents Guide. Please review the list of films I propose to show and decide whether or not you think your participation in this class will be impacted by the films selected. Your decision to not attend/view a particular film(s) will not excuse you for understanding how it fits in with the particular unit. Selected Course Objectives: To help students: 1. understand how to critically consume and appreciate the mass media 2. increase their perceptive skills and to perceive the language of film 3. gain insight, understanding, and aesthetic enjoyment through film 4. recognize their own psychological and emotional responses to film 5. learn how to verbalize the experience of seeing and hearing the medium of film 6. explore topics in psychology as they are presented in film.
Note: While many of these films, and all of the discussion will take place in class there will be an expectation that certain films be viewed on your own time. You will know about them well in advance and they will be movies easily obtainable. Required Text: Sklar, R. (1994). Movie made America: A Cultural History of American Movies. ISBN: 9780679755494 (Available through Amazon.com for less than $15) An e-college companion shell has been created to supplement this course and to facilitate communication as well as distribution of required readings. All communication will be done through e-college so it is your responsibility to make sure your email is set correctly and that you can access the materials. Unit I: From the Couch to the Cinema: An Exploration of Psychiatric Hospitalization in Film By looking at film and its portrayal of mental illness and hospitalization, we can not only learn something about the mystery of mental illness, but can learn a little bit about ourselves and our culture in the process. Using selected feature films and film clips spanning the 1940 s through the modern day, we will watch the evolution of the portrayal of mental illness and treatment over time. Feature films will include the viewing of The Snake Pit (1948), One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975), Shock Corridor (1963), and Its Kind of a Funny Story (2010). Unit II: Function and Dysfunction in the American Family A dysfunctional family is one where conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual family members occurs regularly leading to other members behaving in ways that accommodate those actions. Clearly this dynamic is perfect fodder to explore in film and we will look at how film reflects the cultural and social norms over time. Feature films will include Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Ordinary People (1980), The Royal Tennenbaums (2001), American Beauty (1999), Husbands and Wives (1992). Your Grade: Below is a list and a description of how you will be graded this semester. It is expected that with the papers that they are to be handed in ON the day they are due, and handed in during the class period. Late work will be subject to a significant penalty of ½ of a letter grade (5 points) per day for each day it is late. Your grade in this course will be the average of the following:
Attendance and Participation (10%): Because there is no traditional textbook for this class, your attendance in class to view the films shown is essential. Renting the movie and watching it on your own may give you access to the story but not to the rest of the experience. Additionally, the quality of this class is largely based on the quality of the discussions which you are expected to participate in. Functional Family Paper (20%): This will be a paper of approximately 5-7 pages in length in which you will explore the elements of what makes for a functional family. This is a research paper and as such, your sources should be credible and scholarly. This paper will form the basis of which you will compare many of the films and clips shown to differentiate functional from dysfunctional. You will be graded not only on the content of the paper, but style and quality of your sources. This paper will be due on Wednesday, March 7th. Midterm Exam (20%): The midterm exam will be based on content from the assigned readings, class discussions, and film/film clips shown in class. It is recommended that you take notes as you do your readings. The Midterm Exam will be a TAKE HOME EXAM. Final Exam (20%): The final exam will be based on the same material as assigned for the midterm exam. The final exam will be CUMULATIVE and will occur during the designated exam period during exam week. Final Paper (20% + 10% for paper milestones): This will be a paper of your choosing. There will be two milestones that you will be required to meet which will demonstrate significant intellectual progress toward your final goal of meeting the deadline for the paper. The first of these will be a well thought out thesis statement with support. This will be due Wednesday, February 22nd. The second of these will be a comprehensive outline with sources. This will be due on Wednesday, March 28 th. Each of these will be worth 5% of your final grade. To give you an idea of the depth and scope this paper should address below are a couple of examples. This is not meant to be a complete list, but rather something to get you thinking of your own topic.
Compare and contrast the 2007 version of Death at a Funeral and its 2010 U.S. remake. By nature of the assignment you need to discuss not only how they are different but how they are similar (hence COMPARE and contrast). While both versions of the film portray exceedingly dysfunctional family characteristics I would like you to focus on both elements of normal and abnormal functioning. Lastly I would like you to incorporate elements of culture into all that you right what impact(s) do you see when you essentially retell a story replacing a dysfunctional British family at a funeral in the U.K. with a dysfunctional African American family in the U.S. [Note: This assignment can be modified using any foreign film and its US remake the specific content of the paper will of course need to be modified to reflect a more appropriate cultural focus not just limited to dysfunctional families] Compare and contrast Girl, Interrupted and The Snake Pit. You will want to compare and contrast both portrayals of psychiatric hospitalization against each other, but also against what was normal during the given period of American History (1940s v. 1960 s/70 s). The focus of this paper will be on the different ways in which male and female pathology was viewed and treated. Finally you will want to include a section of this paper devoted to an imagining what would a movie written and filmed in 2012 look like in comparison to these two films (if you were to portray the system accurately). Compare and contrast at least 3 different films not viewed in class, from three distinct periods of American history (i.e. 1940 s, 1970 s, 2000 s). Compare and contrast the portrayals in each of these films in relation to specific elements of American culture. These can include: Family, Nationalism, Religion, Morality, Values, Gender Roles, etc. In order to do a paper like this, you must also include an historical perspective of each era so that you can not only compare/contrast the movies to each other but discuss the accuracy of the portrayals for the periods in which they were made.
January 18 th January 25 th February 1 st February 8 th Date In Class Topic Reading/Work Due Introduction to Film, Culture and Psychology Film, Culture, and Psychology (cont)/introduction to the Portrayal of Mental Health Film and Psychiatric Hospitalization: The Snake Pit (1948) One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975) Discussion of Cuckoos Nest/Shock Corridor (1963) Sklar (1994) Chapter 1 and 2. Tesser, Millar & Wu (1988); Till, et al. (2011) Sklar (1994) Chapter 3,4, and 8. Mares, Oliver, & Cantor (2008) February 15th Penn, Chamberlin, & Mueser (2003); Rosenhan (1973); Anderson (2003); Young, Boester, Whitt, & Stevens (2008); Domino (1983) February 22 nd Its Kind of a Funny Story (2010) Research Paper Theses February 29 th March 7 th The Golden Age of Hollywood and the Making of Cultural Myths/Catch up Week Introduction to Function and Dysfunction of the American Family. Due. Sklar (1994) Chapter 11 View Citizen Kane (1941) Sklar (1994) Chapter 15; Functional Family Paper Due. March 21 st Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Sklar (1994) Chapter 16 Midterm Exam Due March 28 th Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Research Paper Outline Due. Sklar (1994) Chapter 17 &18 April 4 th Husbands and Wives (1992) Sklar (1994) Chapter 19-21 April 11 th American Beauty (1999) View Ordinary People (1980); Sklar (1994) Chapter 22 April 18 th The Royal Tennenbaums (2001)[Time Permitting] April 25 th Wrap Up Final Paper Due May 9 th Final Exam Extra Credit: View the 1995 Documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane