Film 1010 Fall 2009 Syllabus

8/4/2019 Film 1010 Fall 2009 Syllabus

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Film 1010: Film Aesthetics and Analysis (Fall 2009, CRN: 80488)MW 5:30pm-6:45pm, Aderhold Learning Center 106

Instructor: Drew Ayers Office: 840B, One Park Place

Email: [email protected] Office Hours: M 2:00pm-4:00pm; T 2:00pm-Website: www.drewayers.net 3:00pm, and by appt.Mailbox: 6

thFloor, One Park Place

N.B.

1) The course website and uLearn will reflect updates to the course, changes in the syllabus,assignments, etc. Be sure to check them regularly. The course syllabus provides a

general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.2) Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping

education at Georgia State University. Upon completing the course, please take the timeto fill out the online course evaluation.

Course Description

This course will examine the aesthetics (both visual and aural) of film and their relation to film

narrative and genre. This course will also explore the ways in which film aesthetics help toconvey meanings, tell stories, and perpetuate ideologies. Special attention will be paid to critical

writing about film, and this course will develop the critical thinking and writing skills needed for academic film criticism. Students will be introduced to the specialized concepts and vocabulary

required for scholarly film criticism. This course is a prerequisite to the upper-level filmcourses.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:§ Define terms/concepts fundamental to film studies

§ Employ these terms/concepts in academic writing, class discussion, and class presentations

§ Write analytical/critical essays that show understanding of, engagement with, andthoughtful use of film studies vocabulary

§ Conduct research specific to film studiesThe critical, argumentative, and written skills gained in this course are those required for upper-

level film studies courses as well as for other critical engagements with the world.

Required Texts

1)

Corrigan, Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. 2

nd

Ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. (Available at the GSU bookstores)2) Readings on uLearn

3) Course films (Available on library reserve)

Screenings Throughout the semester, you will be required to view the seven films listed on the syllabus.

Since we do not have a reserved screening time for the class, you will need to watch these films



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on your own. The films are available through the library media center reserves (2nd

Floor,Library South), Netflix, and at local video stores (e.g., Movies Worth Seeing and Videodrome).

The films are a fundamental part of the course and will comprise a large part of our discussions.Viewing these films is mandatory, and even if you have already seen the films, you should plan

to view them again before the class in which we are discussing them.

Attendance and Participation Attendance for this course is mandatory. My approach to this class will integrate lectures, class

discussions, student presentations, and various exercises and activities in order to explore the principles discussed in the readings and lectures – you can’t participate if you’re not there.

Attendance will be taken during the first fifteen minutes of each class by using a sign-in sheet.

Each student will have three personal days during the semester to cover absences from either class or screenings. These days may be used for any reason you choose and should include time

out for illness, emergencies, religious holidays, and family obligations. For each absence after the initial three, your overall attendance grade will be lowered by one letter grade. If you arrive

to class after the first fifteen minutes, you will be counted as tardy. Each tardy counts as one-half of an absence. If you have an ongoing situation that requires special consideration, please

discuss this with me at the beginning of the semester.

Group discussion of course material will comprise a large portion of our in-class activity. It isessential that you have carefully read the assigned material prior to class in order to fulfill your

responsibilities as a member of the learning community of this class. Further, you are expectedto actively participate in class discussion. Attendance/Participation comprises 10% of the final

grade, and your participation grade will be based on both the level and quality of your participation.

Late Assignment Policy

If an assignment is turned in late, one full letter grade will be deducted for each day theassignment is late. Additionally, please remember that an assignment is considered late

immediately following the class period in which it is due. If you are unable to attend class on aday that an assignment is due, you must contact me prior to the class and make alternative

arrangements. All assignments must be submitted in hard-copy form. When assignments aredue, expect the unexpected. Assume that one (or perhaps all) of the following will happen to

you on exam dates and assignment due dates:§ Your printer will not print or the line for the printer at the University is a mile long

§ Your printer will run out of ink or paper § Your disk will crash and all data will be lost

§ Your car will not run, busses will skip your stop, and all or your friends will be out of town

Please take whatever steps are necessary to prevent these events from affecting the timelysubmission of assignments and exams.

Additional Sources of Academic Support

The University offers a range of support services for students. Among the resources availableare:



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• The Writing Studio (http://www.writingstudio.gsu.edu/) -- Provides advice and tutoringin composition

• Student Support Services (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwsss/) -- Offers a variety of services, including tutoring, career counseling, and support groups

Special Accommodations If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities that you believe may require

accommodations for this course, please meet with me after class or during my office hours todiscuss appropriate adaptations or modifications that might be helpful to you. The Office of

Disability Services (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwods/) can provide you with information andother assistance to manage any challenges that may affect your performance in coursework.

Assignments

There are five primary assignments for the semester. We will talk about each in more detail asthe due dates approach.

1) Short Essays: There are five short writing assignments spaced throughout the semester

(see page 9 of this syllabus). Each short essay is worth 5% of your overall grade, and theessays together comprise 25% of your overall grade.2) Quizzes: At random times throughout the semester, I will distribute a total of ten short

quizzes to the class. These quizzes are designed to test your comprehension of theassigned reading and/or film for the day. If you are absent on a day on which a quiz is

given, that quiz cannot be made up. Together, the quizzes are worth 10% of your overallgrade (thus each quiz is worth 1% of your overall grade).

3) Film Clip Presentation: Groups of two or three people will present and discuss thecinematic aspects of a film clip of their choosing. The presentations should focus on the

particular aspects of cinema we are studying (editing, cinematography, etc.), and your presentation should be 10-15 minutes in length. Your presentation should (1) focus on a

brief clip from a film of your choice – clips should be no more than two or threeminutes; (2) provide a reading of the clip focusing on the topic of the class discussion

(editing, etc.); (3) draw conclusions as to how your clip is representative of the larger issues we are discussing; and (4) provide further questions for class discussion. Your

group should meet with me at least a week prior to your presentation to discuss what youare going to present. The presentation is worth 10% of your overall grade.

4) Midterm Exam: You will be responsible for completing a take-home midterm exam.The exam is designed to test you on the material we have covered in class up to the

midpoint, and you will have one week in which to complete it. You will respond to twoquestions/prompts of your choice, selected from a list of several questions/prompts that Iwill provide to you. Each response should be at least 750 words in length (roughly 3

double-spaced pages), resulting in a total of approximately 6 pages for the entiremidterm. The midterm is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, October 14th

,

and it is worth 20% of your overall grade.

5) Final Paper: This assignment builds off of the final short essay assignment. The final

paper will be 7-8 pages in length, and it is meant to showcase all you have learned thissemester. The paper should make use of all of our discussions about film criticism –

filmic elements, essay construction, analysis, research, etc. – and it will require a researchelement. We will talk much more about the paper throughout the summer (see the last



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page of this syllabus). The final paper is due on the last day of class (Wednesday,

December 2nd

), and it is worth 25% of your overall grade.

All materials must be submitted in hard-copy form and should be typed in 12-point Times New

Roman, 1-inch margins on all sides, and double-spaced. Each page should also include your last

name and the page number in the upper right-hand corner. The upper left-hand corner of the first page should include your name, my name, the course name, and the date of submission. UseMLA format for your citations and works cited page. Please remember to staple your essays.

All work is due at the beginning of the class for which it is due.

Grading Five Short Essays (5% each): 25%

Quizzes: 10%Film Clip Presentation: 10%

Midterm Exam: 20%Final Paper: 25%

Attendance/Participation: 10%

Grading Breakdown A+ (100-97); A (96-94); A- (93-90); B+ (89-87); B (86-84); B- (83-80); C+ (79-77); C (76-74);

C- (73-70); D+ (69-67); D (66-64); D- (63-60); F (59-0)

Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty: I take this matter very seriously and will report any suspected

cases of academic dishonesty to the Office of Judicial Affairs. For details on the University’s policy on Academic Honesty, please consult the Office’s website at

http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/codeofconduct_conpol.html or the Policy on Academic Honesty

in the Faculty Handbook (section 409) at http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfhb/fhb.html. The policy prohibits plagiarism, cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification, andmultiple submissions. The process by which the university handles academic misconduct cases is

also very specifically spelled out in the policy. Violation of the policy may result in failing theclass as well as disciplinary sanctions. The internet makes it easy to plagiarize, but also easy to

track down plagiarism – If you can google it, I can google it. Bottom line: Don’t plagiarize – it’snot worth it. Cite all your sources, put all direct quotations in quotation marks, and clearly note

when you are paraphrasing other authors’ work.



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Georgia State University Policy on Academic Honesty

FROM THE GSU FACULTY HANDBOOK

As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The

university assumes as a basic and minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit for credit onlythe products of their own efforts. Both the ideals of scholarship and the need for fairness require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit. They also require that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable or unethical conduct related to their academic

work.

The university's policy on academic honesty is published in the Faculty Affairs Handbook and the On Campus: The Undergraduate Co-

Curricular Affairs Handbook and is available to all members of the university community. The policy represents a core value of the universityand all members of the university community are responsible for abiding by its tenets. Lack of knowledge of this policy is not an acceptabledefense to any charge of academic dishonesty. All members of the academic community -- students, faculty, and staff -- are expected to report

violations of these standards of academic conduct to the appropriate authorities. The procedures for such reporting are on file in the offices of thedeans of each college, the office of the dean of students, and the office of the provost.

In an effort to foster an environment of academic integrity and to prevent academic dishonesty, students are expected to discuss with faculty theexpectations regarding course assignments and standards of conduct. Students are encouraged to discuss freely with faculty, academic advisors,and other members of the university community any questions pertaining to the provisions of this policy. In addition, students are encouraged to

avail themselves of programs in establishing personal standards and ethics offered through the university's Counseling Center.

Definitions and Examples

The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and academically honorable conduct

are to be judged. The list is merely illustrative of the kinds of infractions that may occur, and it is not intended to be exhaustive. Moreover, thedefinitions and examples suggest conditions under which unacceptable behavior of the indicated types normally occurs; however, there may beunusual cases that fall outside these conditions which also will be judged unacceptable by the academic community.

A. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is presenting another person's work as one's own. Plagiarism includes any paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student's work as one's own. Plagiarism frequently involves a

failure to acknowledge in the text, notes, or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs, sentences, or even a few phrases written or spoken by

someone else. The submission of research or completed papers or projects by someone else is plagiarism, as is the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else when that use is specifically forbidden by the faculty member. Failure to indicate the extent and natureof one's reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. Any work, in whole or in part, taken from the Internet or other computer-based

resource without properly referencing the source (for example, the URL) is considered plagiarism. A complete reference is required in order thatall parties may locate and view the original source. Finally, there may be forms of plagiarism that are unique to an individual discipline or course,examples of which should be provided in advance by the faculty member. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of

sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this

responsibility.

B. Cheating on Examinations: Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination.Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, computer based resources, texts, or "crib sheets" during an examination (unlessspecifically approved by the faculty member), or sharing information with another student during an examination (unless specifically approved

by the faculty member). Other examples include intentionally allowing another student to view one's own examination and collaboration beforeor after an examination if such collaboration is specifically forbidden by the faculty member.

C. Unauthorized Collaboration: Submission for academic credit of a work product, or a part thereof, represented as its being one's own effort,which has been developed in substantial collaboration with another person or source, or computer-based resource, is a violation of academichonesty. It is also a violation of academic honesty knowingly to provide such assistance. Collaborative work specifically authorized by a faculty

member is allowed.

D. Falsification: It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or fabricate information in an academic exercise, assignment or

proceeding (e.g., false or misleading citation of sources, the falsification of the results of experiments or of computer data, false or misleading

information in an academic context in order to gain an unfair advantage).

E. Multiple Submissions: It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without

the explicit consent of the faculty member(s) to whom the material is submitted for additional credit. In cases in which there is a natural

development of research or knowledge in a sequence of courses, use of prior work may be desirable, even required; however the student isresponsible for indicating in writing, as a part of such use, that the current work submitted for credit is cumulative in nature.



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Daily Schedule

8/17 Topic: Syllabus; Why Study Film?; Sign-Up for Presentations

Reading: Smith, “It’s Just a Movie” (uLearn) pp. 5-12 (C&W)

Course Syllabus (uLearn and Class Website)

Mise-en-Scene8/19 Topic: The Elements of Mise-en-Scene

Reading: pp. 61-73; 75-84 (C&W)

8/24 Topic: The Significance of Mise-en-Scene

Reading: pp. 84-93 (C&W)

Writing About Film

8/26 Topic: Film Reviews vs. Analytical Essays

Reading: pp. 507-512 (C&W)Two reviews of a film of your choice – Bring to class and be ready

to discuss (http://www.rottentomatoes.com is a good place to start)

8/31 Topic: Writing a Film Essay

Reading: pp. 513-531Screening: Rashomon (Kurosawa, 1950)

Mise-en-Scene, Cont.

9/2 Topic: Discussion of Meet Me in St. Louis Reading: pp. 74-75 (C&W)

Screening: Meet Me in St. Louis (Minnelli, 1944)Assignment: Short Essay #1 Due

9/7 LABOR DAY – NO CLASS

Cinematography

9/9 Topic: The Elements of CinematographyReading: pp. 95-121 (C&W)

9/14 Topic: The Significance of the Film Image

Reading: pp. 122-123; 127-133 (C&W)

9/16 Topic: Discussion of Vertigo

Reading: pp. 124-126 (C&W)Screening: Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)Assignment: Short Essay #2 Due

9/21 Topic: Presentations

Assignment: Film Presentations from Group I



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Reading About Film

9/23 Topic: Classical Film Theories


9/28 Topic: Contemporary Film Theories


Editing

9/30 Topic: The Elements of EditingReading: pp. 135-166 (C&W)

10/5 Topic: The Significance of Editing


10/7 Topic: Discussion of Requiem for a Dream; Distribute and DiscussMidterm Exam

Screening: Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky, 2000)Assignment: Short Essay #3 Due

Researching for a Film Paper

10/12 Topic: Researching Film; Proper Citation FormatMeet with Nedda Ahmed: Library North, Classroom 1


Sound

10/14 Topic: The Elements of Sound

Reading: pp. 185-211 (C&W)Assignment: Midterm Exam Due

10/19 Topic: The Significance of Sound

Reading: pp. 211; 214-223 (C&W)

10/21 Topic: Discussion of The Piano Reading: pp. 212-213 (C&W)

Screening: The Piano (Campion, 1993)Assignment: Short Essay #4 Due

10/26 Topic: Presentations

Assignment: Film Presentations from Group II

Narrative

10/28 Topic: The Elements of Narrative Film


11/2 Topic: The Significance of Film NarrativeReading: pp. 259; 262-269 (C&W); BST, Ch. 3 (uLearn)



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11/4 Topic: Discussion of The Searchers

Reading: pp. 260-262 (C&W)Screening: The Searchers (Ford, 1956)

Assignment: There is no formal written assignment due, but be prepared to

discuss the narrative strategies of The Searchers. Everyone shouldcome up with a thesis statement about the narrative of the film and be prepared to share it with the class. I will be asking everyone to

present his or her thesis to the class.

Genre

11/9 Topic: The Elements of Film Genre

Reading: pp. 331-342 (C&W); Schatz, Ch. 1 (uLearn)Assignment: Short Essay #5/Final Paper Rough Draft Due

11/11 Topic: Hollywood Genres & The Significance of Film Genre

Reading: pp. 343-367 (C&W); Schatz, Ch. 2 (uLearn)

11/16 NO CLASS

Ideological Analysis

11/18 Topic: Intro to Ideological Analysis

Reading: pp. 288-297 (C&W); Stam, “1968 and the Leftist Turn” (uLearn)

11/23 Topic: Discussion of Young Mr. Lincoln

Reading: Cahiers’ analysis of Young Mr. Lincoln (uLearn)

Screening: Young Mr. Lincoln (Ford, 1939)

11/25 THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO CLASS

11/30 Topic: PresentationsAssignment: Film Presentations from Group III

12/2 Topic: Course Wrap-up

Assignment: Final Paper Due

Remember to submit your course evaluations



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Short Essay Assignments

Short Essay #1 – Write two paragraphs analyzing the mise-en-scene of one scene or shot fromMeet Me in St. Louis (see pp. 74-75 from C&W for an example essay). Pay particular attention

to the ways in which the mise-en-scene helps to create meanings and tell the film’s story.

Remember, you should focus on the visual aspects of the film (what you see) rather than on asummary or explanation of the story/plot of the film. Use the terms that we’ve discussed in classto make your analysis more precise. The first sentence or two of this short essay should consist

of a clear thesis statement and a concise summary of what points you are going to make in theessay.

Short Essay #2 – Write two paragraphs analyzing the cinematography of one scene or shot from

Vertigo (see pp. 124-126 from C&W for an example essay). Remember, you should focus onhow the cinematography helps to tell the story rather than simply providing a summary or

interpretation of the film. The first sentence or two of this short essay should consist of a clear thesis statement and a concise summary of what points you are going to make in the essay.

Short Essay #3 – After watching Requiem for a Dream, select two scenes or shots from the filmand write a two-page paper in which you analyze the relationship between story and editing (see

pp. 146-148; 162-165; and 178-182 in C&W for example essays). This essay should have ashort introduction that includes a clear thesis statement and a concise summary of your argument. Also pay careful attention to the structure of your essay, making sure that your

argument proceeds in a clear and logical order that is easy for the reader to follow.

Short Essay #4 – Write a two-page paper in which you analyze the use of sound in The Piano

(see pp. 212-213 in C&W for an example essay). This essay should have a short introductionthat includes a clear thesis statement and a concise summary of your argument. Also pay careful

attention to the structure of your essay, making sure that your argument proceeds in a clear and

logical order that is easy for the reader to follow.Short Essay #5/Final Paper Rough Draft – For this essay, I would like you to develop an

argument that engages with a topic and film(s) of your choosing. I will leave the exact topic upto you, but your essay should demonstrate a clear understanding of the concepts we’ve discussed

in class – mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound, narrative, genre, and ideology – andthe essay should apply the concepts to a specific film or films. (You don’t need to write about all

of the concepts listed above; you are free to write about whatever concepts you choose.) Thisessay is an opportunity for you to construct an argument that is wholly your own, and you should

treat this essay as a starting point for your final paper. I will return this essay (with comments) toyou before Thanksgiving break, which should allow you time to incorporate my suggestions into

your final paper. Be sure to include a clear introduction, including a thesis statement and

summary of your argument. Also pay careful attention to the structure of your essay, makingsure that your argument proceeds in a clear and logical order that is easy for the reader to follow.Beginning each paragraph with a clear topic sentence will help with your organization.



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Final Paper Assignment

1) This paper should expand on the work you did in Short Essay #5. Specifically, youshould flesh out your initial argument by incorporating the ideas of other scholars into

your work through outside research. Additionally, you should spend some time revising

Short Essay #5, incorporating any suggestions I might have provided you. Failure to takemy revision suggestions into account will negatively affect your grade on this paper.You should expect to do significant rewriting of Short Essay #5.

2) At least three outside academic sources are required, and these sources must be citedwithin the text and in a works cited page – remember, any time you use another author’s

work (either paraphrased or directly quoted), you must cite that author. Plagiarism willresult in an automatic zero for the assignment and possible academic sanctions.

3) The sources must be academic in nature, either from scholarly journals or books (noWikipedia or film reviews), and the readings we did in class will not count toward your

source total (though you are welcome to use these readings as additional sources). Thegoal is to get you to put into practice the research techniques we discussed in class and to

utilize the resources of the University library. Remember everything that Neddadiscussed with you…

4) You should use your sources to support and strengthen the initial argument you made in

Short Essay #5. What have other scholars said about your films? About the genre of which your films are a part? About the filmmakers? For example, if you are

comparing/contrasting the depiction of ghosts in Hollywood remakes of Japanese horror films, you might research the various folk traditions of ghost stories in each culture and

the historical depiction of ghosts in the films of each culture. Or, if you are comparingtwo contemporary gangster films, you might explore how each film compares to older

examples in the genre.5) Don’t wait until the last minute to do your research. It will show in the finished product.

Your research should be an ongoing project throughout the semester.6) Your paper must be 7-8 pages in length, and you should include a title page (which

should NOT be included in your page count). The title page should include your name,my name, the course name, the date of submission, and a title for your paper.

7) Formatting: Use MLA format for this paper. The essay should be typed in 12-pointTimes New Roman, 1-inch margins on all sides, and double-spaced. Each page should

also include your last name and the page number in the upper right-hand corner. Pleaseremember to staple your essay.

8) This essay is meant to showcase all you have learned about film aesthetics and analysisthis semester (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound, narrative, and ideology).

As such, you should submit a polished essay with a clear thesis and argument. Impress

meJ

9) The paper is due on Wednesday, December 2nd

, at the beginning of class. Late paperswill be deducted one letter grade for each day they are late.

Film 1010 Fall 2009 Syllabus

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