Syllabus
English 3950 Evolution of Film, Fall 2026
W 5:00-7:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences 342
Professor
Dr. Alex E. Blazer
478.445.0964
Office Hours: MW 2:00-3:15 p.m., Arts & Sciences 330 and Zoom; and by appointment
The undergraduate catalog describes ENGL 3950 as "A survey of the historical development of film as a modern visual medium." We will look at the evolution of film from early moving image technologies to contemporary iterations of film-based media. We will chart the history of film, with a global perspective, by surveying major historical events, technological innovations, and artistic movements while also viewing films from these respective time periods and considering their cultural, aesthetic, and social contexts. In addition, we will read and consider the trajectory of cultural criticism and academic scholarship on the history of film. Our primary textbook, The Story of Film by Mark Cousins, provides a basic outline of film history; and the course packet will expose us to significant film movements, national cinemas, and genres. Assignments include an annotated bibliography, a scene analysis, an historical influence magazine, a research paper, and an essay exam.
This course's topics include
- Major historical, technological, economic, and aesthetic developments in global cinema from 1895 to present;
- Development of narrative filmmaking as well as experimental and nonfiction traditions;
- Trajectories of national cinemas and their relationships to economic infrastructures and artistic movements;
- Historical criticism of film and how it has developed in popular, artistic, and academic cultures; and
- Major questions and problems that shape conceptions and revisions of film history.
As a result of completing this course, students will
- view, discuss, and write about a broad array of films produced in varying time periods and national contexts using a historical framework;
- trace the historical development of film production and exhibition technologies and practices;
- survey the major artistic movements of national and global cinemas;
- consider the development of major film cultures and their social and economic infrastructures; survey seminal historical criticism of film from a global perspective; compose written description and summary of films and their historical situation and significance; and
- compose informal and formal written analyses of films from a historical perspective; conduct individual research as part of composing written analyses.
Skills practiced in this course include
- conceptual and critical thinking;
- analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information;
- written and oral communication;
- teamwork; and
- time management.
Our democracy needs citizens who can comprehend and assess complex issues presented across a wide array of media and who can judge and mediate distinct, divergent perspectives. Employers desire graduates who can write and communicate well; who can analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information; who have organizational, time management, and teamwork skills; and who appreciate diverse viewpoints. The courses and programs in the Department of English, which is the cornerstone of a liberal arts education, will help you practice these skills and become a lifelong learner and informed citizen.
This courses prerequisite is sophomore standing. This course is required for the Film, Media, and Culture Concentration of the English Major and fulfills the Post-1800s Topic in the Literature Concentration of the English Major.
required textbook
Mark Cousins, The Story of Film (Amazon, University Bookstore, Internet Archive, or Internet Archive)
required course packet
required films
Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925, 75 min) (JustWatch | Archive)
Black Girl (Sembène, 1966, 55 min) (JustWatch)
The Blood of a Poet (Cocteau, 1932, 55 min) (JustWatch | Archive)
Chungking Express (Kar-wai, 1994, 98 min) (JustWatch)
Close-Up (Kiarostami, 1990, 98 min) (JustWatch)
Fireworks (Anger, 1947, 14 min) (JustWatch | YouTube)
The Haverstraw Tunnel (American Mutoscope Company, 1897, 1 min) (YouTube)
His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940, 92 min) (JustWatch)
M (Lang, 1931, 109 min) (JustWatch | Archive)
Meshes of the Afternoon (Deren, 1943, 14 min) (JustWatch | YouTube)
A Night on Bald Mountain (JustWatch | YouTube) (Alexeiff and Parker, 1934, 9 min)
Partie de Cartes (Lumiere, 1895, 1 min) (YouTube)
La Pointe Courte (Varda, 1955, 86 min) (JustWatch)
Ramona (Griffith, 1910, 17 min) (YouTube)
Rome, Open City (Rossellini, 1945, 105 min) (JustWatch)
The Rules of the Game (Renoir, 1939, 110 min) (JustWatch)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau, 1927, 95 min) (JustWatch | Archive)
Titicut Follies (Wiseman, 1967, 84 min) (JustWatch)
Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953, 136 min) (JustWatch)
The Vanishing Lady (Méliès, 1896, 3 min) (Cinematheque)
The Watermelon Woman (Dunye, 1996, 84 min) (JustWatch)
recommended textbook
MLA Handbook, 9th ed. (Amazon)
recommended film
The Complete Story of Film (Cousins, 2021, 1123 min) (JustWatch)
Assignments and Grade Distribution
annotated bibliography, 15%
You will research scholarly journal articles or book chapters on a selected film, annotate them, select an important article for the class to read, and informally introduce the article for class discussion.
scene analysis, 15%
You will pair up to analyze a 2-3 minute scene from a film a 5-6 formal page paper and 7-10 minute presentation.
historical influence magazine, 20%
You will create a magazine that explores how a later film is influenced by an earlier film or film issue in the history of film.
research paper, 25%
You will write an 8-10 page research paper on a film or film issue.
in-class essay exam, 25%
The in-class essay exam will test your understanding of selected topics within the history of film as well as sample films' place within the history. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
Technology
We will use the course site for the syllabus schedule and assignment prompts; supporting documents include an attendance record, a course grade calculation spreadsheet, FAQ, a GeorgiaVIEW walkthrough, a guide to literary analysis, a research methods guide, and paper templates. We will use GeorgiaVIEW for assignment submission and the course packet; if you experience technical issues with GeorgiaVIEW, contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@gcsu.edu or 478.445.2520. Check your university email for course-related messages. Use an online backup or cloud storage service to not only save but also archive versions of your work in case of personal computer calamities.
Attendance
Because this liberal arts course values contemporaneous discussion over fixed lecture, regular attendance is required. In courses that meet one day per week, such as ENGL 3950 and ENGL 6601, there will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond two; furthermore, any student who misses four or more classes for any reason (excused or unexcused) will be dropped from the course and fail. In courses that meet two days per week, such as ENGL 4960/4970, there will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond three; furthermore, any student who misses seven or more classes for any reason (excused or unexcused) will be dropped from the course and fail. I suggest you use your skip days both cautiously and wisely; and make sure you sign the attendance sheets. Habitual tardies, consistently leaving class early, texting, and web surfing will be treated as absences. Unexcused absences include work, family obligations, and scheduled doctor's appointments. Excused absences include family emergency, medical emergency, religious observance, and participation in a college-sponsored activity. If you have a medical condition, extracurricular activity, or job that you anticipate will cause you to miss more than four days of class, I suggest you drop this section. The university absence policy can be found here. You can check your class attendance record here.
MLA Style and Length Requirements
Part of writing in a discipline is adhering to the field's style guide. While other disciplines use APA or Chicago style, literature and composition follows MLA style. Assignments such as in-class exams, discussion board responses, informal/journal writing, and peer review may be informally formatted; however, formal assignments and take-home exams must employ MLA style. One-third of a letter grade will be deducted from a formal paper or take-home exam for problems in each of the following three categories, for a possible one letter grade deduction total: 1) margins, header, and heading, 2) font, font size, and line-spacing, and 3) quotation and citation format. A formal paper or take-home exam will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it does not end at least halfway down on the minimum page length (not including Works Cited page) while implementing 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spacing, and 1" margins. Each additional page short of the minimum requirement will result in an a additional one-third letter grade penalty. Before you turn in a formal paper, make sure your work follows MLA style by referring to the MLA style checklist. Feel free to use these templates that are preformatted to MLA style.
Late Assignments
We're all busy with multiple classes and commitments, and adhering to deadlines is critical for the smooth running of the course. There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day (not class period) for any assignment that is turned in late. I give short extensions if you request one for a valid need at least one day before the assignment is due. I will inform you via email if I cannot open an electronically submitted assignment; however, your assignment will be considered late until you submit it in a file I can open. Because your completion of this course's major learning outcomes depends on the completion of pertinent assignments, failing to submit an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within five days of its due date may result in failure of the course. Failing to submit a final exam or final paper within two days of its due date may result in failure of the course.
Academic Honesty and AI Policy
The integrity of students and their written and oral work is a critical component of the academic process. The Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog define academic dishonesty as "Plagiarizing, including the submission of others’ ideas or papers (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained) as one’s own. When direct quotations are used in themes, essays, term papers, tests, book reviews, and other similar work, they must be indicated; and when the ideas of another are incorporated in any paper, they must be acknowledged, according to a style of documentation appropriate to the discipline" and "Submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course," among other false representations. The Honor Code defines plagiarism as "presenting as one's own work the words or ideas of an author or fellow student. Students should document quotes through quotation marks and footnotes or other accepted citation methods. Ignorance of these rules concerning plagiarism is not an excuse. When in doubt, students should seek clarification from the professor who made the assignment." Including writing in your assignments that is generated by LLMs, also known as AI, in your work is improper and dishonest. As plagiarism is not tolerated at GCSU, "since the primary goal of education is to increase one's own knowledge," any student found guilty of substantial, willful plagiarism or dishonesty may fail the assignment and the course. This course uses plagiarism prevention technology from TurnItIn. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
Modified Operations Policy
If the campus is closed due to severe weather or other unforeseen disruption, that class day's scheduled work will be pushed back one day. If the campus is closed for a second class day, class will be moved to GeorgiaVIEW discussions; check your university email for further instructions.
Writing Center
Writing consultants will work with any student writer working on any project in any discipline. To learn more about Writing Center locations, hours, scheduling, and services, please visit here. Send questions to writing.center@gcsu.edu.
Required Syllabus Statements
Additional statements regarding the Religious Observance Policy, Assistance for Student Needs Related to Disability, Student Mental Health, Student Rating of Instruction Survey, Academic Honesty, Student Use of Copyrighted Materials, Electronic Recording Policy, Academic Grievance or Appeals, and Fire Drills can be found here.
- Readings will be in either Cousins's The Story of Film (TSoF) or the course packet (GeorgiaVIEW).
- Film links provide availability on streaming services. Films marked Library are available in the University Library.
- This schedule is subject to change.
Week 1 |
W, 8-19 |
Cousins, Introduction (TSoF 6-19) Cousins, 1 Technical Thrill (1895-1903) (TSoF 20-33) Partie de Cartes (Lumiere, 1895, 1 min) (YouTube) The Vanishing Lady (Méliès, 1896, 3 min) (Cinematheque) The Haverstraw Tunnel (American Mutoscope Company, 1897, 1 min) (YouTube) Ramona (Griffith, 1910, 17 min) (YouTube) |
Week 2 |
W, 8-26 |
Cousins, 2 The Early Power of Story (1903-18) (TSoF 34-59) Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau, 1927, 95 min) (JustWatch | Archive) Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925, 75 min) (JustWatch | Archive) In Class Clip: The Tenth Symphony (Glance, 1918, 94 min) (YouTube) Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter One (JustWatch) |
Week 3 |
W, 9-2 |
Cousins, 3 The World Expansion of Style (1918-28) (TSoF 60-115) M (Lang, 1931, 109 min) (JustWatch | Archive) Brockmann, "Weimar Cinema 1919-1933" (GeorgiaVIEW) Ryan, "Fritz Lang's Radio Aesthetic" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: Telotte, "German Expressionism" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Two (JustWatch) |
Week 4 |
W, 9-9 |
Cousins, 4 Japanese Classicism and Hollywood Romance (1928-45) (TSoF 116-85) His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940, 92 min) (JustWatch) TBA: His Girl Friday Criticism TBA: Classical Hollywood Cinema Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Three (JustWatch) |
Week 5 |
W, 9-16 |
Cousins, 5 The Devastation of War and a New Movie Language (1945-52) (TSoF 186-215) The Rules of the Game (Renoir, 1939, 110 min) (JustWatch) TBA: The Rules of The Game Criticism TBA: Poetic Realism Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Four (JustWatch) |
|
W, 9-23 |
Meshes of the Afternoon (Deren, 1943, 14 min) (JustWatch | YouTube) Fireworks (Anger, 1947, 14 min) (JustWatch | YouTube) TBA: Meshes of the Afternoon Criticism TBA: Experimental Cinema Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Five (JustWatch) Writing Time: Bring Your Laptops |
Week 7 |
W, 9-30 |
Cousins, 6 The Swollen Story (1952-58) (TSoF 216-65) The Blood of a Poet (Cocteau, 1932, 55 min) (JustWatch | Archive) A Night on Bald Mountain (JustWatch | YouTube) (Alexeiff and Parker, 1934, 9 min) TBA: The Blood of a Poet Criticism TBA: Avant-Garde Surrealism Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Six (JustWatch) |
Week 8 |
W, 10-7 |
Cousins, 7 The Exploded Story (1958-69) (TSoF 266-327) Rome, Open City (Rossellini, 1945, 105 min) (JustWatch) TBA: Rome, Open City Criticism TBA: Italian Neorealism Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Seven (JustWatch) |
Week 9 |
W, 10-14 |
Cousins, 8 Freedom and Want See (1969-79) (TSoF 328-87) Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953, 136 min) (JustWatch) TBA: Tokyo Story Criticism TBA: The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Eight (JustWatch) |
Week 10 |
W, 10-21 |
Cousins, 9 Mega-Entertainments and Philosophy (1979-90) (TSoF 388-435) La Pointe Courte (Varda, 1955, 86 min) (JustWatch) TBA: La Pointe Courte Criticism and TBA: French New Wave Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Nine (JustWatch) |
Week 11 |
W, 10-28 |
Cousins, 10 Can See (1990-Present) (TSoF 436-85) Cousins, Conclusion (TSoF 486-93) Black Girl (Sembène, 1966, 55 min) (JustWatch) TBA: Black Girl Criticism TBA: African Film Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Ten (JustWatch) |
Week 12 |
W, 11-4 |
Close-Up (Kiarostami, 1990, 98 min) (JustWatch) TBA: Close-Up Criticism TBA: Iranian Film Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Eleven (JustWatch) Writing Time: Bring Your Laptops |
Week 13 |
W, 11-11 |
Titicut Follies (Wiseman, 1967, 84 min) (JustWatch) TBA: Titicut Follies Criticism TBA: Documentary Film Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Twelve (JustWatch) |
Week 14 |
W, 11-18 |
The Watermelon Woman (Dunye, 1996, 84 min) (JustWatch) TBA: The Watermelon Woman Criticism TBA: New Queer Cinema Article Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Thirteen (JustWatch) |
Week 15 |
W, 11-25 |
No Class: Thanksgiving Holiday Recommended: The Story of Film: Chapter Fourteen and Fifteen (JustWatch) |
Week 16 |
W, 12-2 |
Chungking Express (Kar-wai, 1994, 98 min) (JustWatch) TBA: Chungking Express Criticism TBA: Hong King Film Article Recommended: The Story of Film: A New Generation: Part One (JustWatch) |
Finals |
T, 12-8 |
Recommended: The Story of Film: A New Generation: Part Two (JustWatch) |