Assignments
English 4950/5950: Film, Fall 2015
TR 3:30-4:45PM, Arts & Sciences 368
Film Availability
This chart provides links to our class's required films that are available from Apple (digital purchase or rental), Amazon (digital purchase, rental, or streaming), Internet Archive (free download or streaming), Netflix (streaming), or GCSU Library (4 hour reserves). Check Can I Stream It?, a clearinghouse of film and television streaming sites, for availability to purchase films from Amazon, rented on disc from Netflix, or stream on services like Cinemax, Crackle, Encore, Epix, HBO, Hulu, Google Play, Showtime, Starz, Vudu, and XBox, XFinity Streampix, and YouTube. Use the available screenplays and transcripts as a helpful reference for dialogue; however, if you write about the movie, you should verify dialogue from the film itself.
| Film | Availability |
|---|---|
2001: A Space Odyssey |
|
The Act of Killing (Theatrical Cut) |
|
Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat |
|
Breathless |
|
Casablanca |
|
Un Chien Andalou |
|
Citizen Kane |
|
Do the Right Thing |
|
Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory |
|
A Fistful of Dollars |
|
The Grand Budapest Hotel |
|
The Kiss |
|
The Kiss in the Tunnel |
|
Man with a Movie Camera |
|
Modern Times |
|
Orlando |
|
Out of the Past |
|
The Rocky Horror Picture Show |
|
Suspiria |
|
A Trip to the Moon |
|
Vertigo |
Presentation Schedule
Undergraduate students sign up for 1 Article Summary (AS) and 1 Scene Analysis (CA).
Graduate students sign up for 1 Presentation (P).
In Class Activities
1. Analyzing Modern Times
We've analyzed selected scenes from Un Chien Andalou and Man with the Movie Camera, but without looking for specific film elements. Today, we'll prepare for the undergraduate scene analysis paper by examining particular film techniques in two select scenes from Modern Times. Break into six groups and discuss the following issues from the Film Analysis handout, one topic per group.
- mise en scène: the staging of the film
- characterization
- cinematography: film stock, lighting, and the camera
- editing
- sound
- narrative
2. TBA
TBA
Article Summary
GeorgiaVIEW Post
You will write an article summary and post it to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Article Summary on the day before we are scheduled to discuss the article so I have time to read your response before class. Here is the presentation schedule.
The article summary, which will summarize a particular theorist's essay, should
- be 2-3 pages long,
- summarize the article's argument for approaching film (if there are multiple articles on the syllabus by a single author, summarize only one),
- quote and explain at least two significant passage(s),
- define key terms,
- and include questions that the theorist would ask of the work of literature
Informal Presentation
You will also be responsible for a brief, informal presentation. The article summary presentation should introduce the essay by defining key points and terms (without simply reading your written summary) and broaching issues for class discussion.
Due Dates
- Your written assignment will be due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Article Summary on the day before we are scheduled to discuss an article. Summaries will be penalized one letter grade for each day, not class period, that they are turned in late. It is your responsibility to check the sign up schedule and complete the assignment on time.
- Your brief, informal presentation will be due on the day we discuss the essay in class. This date is approximate for we will sometimes fall a day behind. Failing to present the article to the class without providing a valid absence excuse will result in a one letter grade penalty.
- I will return your graded assignment to you in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Article Summary approximately one week after we discuss the article in class. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I am unable to return graded assignments to you unless and until you submit them to the Dropbox.
- For example, we are scheduled to discuss Baudry on Tuesday, 8-25. Therefore, someone's summary will be due in GeorgiaVIEW on Monday, 8-24. In class on Tuesday, 8-25, that student will informally present the main ideas of Baudry's essay. I will return the graded article summary to her the following week in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Article Summary. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Scene Analysis and Presentation
Sign up in pairs to analyze a 2-3 minute scene in a formal 5-6 page paper and formal 7-10 minute presentation which includes screening the scene. Your essay and presentation should 1) address at least three elements of film (such as mise en scène, characterization, cinematography, editing, sound, narrative) from Dick's Anatomy of Film and our course film analysis handout and 2) interpret how the scene broaches the core conflict and overall theme of the film. Your single, collaboratively written essay should be driven by a thesis that argues the work's theme and logically organized by close reading of the text: unpack the tension and conflict, connotation and diction, idea and theme. Your well-organized presentation should clearly convey your ideas to the class, and each member should speak during the presentation.
Parameters
- Length: 5-6 pages, 7-10 minutes
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The paper is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Scene Analysis on the presentation date.
- Group Policy: Each group member is responsible for staying connected with the group, attending meetings, actively participating in meetings, doing her delegated work, i.e., contributing her fair share to the project. In order to hold singular members accountable in a team project, each group member should individually compose and submit to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Scene Analysis - Individual Evaluation a paragraph that assesses their own performance and their peer's service to the assignment. If it becomes apparent that a group member did not participate (skipped meetings, didn't complete her assigned work, etc.), that member will be assessed individually rather than receive the group grade.
- Grade: Your assignment will be assessed in terms of understanding of the three filmic elements, analysis of the film's core conflict and overall theme, and presentation skills; your project will be graded approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Scene Analysis. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
(Sub)Genre Paper
While the exam required you to discuss film realism, representation, and ideology as well as film techniques, for the (sub)genre essay you will 1) research either a genre we have not covered or a subgenre of one of the films we have covered, 2) compose an essay that defines the (sub)genre's traits, and 3) analyzes an exemplary film of the genre or subgenre and argues how the film not only fits but also redefines the genre or subgenre. Your essay must utilize 3-6 sources to help you define the (sub)genre. At least 2 of the sources must be scholarly journal articles or book chapters, and the other sources may include non-academic audience periodicals. Here's how to conduct research at GCSU.
As a class, we'll brainstorm genre and subgenres on Thursday, October 22.
Some genres not covered in this class include but are not limited to:
- crime and gangster films like The Public Enemy, The Godfather, and New Jack City
- war and combat films like Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and Platoon
- blockbusters like Jaws and Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark
- comic book superhero movies like Spider-Man and The Dark Knight
- the independent art house film like Crimes and Misdemeanors and Being John Malkovich
- films about Hollywood like Sunset Blvd., Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, All about Eve, The Player, and Mulholland Drive
- screwball comedies like His Girl Friday, The Philadelphia Story, You Can't Take It with You, and Bringing up Baby
- found footage films like The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, and Paranormal Activity
- the family melodrama like Written on the Wind
Subgenres of genres covered in this class include but are not limited to:
- neo-noir and LA noir like Chinatown, L.A. Confidential, Memento, and Brick
- American horror remakes of Japanese horror like The Ring, The Grudge, and The Eye
- torture porn (aka the splatter film) like Hostel, Saw, and The Human Centipede
- PG-13 horror remakes of 1970s hard R horror like Black Christmas and Prom Night
- meta-horror like Scream, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, and The Cabin in the Woods
- ontological postmodern sci-fi like The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor, and Dark City
Parameters
- Length: 5-6 pages, not including Works Cited
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The (sub)genre paper is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > (Sub)Genre Paper Thursday, November 5.
- Grade: Your exam will be assessed in terms of your research and understanding of the genre or subgenre and your argument regarding not only why the film fits into the (sub)genre but also how it advances the (sub)genre). Your paper will be graded approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > (Sub)Genre. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Exam
In the take home exam, you will write two or three thesis-driven comparison/contrast two essays of your choice from a selection of four to six questions. Do not write on articles or films written about previously in the scene analysis paper and presentation.
Not all works are appropriate for all essays. Choose works which afford adequate material to address the issue at hand. Do not use a work to answer more than one essay.
Organize essays by argument and analysis. Have a controlling idea, an interpretation, a thesis that bridges the works. Support your points with textual evidence (quotations) when necessary and warranted; avoid plot summary. Make connections and distinctions among the texts; in other words, compare and contrast the works' key ideas.
- Essay 1: Film Theory
- Integrating three or four theorists from Corrigan's textbook in your response, discuss the ideological nature and/or artistic representation of reality in film.
- Essay 2: Technique and Interpretation
- Choose either cinematography, editing, or graphics/sound as discussed in Dick's textbook and the film analysis handout, and then write an essay that compares and contrasts how that element functions technically and thematically in two in-class feature-length films.
Parameters
- Length: 5-6 pages per essay; 10-12 pages total
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The exam is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Exam on Thursday, October 8.
- Grade: Your exam will be assessed in terms of your understanding of film techniques, film theory, and films covered in class; your project will be graded approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Exam. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Research Paper
Undergraduate Students
Research either 1) the meaning of one film or 2) a film issue (thematic, theoretical, technical, or aesthetic) across two or three films (subject to professor approval if any of the films are outside of class), and write an 8-10 page paper that applies 2-3 theoretical articles covered in class and incorporates 3-4 scholarly criticisms researched specifically for the paper. On Tuesday, December 1, you will present a paragraph explaining your topic, research question (or thesis), and theoretical framework (what theoretical articles your paper will use). Here's how to conduct research at GCSU.
Graduate Students
You will write a 12-15 page research paper that enters, engages, and advances the scholarly discourse of a film or film issue either discussed in class or selected by you and approved by the professor. First, you will compose a 250 word paper proposal following the suggestions by Owl. Your final essay should be worthy of being presented at a conference, integrate at least 4 interpretive sources and apply at least 4 theoretical articles on film. Here's how to conduct research at GCSU. The week before your final paper is due, you will be given 15 minutes to present your paper in progress in class; then you will participate in a question and answer session with the class and can incorporate feedback into your final paper.
Parameters
- Length
- Undergraduate Students: 8-10 pages
- Graduate Students: 12-15 pages
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due Dates
- Undergraduate Students:
- The topic presentation is Tuesday, December 1.
- The research paper is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper on Thursday, December 10.
- Graduate Students:
- The abstract proposal is due in GerogiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper on Tuesday, November 17.
- The paper in progress presentation is Thursday, December 3.
- The research paper is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper on Thursday, December 10.
- Undergraduate Students:
- Grade: Your essay will be assessed in terms of their analytical and interpretive understanding of the film(s) as well as their understanding and integration of film theory and criticism. You can access your final grade in the course via PAWS on Wednesday, December 16. In order to read and assess all the exams and papers in my three classes by the final grade deadline, I will not be giving feedback on final projects this semester. I am glad to put your paper grade in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper if you ask me to do so on your paper. I am happy to provide feedback at the beginning of spring semester if you email me to set up a conference. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Theoretical Paper
While the book review requires you to summarize and evaluate a monograph on criticism, the theoretical paper compels you to either compare and contrast two theoretical articles covered in class (what key idea do they share and how does that same idea set them apart) or summarize and evaluate a monograph on film theory by a scholar covered in class (appreciate and interrogate a book).
Parameters
- Length: 8-10 pages
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The paper is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Theoretical Paper on either Thursday, October 8 or Thursday, November 5 (If you submit the Book Review on October 8, you must submit the Theoretical Paper on November 5. If you submit the Book Review on November 5, you must submit the Theoretical Paper on October 8; if you submit the Theoretical Paper on October 8).
- Grade: Your essay will be assessed in terms of either your comparative understanding of the two theoretical articles or your summary and evaluation of the theoretical book; your project will be graded approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Theoretical Paper. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Book Review
While the annotated bibliography and presentation require you to research, evaluate, and teach a film, the book review compels you to read and evaluate an entire book of fim theory or criticism. After consulting with the professor on a suitable book (for instance a book from which our class is reading an excerpt, or another of your choosing), write a 8-10 page essay that summarizes the book's overall theoretical or critical claim and then evaluates the thesis and methodology. Your essay should both appreciate and interrogate the book. The GeorgiaVIEW course packet contains book reviews by Laura Quinn, Kevin Sweeney, and Eric Whedbee; and you can find more examples using GALILEO.
Parameters
- Length: 8-10 pages
- Format: MLA Style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The written component is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Book Review on either Thursday, October 8 or Thursday, November 5 (If you submit the Book Review on October 8, you must submit the Theoretical Paper on November 5. If you submit the Book Review on November 5, you must submit the Theoretical Paper on October 8).
- Grades: Your assignment will be graded on its appreciative, summary understanding of the theory as well as its ability to evaluate and interrogate the book. You can retrieve your graded assignment approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Book Review. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Annotated Bibliography and Presentation
Graduates students will research a film, compose an annotated bibliography of at least 10 scholarly sources interpreting the work, and teach the film to the class, i.e., lecture and moderate class discussion, with some help from one of the articles on the work. One week before the presentation/teaching demonstration, graduate students must meet with the professor to go over their lesson plan. The citations in the annotated bibliography should be formatted to MLA style, each annotation should be approximately 100 words long.
Parameters
- Length: 10 100-word annotated bibliographies, a 30-45 minute teaching demonstration
- Format: MLA Style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The written component is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Annotated Bibliography and Presentation on the scheduled presentation date.
- Grades: You will be graded on the quality of your research, annotations, and teaching demonstration. You can retrieve your graded assignment approximately one week after your presentation in GeorgiaVIEW > Dropbox > Course Work > Annotated Bibliography and Presentation. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.