313 Ernst Bessey Hall
Tues 4:10-7:00 pm
Thurs 4:10-6:00 pm
Course Description
In the first half of the 20th Century, classical film theory often wrestled with such questions as the nature of cinematic reality and perception, befitting the radically different nature of this new medium at the dawn of modernity. However, with the emergence of larger intellectual movements such as cultural studies, psychoanalytic theory, post-colonialism and so forth, theorists increasingly gravitated to issues of ideology and representation. Meanwhile, remarkable shifts in technological innovation and industrial strategies presented alternate media platforms which, by the end of the century, had gained as much cultural prominence as a film medium that was becoming increasingly digitized. This course serves as an advanced introduction into some of the major film and media theories developed since the 1970s. Significant attention will be paid to cinematic ideology and representation in relation to such issues as gender, race, authorship, postmodernism, genre, affect and cinephilia, as well as a sustained focus on developments in convergence and newer media (television, videogames and digital cinema). Since this is an advanced theory course, students will be expected to make a good faith effort to tackle complex ideas in class discussion and in assigned writings.
Textbook: Corrigan, White and Mazaj, Critical Visions in Film Theory (2011) and other assigned readings
Screenings: You are expected to attend all screenings, even if you’ve seen the film before, and to watch them actively and closely. Refrain from using laptops and cellphones during screenings. WARNING: We will be watching films in this class that contain graphic violence, nudity, and adult themes. If you think this content will offend or disturb you, you should reconsider your enrollment in this class.
Readings: Not everything in the reading will be covered in class sessions, and you will find some of the readings challenging. So read closely and take notes. You may need to re-read the more difficult texts in order to understand them. You are responsible for all content in the readings, even if not discussed in lecture. If you do not understand elements of the reading, then feel free to ask questions during discussion and office hours.
Office Hours and E-mail: My door is always open; feel free to come by during office hours to talk about your writing, the readings, the films, or any other aspect of the course. Please allow at least 24 hours before following up on emails sent.
Assignments:
Response Paper 1 (Apparatus/Psychoanalytic/Feminist) . . . 5%
Response Paper 2 (Race/Affect/Genre/Postmodernism) . . . 10%
Response Paper 3 (Cinephilia) . . . 15%
Research Paper . . . 25%
Final Exam . . . 25%
Participation . . . 20%
*Please note that completion of all assignments is required to pass the course.
Response Papers: Response papers should articulate your thoughts on a specific theory presented in one of the assigned readings, which also must be quoted and cited. As part of your own response, it is important to unpack the hows and whys of a given theorist’s position. In other words, show the reader that you have command of the internal argument at hand. The focal point should be on the theory in question more so than on any film or television show(s) screened, though you are welcome to draw on examples from the latter as needed. All responses should be about two full pages (typed & double spaced), well-written, proofread, and have a clear point that avoids summary.
Research Essay: The topic of your research paper is open to any major aspect of contemporary film and media theory. Ideally, the project should build on one of the major movements we covered in class (Feminist Film Theory, Postmodernism, Convergence, Post-Racial Whiteness, and so on). As part of that, your paper will want to engage in-depth with the work of film and/or media theorists. They do not have to be ones we read in class, but their work should in some way reflect the spirit of the area(s) we covered. The topic must be approved by me in advance. Develop a coherent, convincing argument, using at least three sources (including at least two from outside the class’s assigned readings). The research paper should be at least 6-8 full pages, double-spaced. It will be graded on strength and originality of argument; command of theory and general use of outside sources; avoiding too much narrative summary; convincing, specific details to illustrate your points; and, just as importantly, general writing style, which includes organization, tone, proofreading and so forth.
Final Exam: The final exam will be a take-home assignment, featuring essay-format questions. It will be distributed on the last day of class and due at the start of our scheduled final time. The exam will cover material taken from both the course screenings and assigned readings.
Late Work: Essays and response papers will be deducted 5% for each weekday late (excludes weekends). Papers emailed in lieu of attendance will be considered late without prior arrangement.
Attendance: You are allowed six excused absences for the length of the course, including all lectures and screenings. This includes sick days, family emergencies and other documented absences. After that, 5% of the final grade will be deducted for each absence. 10 absences, or more, will result in an automatic failure for the course.
Participation: You are expected to attend every class and screening, for the full amount of time we meet, be actively engaged with the class, and to be respectful of myself, your classmates, and the course objectives and rules. This also includes keeping laptops and cellphones stowed away during screenings. Laptops are only to be used for note-taking.
Academic Integrity: Students are expected to comply with University regulations regarding academic integrity. If you are in doubt about what constitutes academic dishonesty, speak with me before the assignment is due and/or examine the University website. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to cheating on an exam (e.g., copying others’ answers, providing information to others, using a crib sheet) or plagiarism of a paper (e.g. taking material from readings without citation, copying another student's paper). Failure to maintain academic integrity on an assignment will result in a loss of credit for that assignment—at a minimum. Other penalties may also apply. The guidelines for determining academic dishonesty are detailed on the website: https://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/plagiarism.html.
Spring Schedule 2012
*Readings are in Critical Visions (CV), unless indicated otherwise. All assigned readings and viewings are subject to change, though any adjustments will be announced in advance.
1/10—Introductions
1/12—Psychoanalytic Film Theory; Reading: Metz, “From The Imaginary Signifier” (CV, 17-33)
1/17—Apparatus Theory; Screening: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985); Reading: Baudry, “Ideological Effects of the Basic Cinematographic Apparatus” (CV 34-43)
1/19—Feminist Film Theory; Reading: Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (CV 715-725)
1/24—Feminist Film Theory (cont.); Screening: Notorious (1946); Reading: Modleski, “Hitchcock, Feminism and the Patriarchal Unconscious” (CV 377-385)
1/26—Authorship; Reading: Barthes, “The Death of the Author” (CV 346-349) and Christensen, “Studio Authorship, Corporate Art” (CV 430-439)
1/31—Race; Screening: Bamboozled (2000); Reading: Fanon, “The Fact of Blackness” (CV 795-799); First Response Paper Due
2/2—Reading; Shohat and Stam, “Stereotype, Realism and the Struggle over Representation” (CV 801-820)
2/7—Affect and Genre; Screening: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944); Reading: Dyer, “Entertainment and Utopia” (CV 467-477)
2/9—Reading: Altman, “A Semantic/Syntactic/Pragmatic Approach to Genre” (CV 488-496)
2/14—Postmodernism; Screening: Videodrome (1982); Reading: Jameson, “Postmodernism and Consumer Society” (CV 1033-1041)
2/16— Reading, Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation (excerpt) (ANGEL)
2/21—Time; Screening: Dawn of the Dead (1978); Reading: Deleuze, “From Cinema II: Time-Image” (CV 185-201); Second Response Paper Due
2/23— Reading: Shaviro, “Contagious Allegories: George Romero” (ANGEL)
2/28: Popular Genres; Screening: American Psycho (2000); Reading: Clover, “Her Body, Himself” (CV 513-526)
3/1: Reading: Tasker, “Dumb Movies for Dumb People” (CV 756-766)
Spring Break (3/5-3/9)
3/13: Cinephilia; Screening: Inglorious Basterds (2009); Reading: Keathley, “The Cinephiliac Moment” (online)
3/15: Reading: Elsaesser, “Cinephilia or the Uses of Disenchantment” (ANGEL)
3/20: Reading: Barthes, “Upon Leaving a Movie Theatre” (ANGEL)
3/22: no class (Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference)
3/27: Television; Screening: Deadwood (2004); Reading: Feuer, “Narrative Form in American Network Television” (CV 611-618); Third Response Paper Due
3/29: Reading: Mittell, “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television” (online)
4/3: Media Convergence; Screening: The Animatrix and Matrix Reloaded (2003); Reading: Jenkins, “Searching for the Origami Unicorn” (CV 620-641)
4/5: Reading: Gray, “From Spoilers to Spinoffs: A Theory of Paratexts” (ANGEL)
4/10: Gaming; Screening: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World (2010); Reading: Galloway, “Origins of the First Person Shooter” (CV 1072-1083); Research Proposals Due
4/12: Reading: Jenkins, “The War Between Effects and Meanings” (ANGEL)
4/17: Digital Cinema; Screening: Tron (1982); Reading: Manovich, “What is Digital Cinema?” (CV 1060-1068)
4/19: Reading: Lessig, “RW, Revived” (CV 1084-1092)
4/24: “Post-Racial” Whiteness; Screening: Minority Report (2002); Reading: Nakamura, “The Social Optics of Race” (CV 1042-1056)
4/26: Reading: Dyer, “White” (CV 823-838); Research Paper Due and final exam distributed
0 comments:
Post a Comment