University of North Texas Fall 2011
RTVF 3470: Film History to 1945
This is a blended course. The course content is on-line.
Screenings will take place on: Tuesdays 9.30-11.20pm RTVF Room 184.
Instructor: Dr. G.S. Larke-Walsh, Office M&P 233.
email:
Office Hours: Mondays 10.30-11.30 Tuesdays 11-12 by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Kimberly Davis email:
The history of film from its invention to 1945 encompasses many issues, both in the structure and technology of film, and also in the cultures surrounding them, such as political changes, new philosophies and cultural differences and influences. This course provides an overview of some of the important developments in cinema pre-1945 and therefore covers a wide range of cultures, film styles and film movements. The intention is to concentrate on the aesthetics of the films with special attention to the cultural, historical and cinematic contexts that have helped shape them.
Course Objectives:
To offer a global perspective on the history of cinema
To encourage students to recognize the aesthetic styles and industrial structures of cinema and make connections across different eras and countries
To promote an understanding of how cinema reflects the time and place of its production, but also to encourage students to reflect on the similarities and differences between cinema now and cinema then
Required Reading:
Thompson, K & Bordwell, D Film History: An Introduction 3rd Edition
McGraw Hill (2009)
**THE PAGE #’s on-line correspond to the 3rd edition**
Your required work for this class includes:
Two interim examinations 50%
One final examination 30%
5 Written Assignments 20%
On-Line Instructions
Students are required to complete the course content on-line between each screening. The course will be released in three separate units (one unit per exam). Each class will include notes, reading assignments, clips and activities, including a weekly discussion board assignment. Students MUST stay up-to-date on the course content in order to fully understand the screenings and in-class discussions.
Students expecting to do well in this class should read the assigned materials, attend and take notes on all components of the class, including discussions and screenings. You do not need to notify me if you miss class, but it is up to you to view the assigned film(s), (most of which will be available at the Chilton Media Center within a day or so after the class meeting). I can almost guarantee you will fail this class if you skip the assigned readings and/or continue to miss screenings.
PLEASE NOTE: On-line classes are not the best choice for everyone. They require time management and the acceptance of personal responsibility. A large amount of my time each semester is taken up with answering student pleas for extensions (E.g. my essay was only 1 minute past the Monday deadline, or 1 word below the required length ‘why won’t you accept it?’). These inquiries stop me from being able to work on developing the course into a better, more active and enjoyable experience for all students. The course requirements and deadlines are clear and I will not spend my time negotiating them with individual students. If you choose to take this course then please be aware that deadlines are your responsibility. This semester all inquiries on such matters will receive a set response.
ATTENDANCE:
I have noticed over the past two semesters that attendance at screenings has declined to a ridiculous level. Therefore, this semester we will be taking attendance each week. You will not receive a grade for attendance, but I will be contacting you if I see that you are not attending on a regular basis. The sign-in sheet will be available on the front desk from 9.20am until 9.40. Attendance after 9.40 will not be recorded.
Exams will be based on on-line content, screenings and readings. The final will not be cumulative. The written assignments are graded on two levels; completion and content. There are ELEVEN opportunities to post responses to specific questions. You Can ONLY submit FIVE. You MUST post your responses within specific time periods (I.e. you cannot go back at the end of the semester and fill in gaps). The assignment will be due DIRECTLY after each screening but I will continue to accept submissions up to midnight the following Monday. No submissions will be accepted after that time. Complete details of procedures and grading have been provided on a separate document entitled Written Assignments.
Your Final Grade will thus be based upon THREE in-class examinations and 5 written assignments. You must complete each of these components in order to pass the class. Any form of academic dishonesty will result in an F for this course.
NOTE: The RTVF Department is committed to full academic access for all qualified students, including those with disabilities. In keeping with this commitment and in order to facilitate equality of educational access, faculty members in the department of RTVF will make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with a disability, such as appropriate adjustments to the classroom environment and the teaching, testing, or learning methodologies when doing so does not fundamentally alter the course.
If you have a disability, it is your responsibility to obtain verifying information from the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) and to inform me of your need for an accommodation. Requests for accommodation must be given to me no later than the first week of classes for students registered with the ODA as of the beginning of the current semester. If you register with the ODA after the first week of classes, your accommodation requests will be considered after this deadline.
Grades assigned before an accommodation is provided will not be changed. Information about how to obtain academic accommodations can be found in UNT Policy 18.1.14, at www.unt.edu/oda, and by visiting the ODA in Room 321 of the University Union. You also may call the ODA at 940.565.4323.
BREAKDOWN BY WEEKS AND CLASS MEETINGS
UNIT ONE: Pre-World War I
Tues 30th Aug: Course Details
MODULE 1: On-Line Content: Invention and Early Years 1880s-1904
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 1
MODULE 2: On-Line Content: International Expansion of the Cinema 1905-1912
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 2
Tues 6th Sep: Screening: Excerpts from early American and European cinema. Incl. The Great Train Robbery (1903) dir. Edwin S. Porter and The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) dir. D.W. Griffith.
MODULE 3: On-Line Content: National Cinemas, Hollywood Classicism, and WWI
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 3
Tues 13th Sep: Screening: The Cheat (1914) dir. Cecil B. De Mille and documentary on European early cinema (called The Other Hollywood).
MODULE 4: On-Line Content: Review
Tues 20th Sep: No class (time kept free for on-line exam).
FIRST EXAMINATION ON-LINE: Available Tues 20th Sep from 12.30am until 11.59pm. Access through Assessments link.
UNIT TWO: 1920s
MODULE 1: On-Line Content: France in the 1920s
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 4
Tues 27th Sep: Screening: La Souriante Madame Beudet (1923) Dir. Germaine Dulac
and La Chute De La Maison Usher (1928) Dir. Jean Epstein
MODULE 2: On-Line Content: Germany in the 1920s
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 5
Tues 4th Oct: Screening: Nosferatu (1922) Dir. F.W. Murneau
MODULE 3: On-Line Content: Soviet Cinema in the 1920s
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 6
Tues 11th Oct: Screening: Battleship Potemkin (1925) Sergei Eisenstein
MODULE 4: On-Line Content: Late Silent Era in Hollywood
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 7
Tues 18th Oct: Screening: The Kid (1921) Dir. Charlie Chaplin. The Paleface (1921) Dir. Buster Keaton & Eddie Cline
MODULE 5: On-Line Content: Review
Tues 25th Oct: No class (time kept free for on-line exam).
SECOND EXAMINATION ON-LINE Available Tues 25th October From 12.30am until 11.59pm. Access through Assessments.
UNIT THREE: 1930-1945
MODULE 1: On-Line Content: Introduction of Sound and The Hollywood Studio System
REQUIRED READING: Pages 196-199 in chapter 9 Chapter 10
Tues 1st Nov: Screening: King Kong (1931) Dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack/Merian C. Cooper
MODULE 2: On-Line Content: Other Studio Systems
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 11
Tues 8th Nov: Screening: The Lady Vanishes (1938) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
MODULE 3: On-Line Content: German, Italian, Russian, French Cinema 1930-1945
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 12 & 13
Tues 15th Nov: Screening: M (1931) Dir. Fritz Lang
Tues 22nd Nov: Screening: Pepe Le Moko (1937) Dir. Julien Duvivier
MODULE 4: On-Line Content for Week 13 and 14: Leftist Documentary, and Experimental Cinemas, 1930 – 1945
REQUIRED READING: Chapter 14
Tues 29th Nov: Screening: Man of Aran (1934) Dir. Robert Flaherty
MODULE 5: On-Line Content: Review
Tues 6th Dec: COURSE REVIEW (if necessary)
FINAL EXAM ON-LINE: Access through Assessments. Date to be confirmed.