Film and Media Studies
http://www.asu.edu/clas/fms/
Main Office – LL 641
(480) 965-8270
UG Advisor: Laura Gonzales-Macias
Anti-Semitism in the Media
FMS/POS/REL 394
Spring 2008
Instructor: Dr. Michael Rubinoff Day/Time: Internet
Office Location: LL 647B Location: myasucourses.asu.edu
Office Hours: M & W: 5:00-5:50 pm Schedule Lines #34412/31541/32700/14253
and by appointment
E-mail:
Faculty Web Page: https://sec.was.asu.edu/directory/person/87524
Teaching Assistant: Kathryn Bergeron
Email:
Course Description:
The purpose of this interdisciplinary course is to explain the phenomenon of modern anti-Semitism, its
types, various media, and persistence in the wider context of global civilization. The student will be able
to develop his/her abilities in three areas: (1) critical reading, (2) concise writing, and (3) effective
expression with use of the online classroom environment. Aside from these general goals, the student will
also learn many cultural, historical, and political facts associated with modern anti-Semitism. Readings and
online discussions will explain what happened and most importantly, why it happened. The course will
cover many major issues, which have placed anti-Semitism as an issue of greater intensity in the world
today. The classroom will provide the student with both a vehicle to comment on past and present events, as
well as a full opportunity to raise further questions for general discussion.
Additionally, students who successfully complete this course will have demonstrated their research skills
conducted in both physical and web-based libraries, concise, critical writing and understanding the online
instructional environment. After completing this course, you should be able to:
· conduct reading and research using both traditional book/journal sources, media, and web-information,
technology.
· identify, evaluate, and present, through effective critical writing, evidence found in primary and secondary sources (written and media).
· better appreciate the evolution of and variant forms of anti-Semitism from its origins in antiquity through modern and present times.
· understand anti-Semitism as a world philosophy as well as appreciating the concepts and terminology related to this study.
· develop a solid grasp on how different scholars have analyzed anti-Semitism in different countries and different epochs. Are there reoccurring patterns in anti-Semitism, or are there generally similar
characteristics in how anti-Semitism has emerged?
· demonstrate the knowledge and historical perspective necessary to evaluate anti-Semitism in various time periods and media.
· hone online learning skills, which will help with further work at ASU and beyond. By the time we finish, you shall hold the keys for using research databases such as LexisNexis Academic, JSTOR, and ProQuest. This will help you immeasurably in future university work. For those familiar with other electronic databases, the entire class awaits your insights on their use as well.
Activities:
The activities to achieve the course objectives will be, but are not limited to the following:
· critical reading of required texts/media, individual and group responses to questions posted in class conferences.
· individual research projects at physical library, online library, and web sources to identify valid material for analytical writing.
· creation of collaborative documents, which will reflect the consensus of the class on a given assignment.
· you will screen selected feature films, examine newspapers (possibly online), or secure articles from a web database in support of individual assignments.
Required Reading:
Rubinoff, Michael, Anti-Semitism in Modern Times series (2006) - available in segments under COURSE
DOCUMENTS (Release will be stated in ANNOUNCEMENTS as the semester proceeds.)
The lectures are posted in segments during the semester. These lectures expand beyond the required texts.
They will contain many interactive web sites or links to short articles.
Dinnerstein, Leonard, Anti-Semitism in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994)
ISBN0-19-510112-X
Lindemann, Albert S., Esau’s Tears: Modern Anti-Semitism and the Rise of the Jews (New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2000) ISBN 0521795389
Reinharz, Jehuda, ed., Living with Antisemitism: Modern Jewish Responses (Hanover and London,
University Press of New England, 1987) ISBN 0-8751-412-6
Schoenfeld, Gabriel, The Return of Anti-Semitism (San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2004)
ISBN 1-59403-089-8
Required Book Descriptions and Their Use in Class:
This highly interactive course surveys historical and modern anti-Semitism and evaluates both its causes and
symptoms. Given the spread of contemporary anti-Semitism as a world ideology, the course will include an
emphasis of its evolution from the 19th century into one of the more disturbing phenomenon to reappear in
the aftermath of the Cold War. It has become a factor in the war on terrorism and is a frequent focus of
media attention. Course texts will include both broad narratives and shorter concise treatments. The first
half of the semester will look at anti-Semitism’s origins in antiquity, the changing dynamics of it caused by
the Middle Ages, and subsequent developments from the Enlightenment through the Nazis rise to power.
One text author (Lindemann) drawing heavily from secondary sources, sees anti-Semitism as a result of
Jewish success. Other writers (Reinharz, et. al.) ascribes different causes for its persistence and Jewish
responses to anti-Semitism. In the second half of the semester, the history of American anti-Semitism
(Dinnerstein) will be surveyed in detail. The final weeks of the course will examine the reemergence of
intense anti-Semitic strains in the past 10-15 years (Schoenfeld) and the challenge its poses to democratic
societies.
Gabriel Schoenfeld is coming to ASU through the auspices of the Jewish Studies Program. He will
speak about, “The Role of the Media in Jewish & General Life” on Tuesday, April 1 from 1:40-
2:55 pm in Payne Education Bldg. 212. There will also be an additional presentation in the evening.
More details on this when they are available. Be sure to plan on attending one or more of these free,
public programs.
Required Screenings and Their Use in Class:
As we examine American anti-Semitism, a select group of feature films for required viewing and discussion
during Weeks 10-12. These run a gamut of historical time frames, 1896-1950s. These films are well known
with star-studded casts. The earlier these are viewed, the better. Spring Break is a great time to finish
these up. Written assignments and the Final Exam makes these essential tools. All of these titles are
available from http://www.netflix.com/, Blockbusters, and on reserve under the course/instructor’s name in
the Hayden Library (1 day checkout per title). You can also purchase these from Borders,
http://amazon.com/ or http://www.ebay.com/ or other online vendors. From local libraries and stores, call in
advance to check on title availability
Week 10 – The Life of Emile Zola (d: Dieterle, US 1937, 116 min.)
The Great Dictator (d: Chaplin, US 1940, 124 min.)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937) revisits the Dreyfus Affair, an alarming episode also discussed in
Lindemann’s text. The film won three Oscars, including “Best Picture” for 1937. This was among the
earliest American films dealing with anti-Semitism. The major cast includes Paul Muni, Gayle Sondergaard,
and Joseph Schildkraut. The strongest pre-World War II account of anti-Semitism in film was presented by
Charles Chaplin. The Great Dictator (1940) was a black comedy, but also a “no-holds barred” assault on
Nazi racial theory. This Oscar winning film was nominated for “Best Picture” in 1940.
Week 11 – Crossfire (d: Dymytrk, US 1947, 86 min.)
Gentlemen’s Agreement (d: Kazan, US 1947, 118 min.)
Crossfire (1947) is a film noir work about a hate-motivated murder. The movie was directed by Edward
Dmitryk and was nominated for an Oscar. The major cast includes Robert Young, Robert Mitchum,
and Robert Ryan. Gentlemen’s Agreement (1947) directed by Elia Kazan, examined social anti-Semitism
from the angle of a reporter posing as a Jew. The major cast included Gregory Peck and John Garfield.
Week 12 – The Young Lions (d: Dymytrk, US 1958, 167 min.)
School Ties (d: Mandel, US 1992, 106 min.)
The Young Lions (1958) focuses on infantry soldiers during World War II. One American soldier is the
victim of anti-Semitism. The film also shows American GIs encountering a Nazi concentration camp.
Nominated for several Oscars and directed by Edward Dymytrk, the screenplay was derived from Irwin
Shaw’s best-selling novel. The major cast includes Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Dean Martin.
School Ties (1992) details prep school anti-Semitism in the 1950s. A student recruited for the preppie
football team attempts to hide his Jewishness. The major cast includes Brandan Fraser and Amy Locane.
ASU Bookstore Hours:
The bookstore maintains special hours in the first week of class. For more details, browse their web site:
http://bookstore.asu.edu/ASU/StoreHours.aspx If these times do not work for you, they can mail books to
you or you can try online vendors and go for overnight delivery. The bookstore’s phone is 480/965-4170
and if supplies are out, they can take special orders. Due to cross lists, titles might be in other subject
sections of the store.
Requirements & Grading:
Grades will be weighed on a 100 points scale as follows below.
WeeklyDiscussion Questions / 15 / x 3 / 45 pts
Mid-Term Exam / 1 / x 25 / 25 pts
Second Exam / 1 / x 30 / 30 pts
Total / 100 pts.
Course academic performance will be determined as follows below:
100-90 / A80-89 / B
70-79 / C
60-69 / D
0 - 59 / F
These grades are determined under the following criteria (These apply to all written submissions):
The grade of A reflects excellence. The submission offers a well-focused and organized discussion
appropriate to the instructor's assignment, reflects critical use of relevant materials, and demonstrates
effective and formal writing requirements. The work must demonstrate an outstanding effort to identify
varied pertinent sources, to employ those materials critically in the text of the paper, and to provide
error-free citations of those resources.
The grade of B represents an effort beyond satisfactory and indicates the assignment was completed in an appropriate and competent manner and, in general, demonstrates a strong attempt at original and critical
analysis, writing, and research. The submission may contain a number of minor grammatical or citation
errors, and its thesis or its conclusions may be undeveloped or too weakly supported.
The grade of C indicates the assignment was done in a satisfactory or appropriate fashion, and represents
the average work expected for university courses. The submission is organized around a central idea, its
arguments are supported by relevant examples, and the paper is structured into correctly written
paragraphs and sentences. Although fulfilling the assignment, the C assignment may exhibit one or more
weaknesses, including, but not limited to, punctuation and grammatical errors, imprecise or incorrect
word use, inaccurate or uncritical use of materials, and occasional inconsistent organization or
development. Research materials selected or cited may lack direct relevance to the topic.
The grade of D indicates the submission may have a poorly defined topic or thesis, may lack clear focus
or organization, and contains unsupported generalizations or conclusions. Research support is inadequate,
not clearly relevant, or improperly documented, and a less than minimal research effort is evident. The
paper may also suffer from numerous or major formal writing errors.
The grade of F indicates the submission is not clearly relevant to the assignment, and its topic and thesis
are poorly focused or defined. The assignment may display inadequate organization or development,
unsupported generalizations, and nonstandard formal features (including language usage, sentence
structure, paragraphing, etc.). In addition, research support is absented, inadequate, or irrelevant to the
assignment. This grade can also be earned by failure to complete the assignment.
Examinations
There will be a Mid-Term Exam on Tuesday, Feb. 26 and a 2nd Exam on Tuesday, April 29. The 2nd Exam
will not be cumulative. Each exam will be of the essay variety. Though not constructed yet, there will likely
be two long essays to write and shorter identification items from which to choose.
Mid-Term Exam
The Mid-Term Exam will be on Tuesday, Feb. 26. The exam will be available for 24 hrs. and the student
must post their paper before 11:59 pm on that day. There will be further instructions on submission in the
ANNOUNCEMENTS section of the online classroom. You will be required to source note
(footnote/endnote) in whatever format you choose and list references consulted at the exam’s end. Such
notes are easily inserted. The Mid-Term Exam itself must be deposited in TOOLS/Digital Drop Box.
Second Exam
The 2nd Exam will be on Tuesday, April 29. The exam will be available for 24 hrs. and the student must
post their paper before 11:59 pm this date. There will be further instructions on submission in the
ANNOUNCEMENTS section of the online classroom. You will be required to source note
(footnote/endnote) in whatever format you choose and list references consulted at the exam’s end.
Such notes are easily inserted. The 2nd Exam itself must be deposited in TOOLS/Digital Drop Box.
The exams will cover reading assignments/films/discussion boards through the class date (see
Reading Schedule below), discussions, web sites listed for study, and required media. The Mid-Term will
be inclusive of all Weeks 1-7 texts and Discussion Boards. The 2nd Exam will be drawn from Weeks
8-15.
Mid-Term and Second Exam Writing Standards
All work must be typed, double-spaced, spell-checked, and proofread to assure complete sentences and
clarity. In setting the paper up, use Times New Roman with a 12-point font. Grammatik and "Tools" aside,
it is recommended to write in the past tense. Available for 18 hrs, it should include a references page and
be generously source noted. You may use APA, MLA, or Chicago formats. If you are unfamiliar with any
of these formats, they can be quickly learned and abridged versions of their specifics are available in
bookstores and libraries. An unrecognized style or an apparent hybrid of these formats will result in a grade
reduction. Pick one and be consistent with either notes after a sentence is quoted or paraphrased (APA and
MLA) or a footnote/endnote (Chicago). If you want to source a direct quote or paraphrase from page 51 in
Lindemann per APA style, it goes immediately after the citation/sentence and should look like this
(Lindemann, 2000, p. 51). MLA and Chicago styles have their respective counterparts - Whichever you