Kennesaw State University
Department of English
Minor in Film Studies
Dr. David King
Office: Humanities/English 271
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00 – 3:00 and other times by appointment
770-499-3220
SYLLABUS
FILM 3200—Film History and Theory
Fall Semester 2005
Mondays 2:00 – 4:45 Wilson Building 103
Required Texts:
1. DVD: A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
2. DVD: A Decade Under the Influence
Study questions must be completed for each of these DVDs
Supplemental Bibliography:
Andrew, Dudley. The Major Film Theories: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1976.
This is perhaps the most accessible guide to fundamental film theory.
Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 1996.
One of the standard college textbooks for film history.
Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film. 4th ed. New York: Longman,
2000.
This is an excellent guide to conducting research and writing papers in the
discipline.
Mast, Gerald and Marshall Cohen, eds. Film Theory and Criticism. 4th ed. Oxford:
Oxford UP, 1992.
This book, often neglected now in favor of Andrew’s shorter work, is primarily an
anthology of classic essays on film form and theory.
Monaco, James. How to Read a Film: The Art, Technology, Language, History, and
Theory of Film and Media. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000.
This text offers the most comprehensive introduction to film studies because it
considers film as a narrative, visual, and mechanical art form. It does not,
however, provide much historical depth.
Of the many film related websites, two are particularly helpful:
www.filmsite.org and www.imdb.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
FILM 3200—Film History and Theory—is a survey of the major developments, movements, and critical approaches within the first one hundred years of international cinema. The course emphasizes an understanding of the historical, cultural, commercial, and aesthetic contexts that influence film, but also develops the student’s understanding of a film’s narrative and visual structure and its place within established theoretical traditions.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING SCALE
1. A midterm exam – 25%
2. A comprehensive final exam – 25%
3. A viewing journal, consisting of at least five brief essays (2-3 typed pages) related to at least five other films watched outside of class. The journal should incorporate the student’s own ideas and interpretations with the topics discussed in class. Films the student watches should relate to a variety of fundamental topics—a movement, a director, a genre—introduced throughout the course. The film journal is presented as a whole at the end of the term. The journal must evidence breadth; that is, your five films must all come from different historical periods. Film lists will be provided throughout the semester to aid your selections. – 40%
4. Class participation, including attendance and discussion,
and DVD study questions – 10%
I use a traditional grading scale:
A = 90-100 B = 89-80 C = 79-70 D = 69-60 F = below 60
COURSE CALENDAR
WEEK 1—22 August
Introduction to the course, overview of basic terms and concepts (glossary handout), class discussion on film as art, entertainment, and commerce. Origins and early developments, including pre-cinema devices such as the Zoetrope, magic lanterns, and nickelodeons. Eastman, Edison, and the Lumiere Brothers.
WEEK 2—29 August
D.W. Griffith, film narrative, and early Hollywood. Watch excerpts from Birth of a Nation. Also discuss the formation of early studios such as Fox, Warner Brothers, and Universal.
WEEK 3—5 September LABOR DAY HOLIDAY NO CLASS
WEEK 4—12 September
The Silent Era and Hollywood’s rise to prominence; discuss Chaplin and Keaton. Watch Chaplin’s The Gold Rush.
WEEK 5—19 September
Early European approaches: German Expressionism and the Soviet film theorists Eisenstein and Pudovkin. Watch excerpts from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Battleship Potemkin. Discuss realism vs. formalism; Bazin’s long take vs. Eisenstein’s theory of montage (Chapter 4).
WEEK 6—26 September
Technical innovations such as sound and color and the American Studio System. Immigration to Hollywood, the Star System, and characteristics of the Classical Hollywood Style. Watch excerpts from Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
WEEK 7—3 October
New traditions in the American cinema. The importance of Orson Welles.
Watch Citizen Kane.
WEEK 8—10 October
MIDTERM EXAM
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY:
FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER
WEEK 9—17 October
PRIOR TO THIS WEEK, YOU SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED
A JOURNEY THROUGH AMERICAN MOVIES WITH MARTIN SCORSESE—STUDY QUESTIONS WILL BE DUE THIS DAY
New traditions in American cinema continued. The Populism of Frank Capra and the Individualism of John Ford. Film Noir: The Male Gaze, The Femme Fatale, and a New Theory of Style. Watch a documentary on film noir selected clips representative of these distinct approaches.
WEEK 10—24 October
Italian Neo-Realism. Watch The Bicycle Thief.
WEEK 11—31 October
Genre criticism; as today is Halloween, we will emphasize the Horror Film, but we will also consider the importance of the Western.
WEEK 12—7 November
The influence of Alfred Hitchcock and the beginnings of the auteur theory (Chapter 11). Watch Hitchcock documentary and selected clips from representative films.
WEEK 13—14 November
The French New Wave. Truffaut and Godard. Watch The 400 Blows.
WEEK 14—21 November
International auteurs and the “New Art Cinema.” Fellini, Bergman, Antonioni, Kurosawa. Watch 8 ½ .
WEEK 15—28 November
PRIOR TO THIS WEEK YOU SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED A DECADE UNDER THE INFLUENCE—STUDY QUESTIONS WILL BE DUE THIS DAY.
The fall and rise of Hollywood. Reasons for Hollywood’s decline. The New American Cinema and the Hollywood Renaissance.
WEEK 16—5 December
Hollywood Renaissance continued. The Blockbuster, and American Independent Film.
Cinema today, and implications for the future of film.
FILM JOURNALS DUE TODAY,THE LAST DAY OF CLASS.
FINAL EXAM: Monday 12 December WB 103 12:30-2:30
PLEASE NOTE ODD TIME
Classroom Policies and Statement of Academic Honesty
1. Turn off all cell phones and pagers before entering the classroom.
2. Food is not allowed in class; water, coffee, cokes, etc. are acceptable, but not in a
computer lab.
3. Be attentive during class discussions; exhibit respect for the person who is talking, and
raise your hand to be recognized. A college course should be enjoyable, but this does
not excuse you from either civility or common courtesy.
4. Make-up work and late work are only permitted at my discretion, and only allowed if
you have consulted with me in advance.
Dr. King’s Attendance Policy:
As a college student, you are privileged to enjoy new freedoms and responsibilities. The decision to attend class should be your choice. However, you should remember these important points:
· If you miss a class, you are responsible for gathering all notes, activities, and assignments.
· Because class participation is an implicit part of your course grade, students who miss several class meetings cannot expect to earn a good participation grade.
· If you have a legitimate excuse for missing class—illness, family emergency, accident—let me know. If you miss class because you are asleep or otherwise incapacitated, accept the consequences.
· As a general guideline, I recommend that you miss no more than two class meetings for any course you take as a college student.
· If you must be late to class, or if you must leave class early, please let me know in advance.
ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT:
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “informal” resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conduct’s minimum one semester suspension requirement.