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Mission Statement:
Regent University serves as a center of Christian thought and action to provide excellent education through a Biblical perspective and global context equipping Christian leaders to change the world.

SECTION 1: COURSE OVERVIEW

Regent University

School of Communication and the Arts

CTV609 topics in the Study of Film & Television: History of American Film pt2; American Contemporary Film 1968-2014

Spring Semester

14 March to May 7, 2016 (8 weeks)

Location:Distance and Hybrid

Instructors: Stuart Bennett & Andrew Quicke

Location: Distance, with possible on campus hybrid classes if demand requires it

Office hours: Andrew Quicke Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 2pm to 5pm for campus students.

Phone Consultations with Adjunct Professor Stuart Bennett mornings by arrangement

Email:

Communications Policy

Response time for emails is usually 24 hours but not on Sundays; preferred method of contact is email.

Course Description CTV 609 History of American Film part 2; Contemporary Film 1968-2014.

Historical Survey of the Film directors who developed American narrative cinema from the end of the studio system, the turbulent 1960s, the blockbuster 1970s, the Conservative 1980s, the Rise of the Independents in the 1990s, and the exciting developments of the 21st Century.

Program Outcomes (General)

Program Learning Outcomes

MA in Cinema-Television, Concentrations in Production and Producing

  1. The student will be able to integrate their Christian faith into their professional-quality media work.
  2. Students will be able to evaluate film and television theories and aesthetics
  3. Students will be able to conceptualize and produce scripts for short format productions.
  4. Students will be able to analyze film and television through a historical-critical lens and a Christian worldview.
  5. Students will demonstrate the ability to apply production techniques to the process of creating film, television, and web projects.
  6. Students will be able to integrate appropriate personnel roles within the creation of various media forms.

MFA in Cinema-Television, Concentrations in Producing and Directing

  1. The student will be able to integrate their Christian faith into their professional-quality media work.
  2. Students will be able to evaluate film and television theories and aesthetics.
  3. Students will be able to produce quality projects from conception to delivery in a breadth of contemporary media formats.
  4. Students will be able to analyze film and television through a historical-critical lens and a Christian worldview.
  5. Students will demonstrate the ability to apply research skills to the process of creating media projects.
  6. Students will be able to integrate appropriate personnel roles within the creation of various media forms.
  7. Students will be able to evaluate the major components of production.
  8. Students will create a professional body of work competitive with the marketplace that includes interaction with professionals in the field.

MFA in Film & Television, Concentration in Script and Screenwriting

  1. Graduate students who integrate their Christian faith into their professional quality media work.
  2. Incorporate applied film and television theories and aesthetics into multiple categories of scripts.
  3. Produce quality projects from conception to script in a breadth of contemporary formats.
  4. Apply research skills to the process of creating media projects.
  5. Professionally pitch and present work in a manner that demonstrates a clear understanding of the business side of script and screenwriting.
  6. Create a professional body of work competitive with the marketplace that includes interaction with professionals in the field.

MA in Film & Television, Concentration in Scriptwriting

  1. Graduate students who integrate and apply the Christian faith and Biblical truth and principles to the study and practices of mediated communication.
  2. Articulate the process and elements needed for the various aspects of writing for media, which includes development, research, scriptwriting, character development, scene analysis, and storyline development.
  3. Incorporate applied film and television theories and aesthetics into scripts.
  4. Explain current business practices in script and screenwriting, including model professional pitching techniques.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES SPECIFIC TO THE CONTTEMPORARY AMERICAN FILM COURSE

On completion of this course students should be able to:

1.Discuss the nature, history and scope of contemporary films and their directors, and explain the functions they perform for diverse audiences and consumers

2.Recognize and analyzehow contemporary directors use symbols, images, myths, themes, and codes as they appear and function in film

3.Distinguish various perspectives on faith in film from individual directors, and discuss the dialectics of Christian faith in cinematic culture

4. Demonstrate an understanding of how directors manipulate cultural variables (class, gender and race) as they play in recreating new and traditional narratives.

5. Think critically about the importance relationship of personal faith (or lack of it) to contemporary directors, and articulate a Christian posture and vision about the phenomenon, industry and business of film.

Relationship of course to Regent’s Mission

Mission: Regent University serves as a center of Christian thought and action to provide excellent education through a Biblical perspective and global context equipping Christian leaders to change the world.

  1. Biblical Perspective: In this course, we will study filmand television from a Biblical perspective, understanding it as a meaningful expression of human experience, as a means of pursuing God’s truth, and as an act of love and community. The readings and assignments focus on cultivating your understanding of how directors use the art of film and television—what it means to communicate with others through film and television in the written word and thus engage more deeply what it means to be human. In our class dialogue, we will apply Biblical truth to the issues in film and television that are addressed in the course. The writing assignments allow you to develop your skills in film and television criticism, thus practicing the Biblical call to love others (even through the act of creating film and television product brilliantly) and to live in community (even when the community is cultivated through film and television texts).
  1. Global Context: In this course, we will study film and television as an expression of the human condition, a method of communicating human experience that crosses the boundaries of time and place. In seeking to understand and appreciate film and television communication by ourselves and others, we will cultivate love and empathy, both of which are essential to interacting in a global context. This class studies exclusively American directors; other classes offer studies of international film directors including British, French, Italian and Chinese directors.

SECTION 2 – COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Course Learning Outcomes (with match to Program Outcomes)

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Discuss the nature, history and scope of narrative films and explain how their directors perform for diverse audiences and consumers. CLO1
  2. Recognize and analyzehow American directors use symbols, images, myths, themes and codes of aesthetics as they appear and function in film. CLO2
  3. Distinguish various perspectives of different directors as they approachfaith in film and video, and discuss the dialectics of Christian faith in cinematic, televisual and internet culture and storytelling. CLO3
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of how directors manipulate cultural variables (class, gender and race) as they play in recreating contemporary life and faith. CLO4
  5. Think critically about the relationship of personal faith to the cinema, and articulate a Christian posture and vision about the phenomenon of film and television. CLO5

Course Objectives (specific tasks/assignments with match to CLOs)

Course Learning Outcomes
Assignments / CLO1 / CLO2 / CLO3 / CLO4 / CLO5
Assignment 1 first film critique for your group / x / x / X
Assignment 2 second film critique for your group / x / x / x
Assignment 3 third film critique for your group / x / x / x
Assignment 4 half term paper/illustrated Powerpoint / x / x / x
Assignment 5 revision / x / x / x
Assignment 6 final paper/illustrated Powerpoint / x / x / X
Assignment 7 contemporary film visual recognition test. / x / x / X

How Faith and learning will be integrated in the course.

This course will cultivate habits of thought and expression, both written and oral, in-class and online, regarding movies and television programs and their impact upon our Christian faith, worship and action. The course will help students to formulate strategies of infiltration, influence and redemption within the film and television community with people of Christian faith, and with those who lack faith.

Course Procedures

Attendance –

attendance at all classes and active participation is required in order to complete this course. For an eight week course students must attend at least six classes, or for distance students signal their attendance by weekly email postings. Note: international students should consult the Office of International Student Services before registering for a Distance or Modular course.

Blackboard Requirements –

  • Daily access to the Internet and email
  • Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) version 2007 or later
  • The latest version of a web browser compatible with Blackboard and media players. For assistance, visit the links provided in the Helpful Resources section of the course on Blackboard or contact IT helpdesk via their website, phone 757-352-4076 or email at
  • Additional materials (PowerPoint files, quizzes, media and the like) will be provided via Blackboard (see “use of Blackboard” below for more information.)
  • Understand and adhere to the Regent Honor Code found in the Student Handbook. A persistent link can also be found on Blackboard’s “RU Resources” tab.

Unless otherwise instructed, all assignments for this course must be submitted via the “Assignment link” found on Blackboard. All files should be submitted using the following naming convention:

Your Name_Assignment name_ (e.g. John Smith_Essay 1)

Papers should be in MS word format (.docx) compliant with MLA writing style guide;

Scripts should be in Final Draft software format.

No assignment will be accepted if submitted in any other way that Blackboard. Assignments are due no later than 11.55pm on Sundays. It is recommended that students give themselves a buffer of time before the deadline to allow for trouble-shooting should your upload attempt fail. Students should check the assignment submission page to verify that the submission was successful.

Late Assignment Penalties-

Late Assignments will lose one grading point per day late. Assignments more than one week late will not be graded.

NOTE: Technical difficulties when submitting to Blackboard will not be accepted unless documented by the IT Helpdesk. The IT Helpdesk is your first point of contact for problems with Blackboard. Deadline extensions will be allowed only when a system issue occurring on Blackboard’s side is documented by Regent University IT department.

Class participation–

regular participation in classroom and blackboard discussions required each week.

Required and Supplemental Resources

Author / Title / ISBN 13 / Book Ed./Year / Publisher / Required/Optional
Biskind, Peter / Easy Riders, raging bulls / 978-0684857084 / 1999 / Simon & Schuster / Req.
Biskind, Peter / Down & Dirty pictures / 978-0684862583 / 2004 / Simon & Schuster / Req.
Kolker / Cinema of loneliness / 978-06848662583 / 2000 / Oxford Univ. Press / Req.
Leonard, Richard / Movies that Matter; / 978-0829422016 / 2006 / Loyola Press / Req.

Supplemental:

Barsotti & Johnson: Finding God in the Movies: 33 films of Reel Faith. Baker Books 2004

Detweiler, Clive: Into the Dark; Seeing the Sacred in Top Films of the 21st Century: Baker Academic 2009

Fraser, Peter: Images of the Passion: the Sacramental Mode in Film. Westport CT: Praeger

Johnson, Robert K. Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue 2nd ed.Baker Academic 2006

Marsh & Ortiz, eds.: Explorations in theology and Film. Oxford: Blackwell 1997

Price, Stephen: A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood under the Electronic Rainbow 1980-1989. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press 2002

Reinhartz, Adele: Bible and Cinema: An Introduction. Routledge 2013

Method of Evaluating Student Performance

Assignments / Points / Weight
Assignment 1 film critique one March 20 / 100 / 10%
Assignment 2 film critique two April 3 / 100 / 10%
Assignment 3 film critique three April 10 / 100 / 10%
Assignment 4 half term exam/Powerpoint Presentation April 17 / 100 / 20%
Assignment 5 end of term exam /PowerPoint Presentation April 24 / 100 / 40%
Assignment 6 film recognition exam May 1 / 100 / 10%
TOTAL / 1000 / 100%

Grading Scale

The following grading scale will be used:

Grade / Percentage Score / Quality Points
A / 96-100 / 4.00
A- / 93-95 / 3.67
B+ / 90-92 / 3.33
B / 85-89 / 3.00
B- / 81-84 / 2.67
C+ / 78-80 / 2.33
C / 75-77 / 2.00
Fail C- / 71-75 / 1.67
Fail D+ / 68-70 / 1.33
Fail D / 65-68 / 1.00
Fail D- / 60-65 / 0.07
Fail F / 0-59 / 0.00

Course Schedule

NB: by signing up for this course, you agree to view “R” rated films; these are shown because of screenwriting and technical brilliance. If you cannot watch “R” rated films, your instructor will suggest alternative films.

Week 1: March 14 to March 20

The End of the Studio System

Required reading: Leonard: Movies That Matter; complete book

Required viewing: Bonnie & Clyde (1967: Arthur Penn); 2001 – A Space Odyssey (1968 Stanley Kubrick)

First critiques posted Sunday March 20 at 11.55pm

Week 2: March 21 to March 27

The Hollywood Blockbuster

Required reading: Kolkerpp 3-105;Biskind: Easy Riders 13-224

Required viewing: Jaws (1975 – Steven Spielberg) Avatar (2009 – James Cameron)

Good Friday 25 March and Easter Sunday 27 March: no critiques required

Week 3: March 28 to April 3

Vietnam & Its After Effects: the Auteur Cinema

Required reading: Kolker: 106-261; Biskind: Easy Riders 225-315

Required viewing: Platoon (1986 Oliver Stone) & Taxi Driver (1976 Martin Scorsese)

Second critiques posted Sunday April 3 at 11.55pm

Week 4: April 4 to April 10

Auteur cinema: Heroes and Anti-heroes

Required reading: Kolker: 262-430;Biskind: Easy Riders 316-446

Required viewing: Nashville (1975 Robert Altman) O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000 Cohen Brothers)

Half term paper to be posted Sunday April 10th at 11.55pm

Week 5: April 11 to April 17

Guilty Secrets

Required reading: Biskind: Down & Dirty Movies 8-154

Required viewing: Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989 Woody Allen) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004 Michael Gondrey)

Third critique to be posted by Sunday April 17 at 11.55pm

Week 6: April 18 to April 24

Reading Film through the Lens of Faithor Humanism

Required reading: Biskind: Down & Dirty Movies 155-307

Required viewing: Dead Man Walking (1995: Tim Robbins) The Green Mile (1999: Frank Darabont)

End-of-term paper to be posted 11.55pm Sunday 24th April

Week 7: April 25 to May 1

Required reading; Biskind: Down & Dirty Movies 308-490

Required Viewing: Traffic (2001: Steve Soderbergh);Signs (2002- M.NightShyamaian).

Visual Recognition exam to be posted 11.55 Sunday 1st May.

Week 8: May 2 to May 8

Keeping the Faith: Religious Messages in Theatrical Films

Required reading; Biskind 316-440

Required viewing: My Big Fat Greek Wedding(2002 Joel Wick) Silver Linings Playbook (2012 David O Russell)

Fourth 1000 word critique to be posted Sunday 8th March.

1. Film Critiques and dates when they must be submitted.

1. Three one-thousand-word critiques submitted on Blackboard to the three or four members of your group; time allowed one week. Value 10% each; total value 30% of grade

First viewing assignments to be critiqued by Sunday 20th March at 11.55pm

Alpha Bonnie & Clyde (1967 Arthur Penn) Bravo: Jaws (1968 Steven Spielberg 1975) Charlie: 2001-A Space Odyssey (1968 Stanley Kubrick) Delta: Nashville (1975 Robert Altman)

Second Group viewing Assignments to be critiqued by Sunday 3rd April at 11.55pm.

Alpha: Platoon (1986 Oliver Stone) Bravo: Taxi Driver (1976 Martin Scorsese) Charlie: Oh Brother Where Art Thou? (2000 Cohen Brothers) Delta: Avatar (2009: James Cameron)

Third Group viewing assignments to be critiqued by Sunday 10th April at 11.55pm

Alpha: Crimes & Misdemeanors (1989 Woody Allen) Bravo: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004 Michel Gondry) Charlie: My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002 Joel Zwick) Delta: Silver Linings Playbook (2012 David O Russell)

  • 1. Half Term Paper By April 17 “discuss the work of a major American film director before the year 2000 (Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman).
  • Must be 10 pages long, MLA style, double spaced with running head. 6 refs, Alternative to written paper. 30 slide PowerPoint. Choose one outstanding director from the period 1968-1998. Both papers and slides must quote at least 6 academic sources. Value 20% of grade.

3.a. By Sunday April 24th final: major paper 20 to 25 pages: (no longer). “Discuss how one post 1999 individual director has contributed to our understanding of truth in the modern world. Quote extensive examples from films you have seen and at least 10 authorities you have consulted. Value 40% of grade

OR 3.b. Provide a 40 slide PowerPoint (or Prezzi) Presentation with embedded film clips on the same subject, and complete list of academic references (minimum 10). If you are permitted to do a team project, the rules specify that each student must cover a specified director in a 6 page academic article with 6 references written by an individual, besides 10 refs and details of film clips used. Value 40% of grade

OR 3.c. Research paper: Original Research into Current Christian Film Companies. The joy of graduate school is that you now can become genuine scholars conducting original research for publication. For a strictly limited number of students in this class, I am offering a chance to try your hand at original research into the work of contemporary Christian film and video companies. The work you do will provide material for a new book to be published by New York University Press in 2018. In Spring 2012 I offered this opportunity to members of the CTV604 Redemptive Film Class, and those who took part greatly enjoyed and profited from the experience and all earned good grades. This alternative is only for those who are highly motivated to use internet and print resources for research in a new area; the work required must be submitted in note form, fully referenced in MLA format, the instructor will assign specific research topics for each individual student. Value 40% of grade.

Rationale is to demonstrate your ability to do original research, which is a vital aspect of scholarly achievement at the graduate and doctoral levels.

You are expected to play a full part in on-line discussions (or classroom) discussions. Please also let me know if there are problems with Blackboard, or other communication difficulties. We want to make this class as enjoyable as possible.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS

Write excellent critiques and complete and post them within the 7 day window. Remain more concerned with how the films express theological insights, but not so much with pure theology; are the films you critique expressing truths about God and Jesus in contemporary, relevant and even shocking ways?