WGSS3317: Hollywood, Women, and Film
Spring 2014
Prof. L. MizejewskiPhone 292-2467
286D University Hall
Office hours: Thursday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Accommodation of students with disabilities: Students who wish to have an accommodation for disability are responsible for contacting the professor and TA as soon as possible. The Office for Disability Services (150 Pomerene Hall; 292-3307; 292-0901 TDD) verifies the need for accommodations and assists in the development of accommodation strategies.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a critical survey of the representation of women in Hollywood cinema with examples drawn from different historical periods beginning in the silent era. It is designed to introduce students to the complexities and ambiguities of the film medium by showing how film has functioned, historically and aesthetically, in its representations of women and particularly, how the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class are negotiated in Hollywood films.The first part of the class covers comedy and melodrama, the two genres in which women have traditionally had the best roles. Themes we'll pursue include the melodramatic treatment of race, the role of whiteness in stardom and romantic comedy, and the representation of queer bodies. The second part of the course focuses on women's more recent incursions into genres that have traditionally been considered masculine: the action film, the Western, the detective movie. The film concludes with a look at women's independent cinema as a way to gauge the themes, bodies, and styles Hollywood cinema typically excludes.
TEXTS: No textbook is required. The reading assignments are on Carmen. To succeed in this class—that is, to do well on the exams and quizzes-- print out the readings and mark them up as you read them. You will need these hard copies to study for the quizzes, and you need to bring them to class on the day they’re assigned.
FILMS:Besides the readings, your other prime texts for this course are the films. We’ll screen some films in class, and the othersyou will need to screen on your own. They are all available for streaming for $2.99 each on Amazon, so that’s your easiest option. Local libraries carry the DVDs as well. Netflix streams just one of them; the others are available through their disc-by-mail system.
Moonstruck(1987)—due Jan. 23
It Happened One Night (1933)—due Jan. 30
Imitation of Life(1959) (also streamable on Netflix)—due Feb. 4
Monster’s Ball (2001)—due Feb. 20
Out of Sight(1998)—due March 4
Silence of the Lambs (1991)—due March 27
FILM VOCABULARY GLOSSARY: Please bookmark the illustrated film-term glossary at will review and use many of these terms throughout the course, and they will be part of the midterm and final exam material.
Recommended website: Internet Movie Data Base—excellent and reliable source of information and details about films: cast and crew, names of characters, etc.
CARMEN: Along with the course readings, Carmen also contains your syllabus, paper guidelines, quiz preps, quiz answers, power point presentations, and related material. The power point presentations will be posted the night before class in order to make your note-taking easier. At carmen.osu.edu, use your internet username (last name.#) and password to log in.
GOALS
As a course that fulfills the “Arts and Humanities: Analysis of Texts and Works of Art” GEC requirement, the goals of Women’s Studies 3317 are to help students:
-develop an aesthetic appreciation of Hollywood film in various historical and cultural contexts
-learn how to analyze, interpret, and evaluate film by improving critical visual, listening, reading, and writing skills through the use of feminist film theory
-understand the complexities and ambiguities of film and reflect upon its meanings
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Develop the ability to be more enlightened observers of cinematic texts
- Understand how gender, race, class, sexuality, and ethnicity intersect and influence visual representation
- Be able to explain and analyze the aesthetic, historical, cultural, and social relevance of these texts
- Enhance the ability to think, read, and write critically and analytically through written assignments; class discussions, and lectures
Grading and course requirements:
Midterm exam20%
Final exam20%
Movie quizzes15%
Reading quizzes15%
Response paper10%
Scene analysis20%
--Basic house rules: Any cell phone, computer, or personal communication device usage will result in your being asked to leave the class. The power points will be available the night before class for print-out, so you don’t need to have your computer on to have them available for note-taking.
Please turn off your cellphones during class. The use of cell phones during film screenings is especially rude and distracting. Anyone caught on personal-use websites or using a device during a film will be asked to leave for the class period.
Etiquette: As in all classes, please express your ideas respectfully during class discussions. A major goal of this course is to distinguish between opinion (what you like) and scholarly expertise (what strategies are at work and what are the debatable issues and the terms of debate).
--Attendance is required! This is not a course in which you can do well by “getting the notes” because much of class time is spent doing scene analyses and discussion, both of which will be represented on the exams. You have two “free” absences before your final grade goes down one-half grade: 3 absences = one-half grade; 4 absences=one full grade, etc. Because you have two “free” absences, this means you do not need a medical excuse unless a very serious illness keeps you out three classes or more in a row. Also please note that “attendance” means the whole class, not half of it or a portion of it. Half-classes count as absences. On days when I’m not giving or returning a quiz, it is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet.
--Midterm andFinal exams, 20% each of final grade. YOU MUST AVERAGE A PASSING GRADE (D or 65%)ON THE TWO EXAMS TO PASS THIS COURSE; TO DO THIS, REGULARATTENDANCE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Both exams will cover films, readings, and class material, including film terms from the online glossary. I will post a study guide on Carmen a week before each exam. The final exam covers material since the midterm.
--Movie quizzes: 15% of final grade: These multiple-choice reading quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class on the dates marked in the syllabus. No make-up quizzes will be given. Instead, I will drop the lowest grade, giving everyone one chance to be absent or otherwise incapacitated. Sample question: In Moonstruck, what’s the recurring visual joke in the sequence in which Johnny arrives back from Italy and goes to Loretta’s house?
-- Five quizzes on the readings: 15% of final grade. These multiple-choice reading quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class on the dates marked in the syllabus and will include the material due for that day’s class. No make-up quizzes will be given. Instead, I will drop the lowest grade, giving everyone one chance to be absent or otherwise incapacitated. Quiz study guides will be available on Carmen.That is, the questions will come from the list of questions on the guide. Go to “Preparation for Quiz One” to see a sample question.
--Two-page response paper due Feb. 18 at class time: 10% of final grade. See the guidelines on Carmen. This paper focuses on the two interpretations of Some Like It Hot in the readings due that day. One grade deduction for each day late.
--Scene analysis paper: 20% of final grade. Due last day of class(to have it returned with comments) or at time of final exam. One grade deduction for each day late. Paper topics and guidelines areposted on Carmen.
Extra credit: You may also replace one reading quiz grade and one movie quiz grade with the grade you get on a one-page, double-spaced, summary of one of the WGSS film screening-discussions listed on the flyer under “Course Information” on Carmen. That is, you can write two extra-credit papers, one for each set of quizzes. Note that your paper needs to be about the discussion, not the film.
Plagiarism: As defined in University Rule 3335-31-02, plagiarism is “the representation of another’s works or ideas as one’s own; it includes the unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person’s work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person’s ideas.” Plagiarism is one of the most serious offenses that can be committed in an academic community; as such, it is the obligation of this department and its instructors to report all cases of suspected plagiarism to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. After the report is filed, a hearing takes place and if the student is found guilty, the possible punishment ranges from failing the class to suspension or expulsion from the university. Although the existence of the Internet makes it relatively easy to plagiarize, it also makes it even easier for instructors to find evidence of plagiarism. It is obvious to most teachers when a student turns in work that is not his or her own and plagiarism search engines make documenting the offense very simple. Always cite your sources (your professor can help with this); always ask questions before you turn in an assignment if you are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism; always see your professor if you are having difficulty with an assignment. To preserve the integrity of OSU as an institution of higher learning, to maintain your own integrity, and to avoid jeopardizing your future, DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!
CLASS SCHEDULE: ON QUIZ DAYS, QUIZZES INCLUDE THAT DAY’S READINGS
Part I:Women’s Genres: Melodrama and Comedy
Jan. 7Race, Gender, and Stardom
Introduction; clips from Lillian Gish films
Jan. 9Dyer, “The Colour of Virtue,”and “Lighting for Whiteness/Glow of White Women”
Lillian Gish clips, cont’d.
Jan. 14Race, Gender, and Spectatorship
Readings: Berger, from Ways of Seeingand hooks, “The Oppositional Gaze”
In-class screening: The Cheat (DeMille, 1915)
READING QUIZ ONE
Jan. 16Screening, cont’d.
Marchetti, “Rape Fantasy”
Jan. 21Reading: Karlyn, “Comedy, Melodrama, and Gender”
READING QUIZ TWO
Jan. 23view Moonstruck (Jewison, 1987) for class today; MOVIE QUIZ
Jan. 28Reading: McDonald, “Romantic Comedy and Genre”
Jan. 30Reading: Lent, “Romantic Love and Friendship”
view It Happened One Night (Capra, 1934) for class today; MOVIE QUIZ
Feb. 4view Imitation of Life (Sirk, 1959)for class today; MOVIE QUIZ
Feb. 6Reading: Dyer, “Four Films of Lana Turner”
and Heung, “What’s the Matter with Sara Jane?”
READINGQUIZ THREE
Feb. 11In-class screening, Some Like It Hot (Wilder, 1959)
Feb. 13Screening, cont’d.
Feb. 18Readings: Lieberfeld and Sanders, “Keeping the Characters Straight”
and Straayer, “Re-Dressing the Natural”
RESPONSE PAPER DUE; SEE GUIDELINES ON CARMEN
Feb. 20view Monster’s Ball (Forster, 2001) for class today; MOVIE QUIZ
Feb. 25MIDTERM EXAM
Part II: Gender and Genre: Women in “Men’s” Genres
Feb. 27Women and the Action Film
Blaxploitation and the First Action Heroine
Clips from Sheba Baby (1975)
March 4:View Out of Sight (Soderbergh, 1998) for class today; MOVIE QUIZ
March 6:Readings: Beltran, “Mas Macha: The New Latina Action Hero” and
Ovalle, “Jennifer Lopez”
SPRING BREAK
March 18Women and the Gangster Film
In-class screening: Bound (Wachowskys, 1996)
March 20Bound, cont’d.
March 25Readings: Noble, “Bound and Invested” and Straayer, “Femme Fatale”
READING QUIZ FOUR
March 27Women and the Detective Film
View Silence of the Lambs (Demme, 1991) for class today; MOVIE QUIZ
April 1:Readings: Taubin, “Grabbing the Knife” and DuBois,
“Seeing the Body Differently”
April 3Women and the Western
In-class screening: Thelma and Louise (Scott, 1991)
April 8T&L cont’d.
April 10Readings: Sturtevant, “Getting Hysterical” and
Man, “Gender, Genre, and Myth”
READING QUIZ FIVE
Part IIIIndependent Cinema
April 15In-class screening: Pariah (Rees, 2011)
April 17Pariah, cont’d.
Scene-analysis papers handed in today will be returned at final exam.
Otherwise: papers can be handed in at exam time.
Wed. Apr. 23FINAL EXAM 2p.m.Note change of day and time! PAPERS DUE
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