TEXTS:

Photocopies of several short pieces will be distributed as needed. 

REQUIREMENTS:

--Regular attendance.  Be here, and be on time.  If you must miss a class for any reason, you are responsible for getting notes, assignments, and any other class materials from another student.  More than two absences will lead to substantial grade penalty, and more than five will result in automatic course failure.  This includes class periods set aside for movie screenings.

--Participation (15% of final grade).  To be successful, this course requires the contribution of each class member.  Come prepared to discuss assignments, to share your work, and to respond to that of your classmates.

--Acceptable completion of all assignments.  Due to the number and volume of reading assignments in this course, it is imperative that you keep up with the schedule; otherwise, you will become lost very quickly.  You will also be required to complete the following assignments:

                Critical essay (25% of final grade), offering original critical insights to one or more of the topics discussed in class (more will be said about this later).

                Critical forum (30% of final grade).  FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR DESCRIPTION AND SAMPLE FORUMS.

                Mid-term and end-term exam (each 15% of final grade).  These will test your comprehension of the readings, screenings and class discussions, and should give you little trouble, provided you are reading, taking notes and paying attention.

--Academic honesty.  Plagiarism (the unauthorized use of another’s words or thoughts, while passing them off as your own) will lead to automatic failure.

SCHEDULE:

Sep 4: Introduction: The Role of the Critic; or, What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Movies?

Sep 6: The Dream Machine; in-class screening, Sherlock Jr. (Keaton, 1924)

Sep 11: in-class screening, Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960)

Sep 13: The Language of  Movies; readings: excerpts from Eisenstein, “Dramaturgy of Film Form” & Bazin, "Evolution of the Language of Cinema"; in-class screening: excerpt from Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925)

Sep 18: in-class screening, Raging Bull (Scorcese, 1980)

Sep 20: Author/Auteur; or, Who Makes a Movie?; readings:  Scott, “Martin Scorcese: The Vicar of Cinema”

Sep 25: in-class screening: Cable Guy (Stiller, 1996); excerpt from Queen Christina (Mamoulian, 1933)

Sep 27: Movie Stars; readings: Barthes, “The Face of Garbo”; Handy, “Don’t Laugh”

Oct 2: NO CLASS

Oct 4: in-class screening: Lady in the Lake (Montgomery, 1946)

Oct 9: The Role of the Spectator; readings: excerpts from Chandler, Lady in the Lake and Kawin, Mindscreen

Oct 11-16: Film Genre

Oct 18: forum presentations

Oct 23: ***mid-term exam***

Oct 25: Alternative Cinema

Oct 30-Nov 1: Race, Gender, Class

Nov 6: forum presentations

Nov 8-13: Technology and the Movies

Nov 15-20: The Blockbuster

Nov 22: NO CLASS

Nov 27-29: forum presentations

Dec 4-6: The Future of Film Criticism?

Dec 11: Retrospect & Exam Review