MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/5069C638/History429SyllabusSpring2008.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" 20th Century American History through Film

20th Century = America= in Film & History

Spring 2008

3:45-6:15 Wednesday =

(Tuesday evening film showings 7-9)

Phillip G. Payne & Paul J. Spaeth<= o:p>

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Course Description:

Twentieth Century America in Film and History offers an exploration of United States cultural and social history throu= gh the medium of film and other mediums of mass culture.  Throughout the semester students w= ill view a variety of films arranged in chronological order.  The class will discuss and write a= bout those films as primary documents within an historical context, as manifestations of popular culture, as reflections of society, as manifestat= ions of business and technology, and as works of art.

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Educatio= nal Objectives:

·            = ;          An understanding of American culture & society throughout the twentieth ce= ntury

·            = ;          D= evelop the ability to analyze movies and other cultural artifacts through a variet= y of methodologies

·            = ;          An understanding of the historical development of film making in the U.S.

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Dr. Payne’s Schedule

Course

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Days=

Time=

Place

History 2= 02 01

U.S. History since 1865

MWF<= /o:p>

10:30 to = 11:20

P. 301

History 2= 02 02

U.S. History since 1865

MWF<= /o:p>

11:30 to = 12:20

P. 301

History 2= 29 01

20th= Century American in Film & History

W

3:45 to 6= :15

P. 305

Office Ho= urs

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MWF<= /o:p>

9:30 to 1= 0:15

Doyle 134=

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Books:

American Cinema, American Culture 2nd edition (2005)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / Anita Loos

The Maltese Falcon / Dashiell Hammett

Ghost World / Daniel Clowes<= /span>

Additional = readings will be made available throughout the semester.  Some of these are available via th= e electronic reserves in the library.  Othe= rs will be posted to WebCT or distributed in class= .  These readings are listed with the weekly schedule.

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Movies:

These feature length films to be shown on Tuesday evenings @ 7 pm on = the dates designated in the syllabus below:

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Meet John Doe (1941)

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Dr. Strangelove (1963)

Ghost World (2000)

Various sho= rt films and clips will be shown in class

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Assignme= nts:

  1. Comparative papers on the followi= ng novels and films (at least 3 pages):
    1. Maltese Falcon=
    2. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
    3. Ghost World
  2. Reaction papers (at least 3 pages= ) for each of the remaining films:
    1. Meet John Doe<= /li>
    2. Hail the Conquering Hero
    3. Dr. Strangelove
  3. Class Participation
  4. Quizzes and short in-class reacti= on papers on the Belton book or other assignments (readings or podcast)
  5. Presentation on a film with a sho= rt paper (at least 5 p.).
    1. The film must have been made bef= ore the day you were born.
    2. The film must examine the histor= y that can be made from the film and address 
    3. You must address issues about the filmmakers’ art and perhaps film technology. =
    4. The film must have the approval = of the instructors before work can be done on them.

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More detail= s on assignments will be made available in class and on the web.

 

Method of Determining Grades:

The primary= methods of evaluating student’s performance will be out-of-class written assignments and classroom participation.&n= bsp; An emphasis will be placed upon the students understanding of the material, his or her analytical skill, and the ability to articulate an argument in a clear fashion. All essay type material & presentations wi= ll be graded by both instructors.  Be sure to consult paper guidelines posted on the class webpage.

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  • 30% film/novel papers =
  • 30% for film papers
  • 10% for quizzes and in class pape= rs
  • 20% for film presentation & p= aper
  • 10% for attendance & particip= ation.

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Grade Scale=

93 –= ; 100        = ;  A

73 –= ; 77        = ;    C

90 –= ; 92        = ;    A-

70 –= ; 72        = ;    C-

88 –= ; 89        = ;    B+

68 –= ; 69        = ;    D+

83 –= ; 87        = ;    B

63 –= ; 67        = ;    D

80 –= ; 82        = ;    B-

60 –= ; 62        = ;    D-

78 –= ; 79        = ;    C+

59 -        = ;          F=

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Papers=

Consult my guidelines before writing the paper:&nb= sp;

h= ttp://web.sbu.edu/history/ppayne/classes/paper%20guidelines.htm<= /u>

 

Turning = the Paper In:<= /span>

Papers are to be turned in during the class time on the day that material is sched= uled to be discussed.  A physical c= opy of the paper will be turned in and an electronic copy will be turned in using = the assignment tool on WebCT.  Once class has been dismissed the = paper is considered late.  A late pa= per will be docked 5 points (half a letter grade) for every day it is late.  Unless otherwise instructed, it is= not appropriate to e-mail or leave a paper in the vicinity of one of our offices (in the mailbox, under the door, etc.)&nbs= p; It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that we receive t= he paper.  

 

Format:

Papers are t= o be typed, double spaced, and written in clear, correct prose.  You should have one inch margins, = pica or elite fonts (12 spaces per inch).  On issues of style and grammar, please consult Kate L. Turabian,  A Manual for Writ= ers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, or the Chicago Manual of Style<= /i>.  More on this and links to on-line versions of these style manuals can be found at the Departmental Writing Gu= ide (http://web.s= bu.edu/history/writingguideintro.html).  Before writing a paper you should consult with the paper guidelines found on my web page (h= ttp://web.sbu.edu/history/ppayne/classes/paper%20guidelines.htm).<= /o:p>

 <= /o:p>

Suggesti= ons to help you in the course:

  • If you do not understand a course requirement or course material, please ask about it.  I am here to help you learn a= nd welcome opportunities to answer your questions.
  • If you do not understand the grad= ing of your examination, you should seek clarification.  Please do this at the earliest opportunity.  (In other w= ords, don't wait until finals week to speak with me about your midterm.)
  • I have prepared a web page on how= to do well in a history course that can be found of my faculty page at http://web= .sbu.edu/history/ppayne/study_skills.htm

    • ·        Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Disabil= ity Support Services Office, Doyle room 26, at 375-2065 as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.=

    ·= ;      =   The Teaching and Learning Center, located in the basement of Doyle Hall, offers tutors for most classes, including this one.  If you fe= el that you need extra work or help don’t hesitate to contact them.

     =

    Cheating= :

    If you are = caught cheating you will at minimum receive a failing grade in the class wi= th the possibility of further action including pursuing academic misconduct charges.  You should consult t= he SBU student handbook for more information on academic misconduct.  What is cheating?  Common sense will essentially answ= er this question for you, but cheating is any attempt to gain an unfair advant= age in a class assignment.  This can include, but is not limited to, copying, plagiarism, using another person’s work as your own, and the use of prohibited materials while completing an assignment.  For= more on plagiarism see the History Department writing guide on the department web page http://w= eb.sbu.edu/history/writingguideintro.html and the SBU student handbook.

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    Weekly Schedule

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    1/16    Changes in technology= & society in 20th century America.<= /p>

            = ;    How to ‘read’ a film; approaches to film criticism.

            = ;   

    Lecture:<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  Film and the Development of Mass Culture

    Additiona= l Reading:  Charles L. Ponce de Leon, “Becoming Visible:  Fame and Celebrity in the Modern Age” in Self-Exposure:  Human Interest Journalism and the Emergence of Celebrity in America, 1890 – 1940, (2002), 11 – 41.

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    1/23    America in the teens & twenties. Silent film & the rise of the studio system.

    Short fil= ms & clips from: Edison studio / D. W. Grif= fith / Charlie Chaplin / Buster Keaton

    (Read: Be= lton “The Emergence of the Cinema as an Institution” p.3-20, “Silent Film Melodrama” p.131-149, “American ComedyR= 21; p.170-199)

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    1/30    Case study: Women in American Film

            = ;    Women as actors (& what they portrayed), Women as filmmakers

    (Read: Ge= ntlemen Prefer Blondes / Anita Loos)           

    2/5      Film: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

    2/6      America<= /st1:place> in the thirties & forties. Golden Age of Hollywood. Radio & pulp fiction

    (Read: The Maltese Falcon / Dashiell Hammett )

    Listen to= a podcast Old Time Radio Adventures from iTunes.  There are over 100 choices on iTunes, you pick the one you want to listen to.  Come to class prepared to discus= s your selection, your reaction to it, and the ways that the radio program diffe= rs from television and movies (but perhaps iTunes is a throw back to the radio?).

    2/12    Film: Meet John Doe (= 1941)

    2/13    American populism, th= en & now.

    • (Read: Belton “Film Noir&= #8221; p.225-247)
      •  

    1/19    Film: Hail the Conque= ring Hero (1944)   

    2/20    Patriotism & propaganda, then & now.

    • (Read: Belton “War and Cinema” p.200-224)

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    Midterm Break (2/23—3/2)

    3/5      Case stud= y: Genre as contemporary commentary (Westerns & Science Fiction)

    (Read: Be= lton “The Making of the West” p.248-276)

    • Richard Sl= otkin, “Introduction:  T= he Significance of Frontier Myth in American History,” Gunfighter Nation:  The Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth Century America (1998), 1-28. 

    3/11    Film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

    3/12    America in the fifties. How= ard Hawks & the masculine line.

    • (Read: Belton “The Musical” p.150-169, “Hollywood and the Cold War” p.279-302, “Hollywood in the Age of Television” p.304-323)
    • Lecture:  Cold War Culture, the Famil= y, the Feminine Mystique, the Organization Man, and the Male Revolt

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    3/19    Case study: American animation and Disney

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    Spring Break (3/20—3/24)

    3/26    America in the sixties; soc= ial & cultural change

    • (Read: Belton “The 1960’s” p.324-347)

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    4/1      Film: Dr. Strangelove (1963)

    4/2      Modern Hollywood: The = film school generation & the independents

    The Politics of Hollywood Presidents and Politics

    • (Read: Belton “The First = School Generation” p.348-373)

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    4/8      Film: Gho= st World (2000)

    4/9      Comic boo= ks and film. (Read: Ghost World)

    • Matthew J. Pustz, “Discovering Comic Book Culture,” Comic Book Culture:  <= /span>Fanboys and True Believers (1999), 3 ̵= 1; 26.
    • Clips in class from Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked= (History Channel documentary)
    • Listen to “Japan’s Pop Power” from American RadioWorks available on iTunes.

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    4/16    Review / Overview

    • (Read: Belton “Classical Hollywood Cinema: Narration” p.22-44, “Classical Hollywo= od Cinema: Style” p.45-65, “The Studio System” p.66-9= 0, “The Star System” p.91-125)

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    4/23        = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;      Film presentations, pt.1

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    Exam Peri= od: 5/7 (Wednesday) 8-10:30   Film presentations, pt.2

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