SAMPLE SYLLABUS This syllabus is provided as a sample. Some course content may vary.

DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA, CULTURE, AND COMMUNICATION

E59.1007
FILM: HISTORY & FORM

Course Objectives: This is a survey course designed to introduce you to the broad range of
theoretical, formal, and historiographic issues specific to cinema. We will pay careful attention
to how the film medium differs from other media as a condition of its stylistic and formal
properties, its institutional production, and its historical reception. There will be a heavy
emphasis on watching short and feature films such that we can more rigorously dissect their
formal grammar in light of historical context. By the end of the course, students can expect to
be familiar with: the basic language of film analysis and composition (editing, mise-en-scene,
lighting, etc); a range of scholarship and epistemology specific to film (auteur theory,
documentary, genre, star studies, etc.); and the broad social, institutional, historical
developments of the medium over the last 120 years in this country. This course maintains film
form and history as truly interdependent, and we will use that overlap at the end of the course
as a tool with which to theorize the current and future status of a still nascent, but ever-decaying
cultural form.

Required Readings:
Bordwell, David & Kristin Thompson Film Art: An Introduction (9th ed) 2010.
(most recent addition available at the NYU bookstore)

Essay readings (labeled pdf) will be posted as a link or in pdf form on Blackboard under Course
Documents. Supplementary readings will occasionally also be required. All readings are to be
finished before the first class of the week in which they are listed on the syllabus.

Required Screenings: You are responsible for viewing all required films on your own. While
the films should be available on reserve in the library, it will behoove you to make your own
viewing arrangements (as scheduling conflicts are likely). An online DVD delivery service such
as Netflix is a good strategy, or you can find a local video store. Another possibility is to arrange
your own group screenings with other members of the class. Regardless of your arrangement,
all films are to be watched before the class period for which they are assigned on the syllabus.

METHODS OF EVALUATION:

Attendance and Participation 20%

Good class participation involves contributing to the ongoing discussion of the class in an
informed and responsible manner, being attentive to that conversation, and being respectful of
the participants in it. Monopolizing discussion time and/or interacting aggressively with your
classmates are examples of disrespectful behavior. From time to time, you may be asked to
write in class on a topic of concern to the course. These in-class writings are required as part of
your class participation and they cannot be made up should you miss class. You are also
encouraged to come to my office hours at least once during the course. This allows me to
answer any questions/concerns you may have about the class as well as to get to know each of
you a bit better, making for a more dynamic class overall.

More than two unexcused absences will automatically result in a lower grade. Chronic lateness
will also be reflected in your evaluation of participation. Regardless of the reason for your

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SAMPLE SYLLABUS This syllabus is provided as a sample. Some course content may vary.

absence you will be responsible for any missed work. Travel arrangements do not constitute a
valid excuse for rescheduling exams.

Screening Reports and Journal 20%

The screening journal is designed to help you to engage critically with the films. Use the journal
as a way to maintain an active engagement with the assigned films. Take notes on everything
you watch. What questions does the film raise? Note details, problems, and ideas for
discussion. Bring your journal to every class, as I will occasionally check to be sure youre up to
date.

The screening reports are exercises that enable you to tie the assigned readings to the films.
You are responsible for turning in 4 screening reports over the course of the semester, each
about 2 pp. in length. You can turn these in at your own discretion, but be sure not to let them
pile up for the end of the semester.

Midterm 25%
You will be responsible for completing a midterm examination on March 11. If for any reason
you need to miss that day of class, please see me beforehand to discuss an alternative date to
take the exam. We will hold a review session in class on March 9; please come to this class
prepared with questions and concerns so we can make good use of our time.

Final Exam 35%

You will be responsible for completing a final examination on May 11 (from 8-9:50 AM). If you
have a conflict with this final exam period you need to schedule an alternative exam time with
me well in advance of the end of the semester. As this kind of scheduling is notoriously difficult,
please plan on taking your exam at the scheduled time.

Evaluation Rubric:

A= Excellent
This work is comprehensive and detailed, integrating themes and concepts from discussions,
lectures and readings. Writing is clear, analytical and organized. Arguments offer specific
examples and concisely evaluate evidence. Students who earn this grade are prepared for
class, synthesize course materials and contribute insightfully.

B=Good
This work is complete and accurate, offering insights at general level of understanding. Writing
is clear, uses examples properly and tends toward broad analysis. Classroom participation is
consistent and thoughtful.

C=Average
This work is correct but is largely descriptive, lacking analysis. Writing is vague and at times
tangential. Arguments are unorganized, without specific examples or analysis. Classroom
participation is inarticulate.

D= Unsatisfactory
This work is incomplete, and evidences little understanding of the readings or discussions.
Arguments demonstrate inattention to detail, misunderstand course material and overlook
significant themes. Classroom participation is spotty, unprepared and off topic.

F=Failed

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SAMPLE SYLLABUS This syllabus is provided as a sample. Some course content may vary.

This grade indicates a failure to participate and/or incomplete assignments

Plus (+) or minus (-) grades indicate your range within the aforementioned grades.

POLICIES:

General Decorum: Slipping in late or leaving early, sleeping, text messaging, surfing the
internet, doing homework in class, eating, etc. are distracting and disrespectful to all participants
in the course. Avoid such behavior.

Notes on Written Work: All written assignments must be typed, double-spaced, in 12 point
Times font, and properly cited. On all written work include your name, the course number, my
name, and the date. Number your pages. Please make sure to keep a hard copy (printed
out!not just backed up digitally) of each assignment you turn in. While unfortunate computer
malfunctions happen to all of us and always at the worst possible time, they will not be accepted
as an excuse for late papers.

Writing help is available through the Writing Center, 411 Lafayette, 3rd Floor. The telephone
number is: (212) 998-8866. I encourage you to use this resource.

Grade Appeals: Please allow two days to pass before you submit a grade appeal. This gives
you time to reflect on my assessment. If you still want to appeal your grade, please submit a
short but considered paragraph detailing your concerns. Based on this paragraph I will review
the question and either augment your grade or refine my explanation for the lost points.

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: Please be sure that you have read and understand
NYUs Statement of Academic Integrity. If you have any questions concerning plagiarism in
general, be certain that you ask them. Please note that plagiarism is grounds for automatic
failure of this course. Please see NYU Steinhardts Statement of Academic Integrity for further
information on this matter: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/policies/academic_integrity.

Academic integrity is the guiding principle for all that you doyou violate the principle when
you: cheat on an exam; submit the same work for two different courses without prior permission
from your professors; receive help on a take-home courses without prior permission from your
professors; receive help on a take-home that calls for independent work; or plagiarize.
Plagiarism, whether intended or not, is academic fraud. You plagiarize when, without proper
attribution, you do any of the following: copy verbatim from a book, article, or other media;
paraphrase or restate someone elses facts, analysis, and/or conclusions (see Steinhardt
School Bulletin 2008-2010 p. 177-8)

Students With Disabilities: Any student attending NYU who needs an accommodation due to
a chronic, psychological, visual, mobility and/or learning disability, or is Deaf or Hard of Hearing
should register with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998-4980, 240
Greene Street, http://www.nyu.edu/csd.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Please Note: This syllabus is subject to an occasional change, and it is your responsibility to
keep track of those changes as we progress through the semester. Unless otherwise noted, all
reading/viewing assignments are to be prepared for the day they appear in the syllabus.

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SAMPLE SYLLABUS This syllabus is provided as a sample. Some course content may vary.

Week 1:
--no reading

January 19
--Introductions and Overview

January 21
--Interview Assignment due in class

Week 2: Film Form, Film Sense I: Narrative, Style, Meaning

--Whitney Museum: Attend the Alice Guy Blache film program before the 24th!!
--Hastie, Circuits of Memory and History
--Bordwell Ch. 1-3

January 26
Citizen Kane; Orson Welles, 1941

January 28
Pulp Fiction; Quentin Tarantino, 1994

Week 3: Film Form, Film Sense II: Cinematography, Editing, Lighting, Mise en Scene
--Bordwell Ch. 4-6 & pp. 417-422

February 2
--The Birds, Hitchcock, 1963

February 4
--Chungking Express; Wong Kar Wai, 1994

Week 4: Early Days of Cinema and Historiography

--Bordwell pp. 454-461
--Stacey The Lost Audience: Research Cinema History (pdf)
--Gunning, Theory and History: Narrative Discourse (pdf)
--Hansen, Early Cinema, Late Cinema (pdf)

February 9
A Trip to the Moon, Melies, 1898
The Kiss, Edison, 1896
Watering the Gardener, Lumiere Bros., 1895

February 11
Birth of a Nation; Griffith, 1915

Week 5: German Expressionism, Russian Formalism

--Bordwell Ch. 8 & 461-469
--Vertov, selections (pdf)

February 16
October; Eisenstein, 1927

February 18

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SAMPLE SYLLABUS This syllabus is provided as a sample. Some course content may vary.

Nosferatu; Murnau, 1922

Week 6: Classical Hollywood: The Rise of Stars, Studios

--Bordwell, pp. 470-473
--DeCordova, The Emergence of a Star System in America (pdf)
--Allen, The Role of the Star in Film History (pdf)
--Gomery, The Rise of the Studio System (pdf)

February 23
The Kid, Chaplin, 1921

February 25
Grand Hotel, Goulding, 1932

Week 7: Euro Lead: Neorealism, New Wave, and Auteur Theory

Bordwell, pp. 473-477
Bazin, The Evolution of the Language of Cinema (pdf)
Stam, The Cult of the Auteur (pdf)

March 2
Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief); De Sica, 1948

March 4
Les Quatre Cents Coups (The 400 Blows); Truffaut, 1959

Week 8: Watch The Academy Awards Sunday, March 7th

March 9Oscar Talk, Review for Midterm

March 11Midterm Exam

Week 9:

NO CLASS --- SPRING BREAK --- MARCH 15-20

Week 10: Genre Over TimeThe Western, the Film Noir

--Bordwell, pp. 328-348
--Cook, Melodrama and the Womens Picture (pdf)

March 23
Mildred Pierce; Curtiz, 1945

March 25
My Darling Clementine; Ford, 1946

Week 11: Documentary Histories and the Claim to Truth

--Vivien Ellen Rose, Julie Corle, "A Trademark Approach to the Past: Ken Burns, the Historical
Profession (pdf)
--Nichols, Introduction to Documentary, selections (pdf)
--Bordwell, pp. 349-365 & 425-431

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SAMPLE SYLLABUS This syllabus is provided as a sample. Some course content may vary.

March 30
Grey Gardens; Maysles, 1975

April 1
The Thin Blue Line; Morris, 1988

Week 12: 70s American Cinema and the Rise of the Blockbuster
--Bordwell, pp. 477-482
--Gomery, The Modern Studio System selections (pdf)
--Biskind, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls selections (pdf)

April 6
Bonnie and Clyde; Penn, 1967

April 8
The Godfather; Coppola, 1972

Week 13: Indie Movements and Festival Culture

--Turan, Sundance to Sarajevo (pdf)
--Biskind, Down and Dirty Pictures (pdf)
--Bordwell, pp. 366-381

April 13
Sex Lies & Videotape; Soderbergh, 1989

April 15
Dead Man; Jarmusch, 1995

Week 14: National Cinema and 3rd Cinema? Then and Now
--Shohat & Stam Unthinking Eurocentricism (pdf)
--Rocha, An Aesthetic of Hunger (pdf)
--Naficy, An Accented Cinema: Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking (pdf)

April 20
TBA

April 22
TBA

Week 15: Cinephilia and the Future of Film

--Sontag The Decay of Cinema, NYT 1995 (pdf)
--Valck and Hagener, Down with Cinephilia? Long Live Cinephilia? And Other Videosyncratic
Pleasures (pdf)
--FILM CRITICISM IN CRISIS?: A New York Film Festival panel discussion hosted by Film
Comment September 27, 2008 (pdf)

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SAMPLE SYLLABUS This syllabus is provided as a sample. Some course content may vary.

April 27
no film

April 29Review for Final Exam; Wrap up

no film

May 11FINAL EXAM (8-9:50)