Syllabus (undergraduate; graduate see below)
Philosophy of Film (PHI 4884)
Women’s Studies Special Topics (WST 4930-U02)
Catalog Description: An
investigation into the distinctly philosophical issues that arise when studying
film. In particular, questions surrounding narration, authorship and genre will
be considered.
Course description, Fall 2009:
This course will cover work at the intersection of the philosophy of art
(aesthetics) and film studies. We will consider questions such as: are
films works of art, is a film the creative expression primarily of the
director, how do films engage our emotions and intellects, how do movies
represent reality, how do we assess the social and political impact of films,
and what are the standard film genres and narrative conventions particular to
them?
WS
majors and certificate earners will also explore feminist film theory and the
intersection of gender and film studies. WS students should discuss with
me at the beginning of the semester which of the recommended readings they will
cover (in lieu of some of the philosophy reading).
Learning Outcomes:
· Students will be able to identify different schools of film
criticism, and the standard methods and theories for interpreting and
evaluating films
· Students will be able to use film
theory to analyze particular films
· Students will understand relationships between the study of
film and the study of other artworks
· Students will be familiar with a range of film works,
including independent films, international films, documentaries, classic
Hollywood films, and animation films
· Students will be able to write a thoughtful, perceptive, and
helpful film review
Texts: The
Philosophy of Film, edited by Thomas Wartenberg
and Angela Curran
Recommended:
Feminism and Film, edited by E. Ann
Kaplan (required for WS students)
Course Requirements:
Classroom Attendance
Students are required to attend class
and are responsible for all material covered in class. Class attendance will be
evaluated as pass/fail. Four or more unexcused absences will result in a
failure for this part of the course. Coming late or leaving early may
count toward your absence total.
This is a web-assisted class. We
will meet as scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays. Each Friday, you will
arrange on your own (through NetFlix, your favorite
DVD store, etc.) to watch the assigned film for the week. You should also
arrange to view one additional film of your choice each week (14 for the
semester, which should include a mix of current and historical films, American
and non-U.S. films). The minimum number of films you will view over the
semester is 28.
Online Discussion
Each week you will post a message on
the Discussion Board (14 messages total during the semester), which will
address one or more of the themes and topics in that week’s readings (see
message guidelines on the course website). Messages should be posted by noon on
Wednesday each week, so we can discuss them in class that day; messages
appearing after the deadline will be counted late (you will not be given late
credit for messages that are more than a week late). Discussion messages
will be graded pass/fail. Three or more missing messages, or five or more
late messages, will result in a failure for this part of the course.
Also, you will not be given credit for messages that do not discuss the course
readings or otherwise do not attempt to follow the message guidelines.
Facebook group
Each student will join our Facebook course group Philosophy of Film. Here you can discuss the films you are
viewing, coordinate watching films together, and share information about your
favorite films, directors, current films to view, etc.
Reading
You should complete the assigned
readings before the class period in which they will be discussed (see reading
schedule under Course Content). Be prepared to discuss the readings in
class. I will assume that you have completed the readings and will not
summarize them for you. However, you should come to class with questions
about the readings, including requests for clarification. You should also
raise questions about the readings in your weekly messages for you and other
students to attempt to answer.
Film Reviews
Each student will write three film
reviews to share with the class on a designated place on the Discussion
Board. You may choose the films for these reviews. Before or after
writing your film review, you should check for existing reviews of your chosen
film (at file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/lshrage/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/5C5R2G6I/redir.aspx
or file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/lshrage/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/5C5R2G6I/redir.aspx
) and include references to any you think your reader should look at and
compare with yours in your bibliography.
Exams
There will be one midterm exam,
consisting of short-answer essay questions drawn from the topics and issues in
the readings. There will be a final exam that will also consist of
short-answer essay questions drawn from the readings. You will be expected
to use the films you have watched to illustrate course concepts and develop
points in your essays.
Grading
Attendance:
pass/fail (1/3-2/3 grade penalty for fail)
Online
Discussion: pass/fail (1/3-2/3 grade penalty for fail)
Film
Reviews: 30%
Facebook
Participation: pass/fail (1/3-2/3 grade penalty for fail)
Midterm
exam: 30%
Final
Exam: 40%
Plagiarism
will not be tolerated; please familiarize yourself with FIU’s Code of Academic
Integrity: http://www.fiu.edu/~oabp/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm
Also,
see the library’s Plagiarism Prevention page: http://library.fiu.edu/AboutUs/DepartmentsServices/ReferenceDepartment/LibraryInstructionServices/LibraryResearchAids/PlagiarismPrevention/tabid/364/Default.aspx
----------------------------
Syllabus (graduate)
Women’s Studies Special Topics (5935 - U02)
Course description, Fall 2009:
This course will cover work at the intersection of the philosophy of art
(aesthetics) and film studies. We will consider questions such as: are
films works of art, is a film the creative expression primarily of the
director, how do films engage our emotions and intellects, how do movies
represent reality, how do we assess the social and political impact of films,
and what are the standard film genres and narrative conventions particular to
them?
WS
graduate certificate earners will also explore feminist film theory and the
intersection of gender and film studies. Students should discuss with me
at the beginning of the semester which of the recommended readings they will
cover (in lieu of some of the philosophy reading).
Learning Outcomes:
· Students will be able to identify different schools of film
criticism, and the standard methods and theories for interpreting and
evaluating films
· Students will be able to use film
theory to analyze particular films
· Students will understand relationships between the study of
film and the study of other artworks
· Students will be familiar with a range of film works,
including independent films, international films, documentaries, classic
Hollywood films, and animation films
· Students will be able to write a thoughtful, perceptive, and
helpful film review
· Students will be able to explain and illustrate
relationships between feminist film studies and other areas of feminist theory
and gender studies
· Students will be able to write a scholarly paper on film
using feminist research methods, which they can submit to a graduate student
journal on film studies, or gender and popular culture
Texts: The
Philosophy of Film, edited by Thomas Wartenberg
and Angela Curran
Feminism and Film, edited by E. Ann Kaplan
Course Requirements:
Classroom Attendance
Students are required to attend class
and are responsible for all material covered in class. Class attendance will be
evaluated as pass/fail. Four or more unexcused absences will result in a
failure for this part of the course. Coming late or leaving early may
count toward your absence total.
This is a web-assisted class. We
will meet as scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays. Each Friday, you will
arrange on your own (through NetFlix, your favorite
DVD store, etc.) to watch the assigned film for the week. You should also
arrange to view one additional film of your choice each week (14 for the
semester, which should include a mix of current and historical films, American
and non-U.S. films). The minimum number of films you will view over the
semester is 28.
Online Discussion
Each week you will post a message on
the Discussion Board (14 messages total during the semester), which will
address one or more of the themes and topics in that week’s readings (see
message guidelines on the course website). Messages should be posted by noon on
Wednesday each week, so we can discuss them in class that day; messages
appearing after the deadline will be counted late (you will not be given late
credit for messages that are more than a week late). Discussion messages
will be graded pass/fail. Three or more missing messages, or five or more
late messages, will result in a failure for this part of the course.
Also, you will not be given credit for messages that do not discuss the course
readings or otherwise do not attempt to follow the message guidelines.
Facebook group
Each student will join our Facebook course group Philosophy of Film. Here you can discuss the films you are
viewing, coordinate watching films together, and share information about your
favorite films, directors, current films to view, etc.
Reading
You should complete the assigned
readings before the class period in which they will be discussed (see reading
schedule under Course Content). Be prepared to discuss the readings in
class. I will assume that you have completed the readings and will not
summarize them for you. However, you should come to class with questions
about the readings, including requests for clarification. You should also
raise questions about the readings in your weekly messages for you and other
students to attempt to answer.
Film Reviews
Each student will write three film
reviews to share with the class on a designated place on the Discussion
Board. You may choose the films for these reviews. Before or after writing
your film review, you should check for existing reviews of your chosen film (at
file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/lshrage/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/5C5R2G6I/redir.aspx
or file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/lshrage/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/5C5R2G6I/redir.aspx
) and include references to any you think your reader should look at and
compare with yours in your bibliography.
Exams
There will be one midterm exam,
consisting of short-answer essay questions drawn from the topics and issues in
the readings. There will be a final exam that will also consist of
short-answer essay questions drawn from the readings. You will be expected
to use the films you have watched to illustrate course concepts and develop
points in your essays.
Research Paper
MA
and Ph.D students
will write a paper in the area of gender and film studies that intersects with
their graduate field. Before beginning this paper, students will submit a
list of five possible journals to which they might submit their work.
Students will also try to find calls for papers and presentations and may
design their research papers to fit the CFPs.
Students will submit an abstract and proposed list of references before
starting this paper, along with the list of possible publication/presentation
venues. The papers will follow the format guidelines specified in the CFPs or journals to which students plan to submit their work.
Grading
Attendance:
pass/fail (1/3-2/3 grade penalty for fail)
Online
Discussion: pass/fail (1/3-2/3 grade penalty for fail)
Film
Reviews: 20%
Facebook
Participation: pass/fail (1/3-2/3 grade penalty for fail)
Midterm
exam: 20%
Final
Exam: 30%
Research
Paper: 30%
Plagiarism
will not be tolerated; please familiarize yourself with FIU’s Code of Academic Integrity: http://www.fiu.edu/~oabp/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm
Also,
see the library’s Plagiarism Prevention page: http://library.fiu.edu/AboutUs/DepartmentsServices/ReferenceDepartment/LibraryInstructionServices/LibraryResearchAids/PlagiarismPrevention/tabid/364/Default.aspx