Calumet College of St.
Joseph
SYLLABUS FOR AMERICAN CINEMA
Term:
Summer, 2001-2002, Session 2—Apr. 29-Aug. 3
Course Number: MFA 373X
Instructor: Mr. Walter Skiba
Office Phone:
473-4270
E-mail: wskiba@ccsj.edu
Home Phone:
219-659-2492
Office Hours:
TR:
12:00-4:00 p.m.
TW:
6-7 p.m.
Instructor
Background: Education: Bachelor of Arts
in speech and theater, St. Joseph’s College Calumet Campus; Master of Arts in
Theater, University of Connecticut; Master of Music, Roosevelt University.
Positions at
CCSJ: Associate Professor of speech,
music and theater; chairperson, Division of Arts and Sciences. Length of service: 1971-present. Regular contributor
to the Times—previews and reviews of music and theater events. Cantor and lector at St. John the Baptist
Catholic Church. Activities: vegetable gardening and swimming. Residence:
Whiting. Wife—Mary;
children—Frank (21), Jessica (14).
Course Time:
Wednesday, 7-10 p.m.
Textbooks: Belton, John. American Cinema/American Culture. McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Sikov, Ed. American Cinema Study Guide. McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Other
components: Ten one-hour video programs
and three half-hour supplementary programs from PBS.
Statement of
Plagiarism:
If an instructor or
other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has
plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the
instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial
review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal
from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the
section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances.
Calumet College of
St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular
discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.). All of these guidelines are available in the
Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of
sources, including electronic media.
Withdrawal from
Classes Policy:
After the last day
for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from
a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member
conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the
withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for withdrawal
must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final
examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to
the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to
make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is
forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or
deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive
notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate
why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Division (DCD)
students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for information on DCD
withdrawals.
An official
withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript.
Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an
"F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).
Class Policy on
Attendance: Attendance at 5 in-class
screenings is mandatory.
Class Policy For
Assignments: Students are expected to view 11 movies, which should include at
least 5 in-class screenings, and ONE live play, and write two-page
reports/reviews according to guidelines given in class. Each of the 10 units must be represented;
titles may be chosen from lists in the textbook and study guide or from more
recent films, if applicable. ONE film
must be seen at a theater.
Students will be
expected to do all of the self-tests in the Guide and hand them in at the
weekly movie screenings. The tests can
also be turned in at the College mailroom or emailed. Essay answers should be developed sufficiently and written in
complete sentences and paragraphs.
Students should
follow the study plans given in the Guide for each unit. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CUT CORNERS.
Course Objectives:
This course will
enable students:
1.
To
acquire knowledge of American film history, from silent movies to the present
day.
2. To recognize and use the basic technical and
critical vocabulary of motion pictures.
3. To understand how the technology of the
cinema relates to film art.
4. To gain a fundamental background in the
economic structure of the film industry.
5. To understand the role of genre in American
film history and to recognize how some of the most popular genres express American
social and cultural tensions.
6. To develop a more sophisticated conception
of “realism” as it relates to motion
pictures.
7. To question their own role as passive
spectators, and to increase their ability to watch films actively and
critically.
Assessment: Final
grades will be based upon the instructor’s holistic evaluations of the exams,
the reports/reviews, and the self-tests.
Participation in discussions following screenings will count positively. No numerical grading scale is used.
Format for Written
Assignments: Movie and play
reports/reviews must be typed and double-spaced, using 12 or 14 pt. font. The following items should appear in the
upper right-hand corner of the first page:
Student’s name, title of film, number of Study Guide unit, date. An attention-getting title, in the upper
center of the page, is optional.
Class
Participation: Includes watching films
and joining in discussions following them.
Class
Assignments
Tape 111
May 8-- The
Hollywood Style
SG—Unit 1: Textbook (T)—Chapters 1,
2 and 3
Tape 101; Vertigo
Note: Movie showings begin at 7:00 p.m. Running time is usually two hours or less. Other titles may be substituted.
May 15-- The Studio
System
SG—Unit 2; T—Chap. 4
Tape 102; Swing Time
May 22-- The Star
SG—Unit 3; T—Chap. 5
Tape 103; Mildred Pierce
May 29-- The Western
SG—Unit 4; T—Chap. 10
Tape 104; Red River
June 5--Romantic
Comedy
SG—Unit 5; T—Chap. 7
Tape 105; The Lady Eve
Take-home midterm distributed, due
June 19, can also be turned in at College mailroom or emailed.
June 12—Class outing
to movie at local theater
June 19--The Combat
Film
SG—Unit 6; T—Chap. 8
Tape 106; They Were Expendable
(CCSJ Drama Club dinner/theatreproduction—Fri.,
Jun. 21 and Sat., Jun. 22, 7:30 p.m., Room 200—more details to be given in
class)
June 26--Film Noir
SG—Unit 7; T—Chap. 9
Tape 107; Double Indemnity
SG—Supp. Unit 2; Tape 112
July 3—no class
meeting—will be re-scheduled as play or movie outing
July 10--Film in the
Television Age
SG—Unit 8; T—Chap. 12
Tape 108; Rebel Without a Cause
July 17--The Film
School Generation
SG—Unit 9; T—Chap. 14
Tape 109; The Age of Innocence
July 24--The Edge of
Hollywood
SG—Unit 10; Tape 110; Eight Men
Out
Take-home final exam distributed,
due August 3, can be emailed.
July 31—Open: final can be turned in, possibility of
in-class screening or out-of-class movie
PBS videotapes are
to be rented through the College bookstore. Two back-up sets are on reserve at the College library (one room
use only, the other 1-3 day checkout).
Movies shown in class will be on room use only reserve. These films may also be available at video
rental stores or public libraries. Call
ahead.