Prof. Stewart Donovan
sdonovan@stu.ca
Office 307 EC Hall
Office hours: by appointment on email or Teams ( chat or video)
Course Syllabus (2021)
Description
This course is designed to study film as narrative. The theoretical and critical approach is primarily from a cultural studies perspective, but students will also be introduced to the history of cinema and its relation to art and aesthetics.
Evaluation
(1) Essay 20%
(2) journal 40%
(3) Final exam: take home open book essay format: 40%
Recommended Texts
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film by David Thomsons
Fame in the Twentieth Century, Clive James.http://www.clivejames.com/books/fame/intro
Cultural Theory: An Anthology by Imre Szeman and Timothy Kapos
"The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception" Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (1944)http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1944/culture-industry.htm
Open Access Essays on film and culture by Professor Donovan
https://stthomasu.academia.edu/StewartDonovan
First assignment:
Your first essay can compare and contrast either Margaret's Museum, the novel and film, Much Ado About Nothing, the play and film; Cat On a Hot Tin Roof the play and film; students may also write an essay on the thematic concerns of these three films and Chinatown. The first deadline is Thursday, February 11, 2021. Your paper should be between 6 and 8 typed pages double spaced.
Journal
A more informal style of writing, your journal should record notes from class, conversations with fellow students, family, friends et. al. about cinema and its cultural impact. The journal/notebook should also highlight research you have been doing: reading and viewing you will have done in the library or on the net. This is the independent learning section of the course. There is a large section of Hollywood, Independent, Art House, Auteur and Foreign cinema on reserve for this course and students are expected to become familiar with some of them. Students with access to Netflicks will find a good selection there as well. You will be expected to write reviews and summaries of their themes, plots, performances and style and to make comparisons with other films you have seen over your lifetime of film viewing. You should try to write/ compose at least two or three entries per week. The length of these entries depends on your writing skills, but try to avoid point form. Set a goal of one to two pages per week. Remember that the journal is also a writing and communicating exercise. Do not fear the blank page, as no one learns how to write well overnight. You must, however, try to critique the celebrity culture that has largely been the background of your movie-going experience. Try to step back from it and critique its negative qualities while appraising the merits of film and film culture in general. The journal should be passed in on the last day of class. Students can show me and chat about their journal entries and class material at any time.
Exam
You must do your final exam as a take home open book essay. You will be given 6 or more questions on the last day of classes from which you will choose two questions and write two essays from four to six typed pages in length, approximately 500 words per page. All take homes are due on the day of the exam. Only a legitimate excuse from the Registrar’s office will be accepted for late exams or papers at the end of term.
Texts and Films
Recommended Texts
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film by David Thomson's
Cultural Theory: An Anthology by Imre Szeman and Timothy Kaposy
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/much_ado/full.html
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
http:// http://shsdavisapes.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/76523768/Cat%20on%20a%20Hot%20Tin%20Roof.pdf
Margaret's Museum by Sheldon Currie
Useful links
Course Outline
Topics and Lectures
1. Roman Polanski’s Chinatown: neo noir and the portrayal of women in cinema.
2. Cat On a Hot Tin Roof: Locking the celluloid closet.
3. Much Ado About Nothing: Shakespeare for the masses.
4. Antonia’s Line: European standards
5 Margaret’s Museum: Life down home, a remembrance of time past.
6 John Sayles: Passion Fish
7 Blanc/White:
8 3 Iron
9 All About My Mother
10 Mulholland Drive
11 Y Tu Mama Tambien
12 Reprise
13 Spirited Away
