Twentieth-Century Social History in American Movies

Spring 2010

Tuesdays, 2:50-4:40 and Wednesdays, 3:10-6 p.m. (lab), CUE 409
Note: You must sign up for the Lab (249680) as well as the lecture (249503).

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Dr. Donna Campbell
Avery 357 • 335-4831
campbelld@wsu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12-1 p.m. and by appointment. I am on campus all day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so please don't hesitate to ask to see me during those times.
IM, Facebook, and Twitter: drcampbell6676

About the Course

Hollywood's America: Twentieth-Century Social History in American Movies surveys some of the significant social issues and important historical moments of the last century as they were portrayed in films of the era by white, African American, and Native American directors. We'll explore the ways in which Hollywood portrayed poverty, racism, immigration, sex, addiction, and violence, and we will also discuss the Great Depression, the rise of gangster culture in the 1920s, the Hollywood Production Code, the star system, film noir, and other features important to an understanding of film during this period. A consistent theme in the pictures we'll see is the idea of the American dream: the ways in which it is defined by people in different decades, the events that cause it to seem possible (or impossible), and the ways in which films present the obstacles that prevent people from achieving it. To facilitate our discussions of the films, class members will be expected to read short pieces (essays or short stories) related to the film for that week, and most weeks there will be student presentations related to the content of the film.

Among the films currently scheduled for viewing are Within Our Gates, Redskin, The Public Enemy, Golddiggers of 1933 , The Grapes of Wrath, Mildred Pierce, A Place in the Sun, Sullivan's Travels, Bonnie and Clyde, Boyz n the Hood, Goodfellas, and Smoke Signals. Note: Because we'll be looking at these films in chronological order, more or less, you should be aware that the early films will be silent (with music and intertitles), and many of the films will be in black and white.

Goals for the Course

Our purpose in this class is to study and analyze the ways in which Hollywood movies presented contemporary life and its problems in the twentieth century. We'll be analyzing the films as art forms but also as reflections of historical periods and social issues.

Our focus is on films that reflect or represent some social issue in twentieth-century American culture. This is not a "first and greats" history of film class: we won't be watching The Jazz Singer, Citizen Kane, or other standard milestone films, although we'll be viewing many classic films.

These films reflect the cultural attitudes of their respective eras, and they may use images or words, or may express opinions, offensive to current viewers even when the intent of the film is to protest racism, sexism, or other forms of social injustice. The films are presented in their original form, so if you believe you would be unable to watch such material despite understanding its historical context, you should drop the class now.

Textbooks

Belton, John	American Cinema, American Culture	McGraw Hill	2009	978-0-07-338615-7 (Required)
Corrigan, Timothy	A Short Guide to Writing About Film	Longman	2009	0205668941 (Required)
Bordwell, David & Thompson,Kristen	Film Art	McGraw Hill	2010	978-0-07-338616-4 (Recommended)

Schedule of Assignments. This is a tentative guide to the assignments; it may change as the course progresses. Other readings will be available online. Most of the films will be available on reserve in the library, and many are available on Netflix.

The discussion for each week will focus on the topic listed in bold. Scenes from other movies maybe substituted as examples, depending on the availability of the movies.

	Date	Reading	Assignments
	1/12	Week 1 Course Overview
	1/13	Read Belton, ch. 1 Tom Gunning, "The Cinema of Attractions" (online) View selected early films
	1/19	Week 2 Early Films: Representations of Race Read Corrigan, ch. 2 View scenes from Broken Blossoms, The Birth of a Nation
	1/20	Oscar Micheaux, Within Our Gates (1920)	Weblog post 1 (due by 9 p.m. 1/21)
	1/26	Week 3 Silent Melodrama, Assimilation, and the American Dream Read Belton, ch. 6 View Ramona,White Fawn's Devotion	Reports
	1/27	Redskin (1929, dir. Victor Shertzinger, 82 minutes)	Weblog post 2 (due by 9 p.m. 1/28)
	2/2	Week 4 The Gangster Film Cycle Read Corrigan, pp. 39-61; Belton, ch. 2 View scenes from The Public Enemy, Little Caesar
	2/3	Scarface (1932; dir. Howard Hawks, 94 minutes)	Weblog post 3 (due by 9 p.m. 2/4)
	2/9	Week 5 Sex and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood Read Belton, ch. 3; Corrigan, pp. 61-86 View scenes from Female	Close analysis response essay for Paper 1 due
	2/10	Baby Face (1933; dir. Alfred E. Greene, 76 minutes)	Weblog post 4 (due by 9 p.m. 2/11/09)
	2/16	Week 6 The Great Depression in the Hollywood Musical Read Belton, ch. 7; Corrigan, ch. 4 (focus on Film History, Genre, and Formalism) View scenes from 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Stormy Weather	Reports
	2/17	Golddiggers of 1933 (1933; dir. Mervyn LeRoy, 96 minutes) Optional workshop for Paper 1	Weblog post 5 (due by 9 p.m. 2/18/09)
	2/23	Week 7 Midterm in class
	2/24	The Great Depression and the Journey Film The Grapes of Wrath (1940; dir. John Ford, 128 minutes)	Paper 1 due
8	3/2	Week 8 Screwball Comedy Read Belton, ch. 8 View scenes from Bringing Up Baby
	3/3	Sullivan's Travels (1941, dir. Preston Sturges, 90 minutes)	Weblog post 6 (due by 9 p.m. 3/4)
	3/9	Week 9 Film Noir Read Belton, ch. 10 View selections from Mildred Pierce, The Big Sleep	Reports
	3/10	Double Indemnity (1944, dir. Billy Wilder, 107 minutes)	Weblog post 7 (due by 9 p.m. 3/11)
	3/15-19	Week 10: Spring Break
	3/23	Week 11 Suburban Discontent and the American Dream Read Belton, ch. 13 Discuss Paper 2 View scenes from All that Heaven Allows, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Storm Warning, Gentleman's Agreement
	3/24	A Place in the Sun (1951, dir. George Stevens 122 minutes)	Weblog post 8 (due by 9 p.m. 3/25)
	3/30	Week 12 New Hollywood: Breaking the Code Read Belton, ch. 15; Corrigan, ch. 6	Reports
	3/31	Bonnie and Clyde (1967, dir. Arthur Penn,112 minutes)	Weblog post 9 (due by 9 p.m. 4/1)
	4/6	Week 13 Martin Scorsese Read Belton, ch. 16 (especially pp. 398-402) View scenes from from Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Age of Innocence, Casino
	4/7	Goodfellas (1990, dir. Martin Scorsese, 146 minutes)	Weblog post 10 (due by 9 p.m. 4/8)
	4/13	Week 14 Modern African American Cinema Read Belton, ch. 17 View scenes from Talk to Me	Reports
	4/14	Boyz n the Hood (1991, dir. John Singleton, 112 minutes)
	4/20	No Class
	4/21	Smoke Signals (1998, dir. Chris Eyre, 89 minutes) Presentation of Final Projects	Optional Weblog post 11 ( due by 9 p.m 4/22; covers 4/14 and 4/21) Paper 2 due
	4/27	Week 16 Presentation of Final Projects
	4/28	Presentation of Final Projects
	5/7	Final Exam 10:10 a.m -12:10 p.m. in CUE 409 (our usual classroom)

Course Policies and Requirements

Attendance and Class Participation.  Attendance is expected, as is class participation; both are essential parts of the course. This course meets twice a week, and attendance will be taken in both the lecture and the lab section. You have four free absences; a fifth absence will lower your course grade, and additional absences may cause you to fail the course.

• Class participation. Class participation is important. If you have questions about the day's reading, don't hesitate to ask; chances are good that someone else had the same question.
• Books. Bringing your textbook with you is an essential part of class participation.
• Electronics. Giving your full attention to the material and to your classmates' comments raises the level of learning for everyone. Please keep your cell phone off during class unless you have a family emergency. Although you may use your laptop to take notes if you wish, students with laptops often participate less in class discussions, which results in a lower class participation grade. Common sense and courtesy should tell you that activities such as texting, twittering, Facebooking, and so on during class are distracting to everyone, so if you'd prefer to engage in those activities, please don't come to class.

Students with Disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Washington Building, Room 217). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability specialist.

Papers

• Formal Papers. Students in this class will write the following papers:
  • A brief (500-750 words, about 2-3 pages) close reading of an element in a film: a theme, a symbol, a motif, a structural element, a relationship, and so forth. This close reading of a film element can be incorporated into Paper 1. If the student has written a close analysis on his or her weblog, the weblog post can be used as the basis of this close reading.
  • A 5-7 page analysis paper.
  • A longer analytical research paper (10-12 pages) or project that will require some research.
• Format. Papers must be neatly typed and carefully proofread. Citations should follow MLA style as outlined in the MLA Handbook, Bedford Handbook, or other such guides.
• Electronic Version. You will need to turn in a computer-readable version (as a Word or .rtf attachment) of your paper by e-mailing it to me in addition to, or instead of, turning in a paper version. Your paper will not be graded and you will not receive any credit for the paper until I receive the electronic version.
• Late Papers and Extensions. Late papers are penalized at the rate of one letter grade (10 points) per class day late; a paper that would have received a "B" on Tuesday will receive a "C" if handed in on Thursday.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's words or ideas. This definition includes not only deliberately handing in someone else's work as your own but failing to cite your sources, including Web pages and Internet sources.

• For a first offense, any paper plagiarized in whole or in part will receive an "F" (0 points), and the incident must be reported to the WSU Office of Student Conduct.  You will NOT be allowed to rewrite the plagiarized paper for a better grade.
• Penalties for a second offense can range from failing the course to suspension from the university.
• WSU Statement on Academic Integrity. As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the University community share the responsibility for maintaining and supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. To maintain the academic integrity of the community, the University cannot tolerate acts of academic dishonesty including any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication. Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty.

Exams

The midterm and final exams in this course will consist of objective (multiple choice, short answer, matching) and identification questions and an essay. Exams cannot be made up without a doctor's note. If you want to complete a weblog AND a report, you have the option not to take the final exam. The midterm is not optional.

Other Work

• Quizzes. Frequent, unannounced quizzes over the reading will be given in this class. They cannot be made up, even if you are absent because of illness, but the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Quizzes are usually given in the first 10 minutes of class; if you come in late and the quiz is in progress, you will not be able to take the quiz. An optional quiz will be given as a universal "make-up" quiz at the end of the semester.
• In-class writing and short assignments. Short, typed responses to the reading may be assigned from time to time, as will short pieces of in-class writing.

Reports and Weblogs

Students in this class will either present a brief oral report to the class or keep an online journal (weblog) of their reading this semester. Both options will should involve about the same amount of work, but with the weblog option, you'll be spreading the work out over the entire semester. Those who choose both to present a report and to keep a weblog will not have to take the final exam.

Grade Distribution. Note: Because of FERPA and privacy issues, no grades will be discussed or transmitted by e-mail or instant messaging.