HUM199 Introduction
to Humanities (Studies in African Film)
Michael Dembrow, Instructor Office: SC211
TTh 6-8:30 (or 9) pm TH 107/MAHB104 Tel.: 503-978-5213
Four Transfer Credits Email: mdembrow@pcc.edu
Web: http//spot.pcc.edu/~mdembrow/hum199.htm
THE COURSE: This course is slated to be the fourth term in
PCC’s African Studies sequence within the Humanities
department. The other terms focus on African
History, African Art, and African Literature.
The focus this term will be on films made by directors from
the African continent. My goal is to
introduce you to contemporary filmmaking in
Our inquiry will
revolve around a series of fifteen films over the next eight weeks. We will be viewing one of those films as a
group in the second half of the class.
Throughout the term, we’ll be paying particular attention to
certain issues that are central to the African experience:
In addition, we’ll be looking at aspects of these films in
ways that would be familiar to any student of literature or film:
We’ll also be looking at them as films, and by the
end of this course you will have learned a great deal about how films work to
create meaning through image and sound, how they raise issues, and how they move
us emotionally.
We'll thus be looking at each film from a triple perspective--(a)
as an artistic, cinematic text in its own right; (b) as an example of
filmmaking in Africa, similar yet different from other films of its kind; and
(c) as a means to a better understanding of the beauties, as well as the problematics, of the complex reality of contemporary
Africa.
TEXT: Josef Gugler,
African Film: Re-Imagining a Continent
Gugler’s
little book will give you some background to African filmmaking, African
history, and African issues, along with discussions of a number of films from
or about
Also, I’ll be providing you with lots of handouts and web links--film
notes, articles/essays on directors and interviews with them, as well as
background information on
Look to the online reading schedule each week for specific weekly
reading assignments.
IN-CLASS: The class will meet
twice each week for 2-3 hours. The first
hour or so will be spent in lecture/discussion, and the second two hours (more
or less) for film screening and immediate reaction. First, I'll be lecturing on aspects of
African film history and industry, providing background information for the
historical/cultural issues raised in the films and the readings, and doing
close analyses of selected segments of those films (as well as segments from
other films by the director or with a related theme). We'll then spend time discussing the film,
based on the readings and the discussion questions which I'll have given you.
Film screenings generally run 90-100 minutes, but some may run a
little longer. If you could plan on
being here till
Feel free to invite a friend or relative to any of the film
screenings.
WRITTEN WORK: I'm interested in getting
you to articulate your responses to the films, both orally and in
written form. In articulating your
impressions/ideas, you'll find yourself coming to new insights, making sharper
connections.
I'll be giving you several ways of doing that:
(a) Study
Questions. In order to help you analyze
the films, I'll be giving you a set of study questions on each film we'll be
seeing. We'll discuss them the following
week, after you've had a chance to think about the film and do the
readings. Jot down notes for each
study question, then choose three questions and write out detailed
responses in paragraph form (c. 150 words each) on separate paper. They do not need to be typed (but be kind to
my poor eyes). They should bring in the
readings whenever possible.
(b) Project. I'll expect each of you to do a term project,
due June 4, the last regular night of class.
This project will be a paper (5-6 pp.) focusing on an individual topic
that we’ll work out together. It should
be a topic that allows you to relate the film(s) to larger issues involving
Our library has many African films that you can use for this
project. (We have one of the largest African video/dvd
collections on the West Coast!)
I’d like you to decide on a topic by the end of the fourth
week. Though you’ll need to do some
outside research for this paper, the focus will be on the films
themselves. I’ll want you to be prepared
to share the results of your project with the rest of the class during the last
week of the term.
(c) Take-Home Final.
I'll be giving you a take‑home exam on
the Tuesday of the final week of the term (Aug. 12). It will allow you to pull together most of
the concerns we'll have been dealing with all term. It will be due on our final night, Aug. 14.
ATTENDANCE: For obvious reasons,
regular attendance is essential. If you
have to miss a class, see me in advance, and we'll see what we can
do. Missing three classes will result in
a lowered grade.
CONFERENCES: Any time you'd like to
talk things over, please feel free to set up an appointment with me. Also, I’ll usually be in my office at least an
hour before class. If you have any
questions or ideas to try out on me at any time day or night, you can call me
at 978-5213; leave a message on my voice mail and I'll phone you back. Email is another good way of reaching
me.
GRADES: Final grades will be
determined as follows:
50% Responses to Study Questions
30% Term Project
15% Final
5% Class Participation
You must do all the assignments in order to pass the course.
If
you would like to audit the course, please let me know as soon as possible. If you want to take the course pass/no pass,
I need to know by the end of the fourth week.
Also, you should know that if you need to drop the course, you must do
so by the end of the second week in order to receive a refund.
Please let me know outside of class if you have any special needs
that I should know about. I will do my
best to accommodate you and make this course a real success!
Now,
let’s have a great, thought-provoking term!