English
197 ‑ Contemporary Cinema Michael
Dembrow, Instructor
CRN 24774 Office: SC 209
Tues.
Four Transfer
(Literature) Credits Email:
mdembrow@pcc.edu
Website: http://spot.pcc.edu/~mdembrow/eng197.htm
THE COURSE
English 197 is the third term of PCC's three‑term "Film
Studies" sequence. It focuses on
the current state of film art; we'll be studying recent films from around the
world.
The course revolves
around a series of ten films) that have been released in the last couple of
years.
We'll be studying these films as examples of film art, analyzing the
way they work with the elements common to all films: plot/conflict, character,
setting/atmosphere/mood, theme, structure, visual/aural impact. We'll also be looking at what's going on in
the film industry, both here and abroad, and examining the peculiar relationship
between industry and art. We'll be
looking at what these films have to say about our social and cultural
preoccupations of the moment, how they both reflect and shape
contemporary values. We'll be looking at
how these films come out of particular traditions, and how they are responding
to those traditions.
I'm also
interested in getting you to articulate your responses, both orally and
in written form. In articulating your
impressions/ideas, you'll find yourself coming to new insights, making sharper
connections. We'll be doing a lot of
work with film reviews‑‑your own, and those of professionals
critics.
THE TEXT We're not using a textbook in this
class. Instead, I'll be giving you
various handouts, or sending you to the internet to find them yourselves. First, movie reviews: each week I'll be giving you (or directing you
to) reviews by four or five critics. As
you read their reviews from week to week, I think you'll get a good sense of
their respective approaches, tastes, and styles. That's something we'll be talking about. The reviews will also, I'm sure, give you
added insights into the films. I'll also
be giving you occasional essays that deal with various aspects of the current
film scene.
IN‑CLASS
The first two hours of class on Tuesday will be a combination of lecture
and discussion. I'll be lecturing on
issues related to contemporary film art, aspects of film study in general, and
the various film traditions from which the films we're studying have emerged. We'll then spend time discussing the previous
week's film, based on the discussion questions which I gave you. .
After a brief
pause we'll move to the MAHB104 auditorium for the screening of that week's
film. I'll give you discussion questions
before showing the movie, so you'll be thinking along certain lines (I hope!)
as you watch the film. The films
generally run from 90 to 120 minutes.
Viewing the
film on a (relatively) large screen with a group of others is a required part
of the course. Immediately after the
film, if we have time, I'll generally be asking you to take a few minutes to
jot down your initial impression of the film.
If we don’t have time, I’ll want
you to send me an email with your response, within 24 hours.
Feel free to
bring a friend/relative/companion to any of the film screenings. Do try to stay put during the film--it's
distracting when people leave their seats during the film.
WRITTEN WORK
You'll be doing several kinds of writing this term:
Study Questions: I'll be
giving you a set of study questions for each film we see. You will generally write out answers to three
of them (100-150 words each) to be handed in the next week. Do sketch out answers to the others, to serve
as notes for our discussion. These can
be answered right on the original question sheet, and I’ll want you to hand
them in as well. Generally, you want to do the answers as soon as possible
after having seen the film, while the film is still fresh in your mind. The best answers will include specific examples from the film.
Reviews: I'll want you to do three reviews of your own
of films seen outside of class. They
will be due the fourth, seventh, and tenth weeks of class (April 22, May 13, and June 3). At least one review must be of a film
(not a videotape) playing in an area theater.
The reviews should be around 500 words each (2-3 pp.).
Take‑Home
Final: I'll be giving you a take‑home exam on
the Tuesday of the tenth week of the term (June 3). 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, June
10.
ATTENDANCE
For obvious reasons, regular attendance is essential. If you miss more than one lecture/discussion,
your grade will be lowered; if you miss more than two, I'll ask that you drop
the class.
CONFERENCES
Please feel free to set up an appointment with me either before class or
some other time. If you have any questions
or ideas to try out on me throughout the term, call me at 503-978-5213. If I'm not there, you can leave a message,
anytime day or night and I'll call you back.
Also, I check my email all the time, so that’s a good option. Or, you can call me on my cell phone.
GRADES 10%
evaluations of reviews
30% film reviews
15% take‑home exam
40% study questions
5% discussion
PLEASE NOTE: Some of the films in this series contain
elements that some viewers might find personally objectionable, due to
language, scenes containing or referring to sex or violence, or subject
matter. Some have received "R"
ratings. If you think that you will have
difficulties studying such films, please drop the course.
If
you have any special needs that I should know about, please let me know after
class. PCC students requesting formal
accommodations for a disability must provide documentation of disability and
work with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) at 977-4341.
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.
Now, let’s have
a great, thought-provoking and mind-expanding term!