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course quick start

ib fil

m i:

MOVIEMADEAMERICA

Course Description“American movies, through much of their span, have altered or challenged many of the values and doctrines of powerful social and cultural forces in American society, providing alternative ways of understanding the world.” Sklar Movie-Made America.

All films are comprised of a language and structure as complex, rich, evocative, and expressive as the ones used to compose poetry, write novels, balance equations or scientifically examine the universe.

Unlike most of these other fields, however, film at its broadest (qua “the moving image”) is so deeply embedded into our daily lives and habits as to often appear invisible. unanalyzable, or barely remarkable.

In this course we will make the form and function of film visible.

We will seek to understand how the most powerful and pervasive human medium of the past 125 years continues to create, shape, and alter our lives.

Together we will build a working technical vocabulary and the

historical and critical background necessary to create sophisticated film analyses and productions.

Emphasis will be placed on thecomplex relationship between film form and social, political and cultural context.

objectives• Explore classic cinema with an focus on

the ”Hollywood” style film and competing film forms.

• Introduce and creatively apply film theoretical concepts

• Link research and scholarship to public writing, digital citizenship, and 21st century filmmaking.

required textsAll students will be required to obtain a hard copy of each assigned text.

Used copies are available for deep discounts online via Amazon and other booksellers.

Please do not purchase electronic copies of texts -- these will be provided to all students.

Students will be invited to sell back texts at the end of the year.

Please obtain the texts by the following dates:

movie-made america by 9/2easy riders & raging bulls by 1/16charlie kaufman ... by 3/13

movie-made america: a cultural history of american movies

easy riders and raging bulls

charlie kaufman and hollywood's merry band of pranksters:

required textsAll students will be required to obtain a hard copy of each assigned text.

Used copies are available for deep discounts online via Amazon and other booksellers.

Please do not purchase electronic copies of texts -- these will be provided to all students.

Students will be invited to sell back texts at the end of the year.

Please obtain the texts by the following dates:

movie-made america by 9/2easy riders & raging bulls by 1/16charlie kaufman ... by 3/13

required textsAll students will be required to obtain a hard copy of each assigned text.

Used copies are available for deep discounts online via Amazon and other booksellers.

Please do not purchase electronic copies of texts -- these will be provided to all students.

Students will be invited to sell back texts at the end of the year.

Please obtain the texts by the following dates:

movie-made america by 9/2easy riders & raging bulls by 1/16charlie kaufman ... by 3/13

By Robert Sklar2nd Edition Only (1994)Sample Used Price: $3.04

By Peter BiskindHardcover/Paperback 1998Sample Used Price: $1.98

By Derek HillPaperback 2008Sample Used Price: $1.36

Our course is designed with four (4) core components to be studied in tandem throughout the year:

Cinema HistoryCharting the evolution of American movies from technologicalinnovations dating to the mid-19th century through to the present. Each quarter will focus on a particular era in cinema with an emphasis on the evolution of“Hollywood” / American filmmaking.

Rotating Film TopicsExamining key themes, moments, motifs, and aspects of filmichistory, criticism, theory and form.areas covered during that nine weeks. Areas studied will include film techniques (such as montage, deep focus, color and sound);

genre studies (such as Western, horror, musical, and noir); national and film movements (such as Golden Age Hollywood, avant-garde cinema,andthe blockbuster); and film production concerns(such as the studio system, stars,distribution issues, and production codes).

Study of Specific FilmsScreenings of films and clips (in-class) will provide continuous opportunities for shared analysis.

Film ProductionsStudents will complete a series of production exercises each term. These exercises and activitieswill compiled into a “production portfolio.”

Course Structure

100 Years at the MoviesCheck out Chuck Workman’s short film, 100 Years at the Movies (1994), first created for Turner Classic Movies.

Compiled to celebrate the first century of American film, the short is nine minutes long and includes a montage of clips from at least 225 movies.

• http://youtu.be/b_AJajgl-uY

Assessments TasksOur shared assessments for this year’s course.

Reading + Screening NotesFor assigned shared readings and screenings students will be asked to complete a set of notes in response to provided prompts and questions. These notes should be collected and organized by each student and will be collaboratively assessed twice a term.

Reading + Screening QuizzesFor many assigned shared readings and screenings students will be asked to complete a series of online quizzes (via Schoology). Students may collaborate on these quizzes. Only the highest scores will be assessed and counted.

Student BlogsEach student will become a public writer in this course -- sharing their ideas and words with others through a self-designed blog. (See handout for possible platforms). Each term we will share a set of common prompts and provocations. Blogs will be collaboratively assessed twice a term.

Reading + Screening QuizzesFor many assigned shared readings and screenings students will be asked to complete a series of online quizzes (via Schoology). Students may collaborate on these quizzes. Only the highest scores will be assessed and counted.

Cadre PresentationsIn small student chosen teams, students will develop and construct public presentations based on outside readings and screenings three times a term. These presentations will be recorded and submitted online.

Research Project / EE DevelopmentAll students (IB and Honors) will develop and construct a lengthy research-based project of approximately 4000 words.

Student ProductionsIndividually and collaboratively students will use any means available to plan, create and distribute film productions throughout the year.

The following will be vital to your success in this course:• Portable USB flash drive (@ least 2gb)• Internet access• Twitter account• A folder / binder for reading + screening notes

Suggested Materials

This is a participation heavy course.To succeed, you must assume an active, alert, and engaged role in course discussions, screenings, and activities.

Assigned readings and screenings are to be completed by the date of the associated discussion and/or activity. Additionally, most course tasks will be assessed collaboratively by your peers.

Course Participation

Be a conscious and active screener and reader.In this course we learn to analyze a wide array of films as complexcommercial, artistic, and social texts. The majority of all class meetings will consist of film screenings, group production and project work, and short discussions.

As a college style course your success largely depends on your ability to authentically engage with our shared readings, screenings, and activities with care and diligence.

A Note on Screenings + Readings

Getting Started + First Steps1) Find and obtain your first text and materials!2) Establish a twitter that you will want to share with your fellow students and peers!3) Sign on to our Schoology and Turnitin sections!4) Complete the opening course discussion/introduction, questionnaire, and have

your parents/guardian sign the screening release!

The Case Against GradesA pedagogical discussion of how student learning, thinking and grades.

Grades Diminish Student InterestA “grading orientation” and a “learning orientation” have been shown to be inversely related. Every major educational study that has investigated the impact on intrinsic motivation of receiving grades (or instruction that emphasize the importance of getting good grades) has found a negative drag on sustained student interest in the subject being studied..

Grades Create a Preference for the Easiest Possible TaskImpress upon students that what they’re doing will count toward their grade, and their response will likely be to avoid taking any unnecessary intellectual risks.  They’ll choose a shorter book, or a project on a familiar topic, in order to minimize the chance of doing poorly -- not because they’re “unmotivated” but because they’re rational agents.  They’re responding to adults who, by telling them the goal is to get a good mark, have sent the message that success matters more than learning.

Grades Reduce the Quality of Student ThinkingThey may skim books for what they’ll “need to know.” They’re less likely to wonder, say, “How can we be sure that’s true?” than to ask “Is this going to be on the test?”

Recent research have found that a grade-oriented environment is associated with increased levels of cheating, grades promote a fear of failure even in high-achieving students, and the elimination of grades (in favor of a pass/fail system) produces substantial benefits with no apparent disadvantages in medical school.

Aiming higher than the lowest level.An assigned grade is not the goal of this course.

It is a presumably required side-effect of our shared exploration of American cinema. Unlike your other courses you should complete readings, productions, active screenings, even online quizzes and blog posts not because of an external weak incentive (i.e., a score) but because you are deeply committed to linking our studies to your own ideas -- and their public circulation. This is college-level education at it finest. Embrace these expectations and you will have a great time!

This is not to say that there are no grades in this course. There are. But here they will be largely assigned and debated via your peers and fellow film students. At scheduled times during each term your fellow students (and yourself) will assess the completion and success of course activities and assessments. If you do not agree with a peer score you will be encouraged to argue your case to a student-elected grading committee.

Stressed? Don’t worry! Do your best. Complete your readings. Write your blog posts with verve and intellectual courage! Authentically engage with the course and you will be A-OK. ;)

Collaborative Grading System