| Professor Dawn Dietrich | Winter Quarter 2004 |
| Office: 313 Humanities | MWF 10:00-11:20, T 4:00-7:00 |
| Phone: 650-3225 | Class Room: HU 102 |
| Office hours: MWF 2:30-3:30 and by appointment |
Viewing Room: MH 163 |
| E-mail: Dawn.Dietrich@wwu.edu |
Graduate Intern Tony Prichard
Office: HU 254
Phone: 650-4254
Office hours: R 11:00-12:00 and by appointment
E-mail: prichat@cc.wwu.edu
Required Materials
Film Art: An Introduction (7th ed.), David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
The McGraw-Hill Film Viewer's Guide, David Bordwell (included with textbook)
Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings (5th ed.), edited by
Marshall Cohen
and Leo Braudy
Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts (2nd ed,), Susan Hayward
The International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers, v. 2, Directors
(PN 1997. 8 F 555
2000--Reference)
Optional Reading
A Short Guide to Writing about Film (5th ed.), Timothy Corrigan
Course Films
Memento (2000), Christopher Nolan
Waking Life (2001), Richard Linklater
Wings of Desire (1987), Wim Wenders
Blue Velvet (1986), David Lynch
The Fourth Dimension (2001), Trinh T. Minh-Ha
Crash (1996), David Cronenberg
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Pedro Almodóvar
The Piano (1993), Jane Campion
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Joel and Ethan Coen
Student Film Presentation Projects
Run, Lola, Run (1998), Tom Tykwer
Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Wim Wenders
Mulholland Drive (2001), David Lynch
ExistenZ (1999), David Cronenberg
All About My Mother (1999), Pedro Almodóvar
Holy Smoke! (1999), Jane Campion
This course will focus on an international range of independent filmmakers, their films, and an introduction to contemporary film theory. Cinematic fare will include a wide range of foreign and art films, documentaries, cult favorites, and films featured in festivals around the world. You will learn how to read film critically, including developing a technical and theoretical vocabulary. Please note that some of the films are controversial (Crash invoked a censorship campaign) and may contain disturbing subject material. I suggest previewing the material or reading critical reviews before enrolling in this course, as you are expected to see all of the films.
Since this is a five-credit course, you should expect to spend at least fifteen hours of work per week preparing for it. This includes four hours in the MWF meetings, approximately two hours of film viewing, and nine hours outside of class (preparing the reading and writing assignments or conferring with me, Tony, or group members). Specifically, you will be expected to write screening reports, film reviews, or analytical essays on the films as well as participate in a New Film Presentation project (group assignment).
Film viewings are Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00 (approximately). Your attendance at these viewings is required. Even if you are familiar with a film, there is not a good substitute for watching it in a class environment--on a large screen, with the proper aspect ratio. If you have to miss a film viewing, you may check out the film on library reserve (restricted to library use only) or rent it on your own.
Your final grade will be averaged from the above assignments--plus class participation. Please note that you cannot receive an "A" in the course without regular class participation.
This course is a collaborative enterprise, which deals with both technical and interpretative material. Active, productive contribution to the course will improve your grade (and your enjoyment). Since we only meet three times a week, your preparation and attendance are important. Please note that your final grade will be lowered a full grade after three absences, and more than five absences will result in failure of the course.
You will need to read critical biographies of all the directors before class discussion of their film(s). These biographies can be located in The International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers, v. 2, Directors (PN 1997. 8 F 555 2000), located in the Reference section of Wilson Library. You may also locate online information about films and directors at www.imbd.com and movie reviews at www.mrqe. Reference collections of filmographies, bibliographies, reviews, and dictionaries are available in the Reference room of the library (LC #PN 1993-PN 1998). For more details, see Film: A Guide to Research in Wilson Library (available in Reference). A good clearinghouse for film studies is Screensite: Film and TV Studies at www.sa.edu/TCF/welcome.html. The Arts and Humanities Citation Index online will lead you to journal articles about films. Wilson Library carries many excellent film journals, including Film Quarterly, Camera Obscura, Film Comment, Cineaste, Film, Cinema Journal, Film Culture, Film Review, Journal of Film and Video, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, Screen, Sight and Sound, Films in Review, Take One, and Wide Angle. Essays or reviews in other publications can usually be obtained online or though inter-library loan. Tony and I will post these links and resources on Blackboard, so they'll be available for your use.
| 01/07 | Introduction to the course |
| 01/09 | FA "Film Production, Distribution, and Exhibition," pp. 1-45; "The Significance of Film Form," pp. 47-67; FTC "The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice," David Bordwell, pp. 716-724 |
| 01/12 | FA "Narrative as a Formal System," 68-105; "Film Genres," pp. 107-127; FTC "Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962," Andrew Sarris, pp. 515-518; "From Signs and the Meaning of Cinema, Peter Wollen, pp. 519-535 |
| 01/13 | Film Viewing: Memento, Christopher Nolan |
| 01/14 | Discussion of Memento |
| 01/16 | FA "Documentary, Experimental, and Animated Films," pp. 128-174;
continued discussion of Memento Screening Report due |
| 01/19 | Martin Luther King Day—No classes |
| 01/20 | Film Viewing: Waking Life, Richard Linklater |
| 01/21 | Discussion of Waking Life |
| 01/23 | FA "The Shot: Mise-en-Scene," pp. 175-228; continued discussion
of Waking Life Screening Report due |
| 01/26 | FTC "Ideological Effects of the Basic Cinematographic Apparatus,"
Jean-Louis Baudry, pp. 345-355; New Film Presentation: Run, Lola, Run,
Tom Tykwer Film Review due |
| 01/27 | Film Viewing: Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders |
| 01/28 | Discussion of Wings of Desire |
| 01/30 | FA "The Shot: Cinematography," pp. 229-293; continued discussion
of Wings of Desire Screening Report due |
| 02/02 | FTC "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema," Laura Mulvey, pp. 833-837; New Film Presentation: Buena Vista Social Club |
| 02/03 | Film Viewing: Blue Velvet, David Lynch |
| 02/04 | Discussion of Blue Velvet |
| 02/06 | FA "The Relation of Shot to Shot: Editing," pp. 294-346; continued
discussion of Blue Velvet Screening Report due |
| 02/09 | FTC "The Voice in the Cinema: The Articulation of Body and Space," Mary Ann Doane, pp. 363-375; New Film Presentation: Mulholland Drive |
| 02/10 | Film Viewing: The Fourth Dimension, Trinh T. Minh-Ha |
| 02/11 | Discussion of The Fourth Dimension; writings by Trinh T. Minh-Ha (TBA) |
| 02/13 | FA "Sound in the Cinema," pp. 347-388; continued discussion
of The Fourth Dimension Screening Report due |
| 02/16 | President's Day—No class |
| 02/17 | Film Viewing: Crash, David Cronenberg |
| 02/18 | Discussion of Crash |
| 02/20 | FA "Style as a Formal System," pp. 389-412; continued discussion
of Crash Screening Report due |
| 02/23 | FTC "Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess," Linda Williams, pp. 701-714; New Film Presentation: ExistenZ, David Cronenberg |
| 02/24 | Film Viewing: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Pedro Almodóvar |
| 02/25 | Discussion of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown |
| 02/27 | FA "Film Criticism: Sample Analyses," pp. 413-462; continued
discussion of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Screening Report due |
| 03/01 | FTC "Colonialism, Racism, and Representation: An Introduction," Robert Stam and Louise Spence, pp. 235-250; New Film Presentation: All About My Mother, Pedro Almodóvar |
| 03/02 | Film Viewing: The Piano, Jane Campion |
| 03/03 | Discussion of The Piano |
| 03/05 | FA "Film Form and Film History," pp. 463-500; continued discussion
of The Piano Screening Report due |
| 03/08 | FTC "The Apparatus: Metapsychological Approaches to the Impression of Reality in Cinema," Jean-Louis Baudry; New Film Presentation: Holy Smoke! |
| 03/09 | Film Viewing: The Man Who Wasn't There, Joel and Ethan Coen |
| 03/10 | Discussion of The Man Who Wasn't There |
| 03/12 | FTC "The Discourse of Pictures: Iconicity and Film Studies,"
Stephen Prince, pp. 99-117; continued discussion of The Man Who Wasn't There Screening Report due |
| Finals Week | Analytical Paper due Wednesday, March 17th |
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