Study of selected topics in United States film. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course.
TCF 112, or permission of instructor.
The student will learn the three major critical methods applied to the American cinema: genre study, the auteur "theory," and the star "system." We will begin with the film noir, director Howard Hawks and actor Humphrey Bogart, and then, during the second half of the semester, turn our attention to the melodrama, director Douglas Sirk, and actress Lana Turner.
Our focus will shift back and forth from the primary texts (the films themselves) to the writings on them. The latter will eventually lead us into considerations of feminism, Marxism, structuralism and semiotics.
The student's grade will depend upon four separate components:
These papers must be word processed and will be graded on the basis of conceptual rigor and fluency of writing style (i.e., grammar, spelling, etc.). Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. You are not expected to do extra research for these papers, but any references to sources other than yourself must be properly footnoted--see Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or a similar style book. This includes references to Websites and the course readings. Also, Diana Hacker, author of Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age, provides a Website with numerous tips on documenting sources. And the Citation Machine can partially automate the formatting of citations.
To quote or paraphrase without proper citation constitutes academic misconduct.
The paper grading will include suggestions for improving your writing. Students who are concerned about their writing style are urged to come in during office hours to discuss their work in more detail. In addition, style guides will be available in the instructor's office--as well as in the reference room of the main library. And the UA Writing Center is available to help, too: room 322 Lloyd Hall.
As with the directed papers, this project must be word-processed and will be graded based on conceptual rigor and fluency of writing style. This paper should involve outside research. Any use of outside sources must be properly footnoted. A bibliography and a filmography (that is, the credits for the film analyzed) must be provided. (One online source for credits is the Internet Movie Database: us.imdb.com .)
Beyond the requirements for undergraduates, grad students' directed papers should be five pages (1500 words) instead of four, and the final paper should be 13 pages instead of 10. Also, grad students may be required to lead a class discussion.
Students may earn 3 extra credit points by providing frames for Shot Logger. You must submit your Shot Logger files to Dr. Butler by the Friday of Study Week.
Make-up tests/exams will be given at the discretion of the instructor. No tests/exams will be given before their scheduled dates.
Grades will be posted on eLearning.
Grading scale:
A+ 97-100 C+ 77-79 F 59 and below A 93-96 C 73-76 A- 90-92 C- 70-72 B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69 B 83-86 D 63-66 B- 80-82 D- 60-62
Required course readings -- in addition to the textbooks -- are available at Supe Store, in C&IS Reading Room and on Electronic Reserve.
In order of assignment.
Note: The above listings follow the guidelines for footnotes specified in Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, fifth edition (NY: Modern Language Association, 1999). Citations in a bibliography use a slightly different format. You must use the MLA or another recognized style guide when creating citations in your papers. For the MLA guidelines for Web or other online citations, click here.
All films will be shown on DVD and Blu-Ray disc in class. There will be no other class screenings of the programs, but copies of most films will be placed on reserve in the CIS Reading Room. Also, many titles are available through NetFlix, and two or three of them are included in the audio-visual section of the Gorgas Library.
Credits are available from the Internet Movie Database. Follow the links below to find credits.
Each absence beyond four for the semester will result in one point being deducted from your final total. (Up to five points may be deducted.)
All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.
The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
College of Communication & Information Sciences majors must earn a "C" or better in all required and elective courses in their major. A "C" or better is required in all external courses required by the major whether they serve as a prerequisite to a major course or are simply required by the major. This means a "C" of any kind.
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