Eleven of the required films will be shown in class. The others are outside of class viewing assignments. All these films are on reserve in the audiovisual section of the Kuhn Library. You may view them there at your convenience. With one or two exceptions, they will be easy to find in any good video rental store. You should try to see each film twice before we take it up in class. You should also try to see as many of the optional titles as possible. They are also on reserve in the Library.
All the titles are linked to the Internet Movie Database. Click on the titles to get cast lists, production credits, plot summaries, links to WEB sites related to the title, and much more related information.
If you have any questions concerning the films or the assignments please contact me at landon@gl.umbc.edu.
Reference Materials:
| Literature Sites |
Class Assignments:
Click on the individual class dates to find study questions which should be useful in preparing for lectures and the class discussions. They can also serve as a guide for your journal entries. The Journals, critical essay, and final examination may be submitted by e-mail. Click on the links for a description of each requirement and for directions for submitting them by e-mail.
January 2nd: Watching Movies.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Introduction to the Course: Reading Popular Films.
Class Film:The Caine Mutiny (1954). Outside Film: The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956).
Optional Titles: Executive Suite (1954), Strategic Air Command (1955), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
January 3rd : The American Century.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Prologue: The Dreams of the 1950s.
Class Film: Peyton Place (1957). Outside Film: Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
Optional Films: All That Heaven Allows (1962), Rear Window (1954), Blackboard Jungle (1955).
January 4th : Trouble in Dreamland
Class Lecture and Discussion. The Dark Sides of 1950s Dreams.
Class Film: The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Outside Film: Catch-22 (1970).
Optional Films: Fail Safe (1964), Dr. Strangelove (1964), The Parallax View (1974).
Journals for Week #1 (January 4th, 5th, and 6th) due.
January 9th : Cultural Upheveals I: The Cold War Begins to Thaw.
Class Lecture and Discussion. The Decline of the Cold War Political Consensus.
Class Film: The Graduate (1967). Outside Film: Easy Rider (1969).
Optional Films: The Big Chill (1983), Mean Streets (1973), The Godfather (1972).
January 10th : Cultural Upheveals II: The Counter Culture Comes Home.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Looking for America.
Class Film: The Wild Bunch (1969). Outside Film Bonnie and Clyde (1967).
Optional Films: Badlands (1973), Thieves Like Us (1967), Pretty Poison (1968).
January 11th : Cultural Upheveals III: The Rebel as Hero.
Class Lecture and Discussion. The Outsiders: Rebels With a Cause.
Class Film: The Deer Hunter (1978). Outside Film: Go Tell the Spartans (1978).
Optional Films: Apocalypse Now (1979), Taxi Driver (1976), Rambo (1985).
The first brief essay is due today. Choose one of the films we have viewed and write a two-page (500) word essay on a character who, in your estimation, exemplifies some aspect of the American Dream. The best essays will focus on characters who were not discussed in class.
Journals for Week #2 (Jan 11th, 12th, and 13th) due.
January 16th : Cultural Upheveals IV: The War in Vietnam.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Asian Nightmares: The Legacy of Vietnam.
Class Film:Blade Runner (1982). Outside Film: Dirty Harry (1972).
Optional Films: The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1976), The China Syndrome (1980), The Insider (1999).
January 17th : The Distrust of Institutional Authority.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Nightmares as Institutions: Corporate Predators and Duplicitous Bureaucrats.
Class Film: Nashville (1975). Outside Film: Bronco Billy (1980).
Optional Films: The Shining (1980), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T. (1982).
January 18th : Reclaiming a Lost Past.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Dreams of Recovery: Reclaiming a Lost Community.
Class Film: Back to the Future (1985) . Outside Film: In the Line of Fire (1993).
Optional Films: Star Wars (1977), The Right Stuff (1986), Silverado (1985).
Second brief paper due today.Choose one of the films we have viewed and write a two-page (500) word essay on a psychological or social factor which prevents one or more characters from achieving the American Dream. The best essays will focus on characters who were not discussed in class.
January 23th : Back to the Future.
Class Lecture and Discussion Envisioning a Better Future by Reclaiming Lost Past.
Class Film: Saving Private Ryan (1998). Outside Film: Forrest Gump (1994).
Optional Films: Space Cowboys (2000), Independence Day (1996), True Romance (1993).
Journals for Week #3 (Jan. 17th, 19th, and 20th) due.
January 24th : Innocence Regained.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Earn It: Innocence Regained.
Class Film: American Beauty (1999). Outside Film: Thelma and Louise (1991).
Optional Films: Red Rock West (1992), Pulp Fiction (1995), Blue Velvet (1989), Leaving Las Vegas (1997).
January 25th : Domestic Dead Ends.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Persistent Nightmares: Domestic Dead Ends.
Journals for Week #4 (Jan. 25th and 26th) due.
Click here for the Final Examination.
All Final Examinations are due in my office (Fine Arts, Room 437) by 12:00 PM.