SYLLABUSSYLLABUS
Required Films:
Ten 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 tore. You should try to see each film twice before we take it up in class.
These 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.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Introduction to the Course: Watching Movies.
Class Film: Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Outside Film: Strangers on a Train (1951)
Class Lecture and Discussion. Shadows in the Heartland and Troubled Sons.
Class Film: Vertigo (1958). Outside Film: Rear Window (1954).
Class Lecture and Discussion. Family Secrets and Murderous Desires.
Class Film: Psycho (1960). Outside Film: The Birds (1963)
Class Lecture and Discussion.Bad Mommies and Really Bad Birds.
Class Film: Lolita (1962). Outside Film: The Killing (1956).
Class Lecture and Discussion. Strange Loves at Home and Seeking Easy Street.
Class Film: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).Outside Films: Dr. Strangelove (1964) and A Clockwork Orange (1971).
Journals for Week #1 (January 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th) due.
Class Lecture and Discussion. The Old Ultraviolence, from Australopithecus to Dr. Strangelove to Alex and His Droogs.
Class Film: Class Film: The Shining (1980). Outside Film: Artifical Intelligence: Ai (2001).
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.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Bad Daddies and Dreaming of Home.
Class Film: Mean Streets (1973). Outside Film: Taxi Driver (1976).
Class Lecture and Discussion. Are You Talking to ME?: Seeking Redemption on the Mean Streets. Angry Men and the Patriarchy in Decline.
Class Film: Raging Bull (1980). Outside Film: King of Comedy (1995).
HOLIDAY: Martin Luther King's Birthday. No class or assignments.
Class Lecture and Discussion.Better to Be King for a Night Than a Schmuck For A Lifetime: That's Show Business.
Class Film: Outside Films: Goodfellas (1991) and Casino (1995).
Journals for Week #2 (January 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th) due.
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.
Class Lecture and Discussion. All My Life I wanted to Be a Gangster.
Class Film: The Gangs of New York (2002). Outside Film: None Assigned.
Journals for Week #3 (Jan. 17th, 19th, and 20th) due
Class Lecture and Discussion. Summing Up: Demythologing American Popular Culture.
All Final Examinations are due in my office (Fine Arts, Room 437) by 12:00 PM.