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: The American Dream Takes Shape.
Class Film: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Outside Film: White Heat (1949).
Class Lecture and Discussion. A Decent Job, a Happy Family, and a Home of Our Own (Or Else!).
Class Film: The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956). Outside Film: The Caine Mutiny (1954).
Class Lecture and Discussion. Joining the Team: The American Dream Finds a Corporate Sponsor.
Class Film: The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Outside Film: Psycho (1960).
Journals for Week #1 (January 6th and 7th) due.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Uncle Ira's Not Himself Today: The Threat of Resident Aliens.
Class Film: The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Outside Film: On the Waterfront (1992).
Class Lecture and Discussion. Red Menaces and Psycho-Moms: Cold War Threats to the Dream.
Class Film: Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Outside Film, West Side Story (1961).
Class Lecture and Discussion. Why Can't You Be Good?: The Dream's Problem Children.
Class Film: All That Heaven Allows (1955). Outside Film:The Graduate (1967).
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 7th, 11th, and 13th) due.
HOLIDAY: Martin Luther King's Birthday. No class or film today.
Outside Films: Five Easy Pieces (1970)and Carnal Knowledge (1971.
EXTRA CLASS: to make up material missed on January 18th.
Class Lecture and Discussion. The Future is Plastics: The Dream as Nightmare.
No Films Assigned.
Class Lecture and Discussion. Escape to Failure: The Dream in Decline.
Class Film: The Last Picture Show (1971). Outside Film: The Deer Hunter (1978).
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. God Bless America: The Dream Shattered.
Class Film: In the Line of Fire (1993). Outside Film: Back to the Future (1985).
Journals for Week #3 (Jan. 14th, 18th, and 20th) due.
Class Lecture and Discussion. America is Back: Rescuing the Dream in the 1980s.
Class Film: Fargo (1996). Outside Film: Forrest Gump (1994) .
Class Lecture and Discussion. Stupid Is as Stupid Does: Was the Rescue Worth the Trouble?
All Final Examinations are due in my office (Fine Arts, Room 437) by 12:00 PM.
Journals for Week #4 (Jan. 21st, 25th, and 27) due.