SYLLABUSSYLLABUS
Required Films:
All the assigned 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 sore. 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 |
Text:
Stephen J. Whitfield. The Culture of the Cold War, Second Edition.
Online Resources:
There are a variety of Internet sited devoted to the Cold War. Check here for an overview of Hollywood films devoted to the Cold War and for a list of useful Cold War Internet 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.
Week 1: January 28th.
Class Discussion. Introduction to the Course: The The Iron Curtain Falls.
Films:The Big Lift (1950) and The FountainheadThe Fountainhead (1949).
Week 2: February 2nd to 4th.
Class Discussion. Seeing Red: Defending Freedom and the American Way.
Films: Fort Apache (1948) and Big Jim McClain (1952).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter One, "Politicizing Culture," pp. 1-25.
Week 3: February 9th to 11th.
Class Discussion. John Wayne to the Rescue: Necessary Cultural Myths.
Film: and On the Waterfront (1954) and High Noon (1952).
Alternate Film: Viva
Zapata (1952).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter 2, "Seeing Red: The Stigma," pp. 53-76.
Journals for Weeks #1 and #2. due on February 9th.
Week 4: February 16th to 18th.
Class Discussion. Innocence Betrayed: The Rebel as Communist Dupe.
Films: Kiss Me Deadly (1955) and Pickup on South Street (1953).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter 5, "Informing: Many Are Called," pp. 101-26.
Week 5: February 23rd to 25th.
Class Discussion. Genre Patriotism: Communists, Criminals, and the Enemy Within..
FilmsThe Thing (1951) and The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter 6, "Reeling: The Politics of Film," pp. 127-51.
Journals for Weeks #3 and #4. due on February 23th.
Week 6: March 2nd to 4th.
Class Discussion. Watch the Skies: Alien Invaders and the Enemy Without.
Film:The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954). Outside Film: Pork Chop Hill (1959).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter 3, "Assenting: The Trend in Ideology," pp. 53-76.
Week 7: March 9th to 11th.
Class Discussion: Korea, I: The Cold War Heats Up.
Films: Prisoner of War (1970) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter 4, "Praying: God Bless America," pp. 77-100.
Journals for Weeks #5 and #6 due on March 9th.
Week 8: March 16th to 18th.
Class Discussion: Korea, II: POWs, Brainwashing, and the Code of Conduct.
Films: Strategic Air Command (1957) and The Caine Mutiny (1954).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter 8, Dissenting: Pity the Land, pp. 179-203.
Week 9: March 23rd to 25th.
Spring Break. No classes.
Week 10: March 30th to April 1st.
Class Discussion. Wives and Mothers: The Domestic Connection.
Films: Funeral in Berlin (1966), One, Two, Three (1961), and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965).
Journals for Weeks #7 and #8. due on March 30th.
Week 11: April 6th to April 8th.
Class Discussion. Berlin: The Cold War Epicenter.
Films: Fail Safe (1964), Dr. Strangelove (1964) and The Atomic Cafe (1982) .
Week 12: April 13th to 15th.
Class Discussion: Nuclear Nightmare: From Tragic Necessity to Black Comedy.
Films: The Green Berets (1968) and Go Tell the Spartans (1978).
Reading: Whitfield, Chapter 9, "Thawing: A Substitute for Victory," pp. 205-30.
Journals for Weeks #10 and #11 due on April 13th.
Week 13: April 20th to 22nd.
Class Discussion: Vietnam, I: Cold War Myths Confront Reality.
Films: Apocalypse Now (1979) and Rambo: First Blood, Part II (1985).
Week 14: April 27th to 29th.
Class Discussion: Vietnam, II: When Facts Become Legend, Print the Legend.
Films: In the Line of Fire (1993) and The Hunt for Red October (1990).
Journals for Weeks #12 and #13 due on April 27th.
Week 15: May 4th to 6th.
Class Discussion: The Cold War Ends, But the Memory Lingers On.
Week 16: May 11th.
To Be Announced.