Instructor: Dr. Barbara Brickman
E-mail: bbrickma@westga.edu
Class Meeting Time: TR 2:00-3:15
Office: TLC 2243
Office Hours:TR 9:30-11:00
On-line Office Hours:W 9:00-11:00 and by appointment
Description:
This course will examine the history and development of American independent cinema as well as the social, aesthetic, and industrial questions raised by that cinema. Debating the differences between “independent” and “mainstream” practices and products, the course will develop an understanding of production, distribution, and exhibition practices for both types of American film and discuss their inter-relations or interdependencies on each other. Issues relating to both formal components and innovations as well as narrative structures and devices will inform our discussion of the “independent” aesthetic. Finally, the end of the semester will be devoted to a few key filmmakers in the post-1980s incarnation of “independent” filmmaking who will act as case studies to illustrate points from our semester-long discussion.
For a complete description of the course guidelines and department goals for the course, which meet SACS guidelines, please go to the English Department Course Guidelines page.
Required Texts:
Geoff King, American Independent Cinema (Indiana UP, 2005)Electronic reserves on WebCT (which should be printed and brought to class on the day of discussion)
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Goals:
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| Assignments: There are five types of assignments for this class: readings/screenings, short response essays, 'testing opportunities' (quizzes and exams), discussion leading/presentations, and a research project. You must complete the reading assignments before each class and be prepared to be called on about the content of the readings. Occasionally, there will be quizzes at the beginning of class to encourage consistent reading practices and timely screening of films. The reasoning for this form of assessment is simple: it is highly unlikely that you will make insightful contributions to class discussion if you have not done the reading or seen the films. |
| Writing Across the
Curriculum: This is a "W" or writing intensive course intended to help students communicate in the patterns of inquiry specific to the disciplines of English and Film Studies, as well as increase their general competence in written expression. WAC accepts as a guiding principle the idea that writing is a valuable tool for learning and communication. Therefore, the writing components of this course are designed to help you learn relevant material and help you to effectively communicate what you have learned. Students are required to take two "W" courses for an undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. Evaluation a. Weekly reading assignments, film screenings, and regular class attendance/participation are expected. b. Satisfactory fulfillment of the Writing To Learn (WTL) and Writing To Communicate (WTC) components of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC). The following graded exercises will help you reach these goals: Three short essyas, two essay/short answer exams, a research presentation with abstract/outline, peer evaluations and paper draft, and a research paper. |
| Note: Readings and assignments are
due
on the day they are listed on the syllabus. Many readings are marked
with
an (WebCT) and can be found in the WebCT page for this course
and
on the library electronic reserves page at http://westga.docutek.com/eres/default.aspx. Changes or additions
to
the readings may occur during the semester. I will announce these in
class
and post them on WebCT. |
| Screenings: Film screenings act as perhaps the most essential 'reading' assignment for each week and should be regarded with the utmost scholarly attention. This is a film class and these texts are your primary sources so they should be treated as such. With this in mind, I recommend you take notes during screenings or just after--your discussion questions and pop quiz performance could depend on it. |
| Short Response Essays: Three times during the semester, you will be asked to respond to and analyze one of the films screened or a film festival piece. These essays will be a formal (2-3 page) response that will offer you a chance to practice writing about film and will organize our discussions of the films into a formal, written essay. Regarding the topics, you will respond to the topic for that section of the course, posted on WebCT. The essays will be weighted in the following way: essay #1 = 10%, essay #2 = 15%, essay #3 = 5%. The three essays together account for 30% of your final grade. |
| Film Festival
Response: As indicated above, one of your short essays will be a response to a film festival experience through an "independent" venue and film product. You will be required to see ONE film at a festival of your choice and you will review both that film and the atmosphere/experience of the festival. You might consider issues related to film quality, audience participation, industrial practices, and communal support systems. As with XIDS classes for which you must provide proof of attendance at cultural events, you will need to attach your ticket stub to your essay. The festivals all take place in the month of October and I will provide a list of appropriate festivals and links to their websites. Of course, if you would like to, you may attend more than one festival. |
| Research Project: The end of the term will be devoted to film criticism and each student's own research project, culminating in a documented essay of ~8 type-written pages. During the research process, students will develop an argumentative thesis about a particular film's place in the teen film genre, perform independent research on that topic, write a proposal, and hand in a draft as well as an annotated bibliography. Every one of these steps in the process contributes to the research project final grade, which constitutes 25% of your final grade for the course. This project should reflect the knowledge and skills gained throughout the semester and show each student's ability to conduct formal film criticism (as opposed to film evaluation or appreciation). Please note: The syllabus indicates that there will be writing workshop days on which a draft of your essay will be due. If you do not come to class on these days and present a draft to me, your paper will receive a penalty of 1/2 of a letter grade for each day late. More importantly, if you fail to turn in a draft for an essay, you cannot turn in the final version of the paper for a grade. |
| Presentation of Research: At the end of the semester, every student will give a formal presentation of his or her research project. This presentation allows students to show off their newly gained knowledge and work on oral communication skills. (It is also great practice for the undergraduate research conference!) Many students choose to incorporate powerpoint into these presentations, but the only requirement is the choice of one brief (no more than 5-minute) clip to illustrate the thesis of the research project. The presentation counts for 15% of your final grade. |
| Exams: There will be two exams, one at the midterm and one make-up exam at the end of the semester. These exams will ask students to respond to short answer questions and write on one of a series of essay questions pertaining to the major issues surrounding the history of independent film, the critical terms applied to independent films, or the concept of and work performed by film auteurs. Your exam grade makes up 20% of your final grade and the highest of the two exam grades will count. |
| Class
Participation/Leading
Discussion: You will be expected to participate as much as possible in this class. Active participation involves, of course, attending class, but you are also expected to have done all the reading before class and screened the films, to listen attentively to the instructor and your other classmates, and to offer provocative and interesting questions or contributions to class discussion. Also, once during the semester, each student will guide the class (as part of a group of leaders) through a discussion of the week's film. You will be expected to have examined the film thoroughly, reviewed outside sources to clarify concepts for the week, and prepared questions and comments to direct class discussion. I suggest you meet as a group or converse on the discussion list/another chat space in order to clarify your topics for discussion and the different responsibilities for each group member. Your participation accounts for 5% of your final grade, so I highly recommend that you come to class with your own discussion questions in mind, be prepared for quizzes on the films, and stay on top of any and all absences or tardiness problems. |
|
Grades: |
Short Responses = 30% Essay Exams = 20% |
Research Project = 25% Presentation of Research = 15% |
Participation/ Discussion Leading/Quizzes = 10% |
| Policies: |
| Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory. There is too much material to cover in the short time allowed in two meetings a week to be able to afford an absence. I understand, however, that emergencies occur. Do your best to keep me aware of when and why you will miss a class. Be advised, though, that every absence after your 2nd absence will lower your participation grade by 1/2 a letter grade and five or more absences will result in an administrative withdrawal from the course. If this administrative withdrawal occurs after the withdrawal deadline, you will receive a WF for the course. Although, again, I understand that emergencies occasionally arise, consistent tardiness will not be tolerated. If this becomes a problem (i.e. I have to speak to you about it), you can expect to receive half an absence for each occurence of tardiness after the warning. |
| Attendance on 1st day
of class: PLEASE NOTE-- attendance on the first day of class is mandatory. Due to increased enrollments and interest in ENGL 4109, there are several students waiting to add into the course. If you do not attend class on the first day, you will be administratively withdrawn from the course at the end of the class period. Please contact me at bbrickma@westga.edu at least 24 hours in advance if you have a valid excuse for missing the first class on the 19th. |
| *Please
turn off all cell phones and pagers before
class begins.* |
| Deadlines and Late
Papers: Papers are due at the beginning of class and late drafts will be penalized. We are often starting new material on the days papers are due, so a late-comer will miss course material and disrupt discussion. More seriously, late drafts (both rough drafts and final drafts) will lose 1/2 of a letter grade for each day they are late. After a week (seven days late including weekends), the paper will automatically receive a failing grade (F ). If a student has a verifiable medical excuse or family emergency and requests an extension (by e-mail, phone, or in person) before the paper deadline, then an extension can be granted. Excuses such as having papers or exams for other classes, discovering a schedule conflict with work or other responsibilities, or simply feeling overwhelmed occur too commonly to be considered "serious" and will not result in an extension. |
| Academic Honesty: Plagiarism is the act of claiming the ideas or actual words of another as one's own. This act can take several forms: copying an essay from a printed source or the internet, taking answers from another student's paper, or using the language and/or ideas from any source without proper citation. The work you turn in should be your own. The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe, and ignorance is not an acceptable defense. Flagrant violations of this policy (e.g. copying papers from the internet or cheating on exams) are grounds for failing the course. I will pursue (and have pursued in the past) any irregularities I detect, and, if necessary, I will begin formal proceedings according to university policy. |
| Paper Formatting: Papers should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font (preferably Times New Roman or another standard serif font) with 1" top and bottom margins and 1-1.25" right and left margins, and without title pages. Using large margins and enormous fonts (i.e. Courier New) to fulfill the page requirement fools no one, least of all me (I used to work in desktop publishing and I know all the tricks), so follow these guidelines and come for extra help or use the writing workshops to learn how to present a full, well-supported argument that meets the page requirements. |
| A Valuable
Student
Resource -- The Writing Center: The Writing Center assists all students in the development of their writing skills. Make an appointment with an instructor and focus on improving your writing. The instructors will not proofread or edit your work, but they will assist you in your endeavor to become a better writer. Become familiar with the Writing Center, check it out, and use it. Its mission is to work with you and help you become a better writer regardless of your level of ability or proficiency. The Writing Center is located in the Parkman Room, TLC 1201. |
| Consultations: If you feel you need help or if you have any questions regarding the class, come by my office, Room 2243 in the TLC. I will always be in my office and prepared to offer assistance during my office hours, both at school and on-line. If for some reason you are unable to see me during my office hours, I can arrange an alternative meeting time. Always bring your notes and past assignments with you when you come to see me so that I can better determine how your preparation is affecting your overall performance. In the worst case scenario (i.e. you can't find me or have to ask me a question immediately), you can always e-mail me. |
| E-mail: If you need to reach me for any reason, you will have the best luck via e-mail at bbrickma@westga.edu. Please e-mail me from your university account in order to make it easier to identify the sender of the e-mail and to avoid unnecessary security or virus risks. If you cannot access your university account and need to contact me, please use WebCT e-mail. |
| Special Needs: The University of West Georgia adheres to the Americans for Disabilities Act, known as ADA, which requires that all programs at the university be accessible to people with disabilities.If you have a registered disability that will require accommodation, please see me in my office at the beginning of the semester. If you have a disability that you have not yet registered through the Disabled Student Services Office, please contact Dr. Ann Phillips in 272 Parker Hall at (678) 839-6428. |