Download The Hollywood Renaissance: Film and the American Society | FILM 250H and more Lab Reports The Avant Garde in Literature and Cinema in PDF only on Docsity!
RARITAN VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ACADEMIC COURSE OUTLINE
FILM – 250H HOLLYWOOD RENAISSANCE: FILM AND
AMERICAN SOCIETY, 1967-
I. Basic Course Information
A. Course Number and Title: FILM-250 H Hollywood Renaissance: Film and American Society, 1967-
B. Date of Proposal: September 25, 2003
C. Sponsoring Department: Communication and Languages
D. Semester Credit Hours: 3
E. Weekly Contact Hours: 3 Lecture: 3 Laboratory: 0
F. Prerequisites: “A” or “B+” in a Film Studies course or permission of the instructor
G. Laboratory Fees: None
II. Catalog Description
Prerequisite: “A” or “B+” in a Film Studies course or permission of instructor
“Hollywood Renaissance: Film and American Society, 1967-1983” is an Honors course in Film Studies. The Hollywood Renaissance in the 1970’s was an explosion of creativity in a decade of turmoil. In the shadow of Vietnam and Watergate, the directors and films of this period offered conflicting visions about the nature and prospects of American society. In a seminar setting this course will explore themes such as the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, the status of teenagers, African-American culture, and the women’s movement. Students will research and analyze key films and directors of the 1970’s, such as Kubrick, Coppola, Penn, Altman, etc.
III. Statement of Course Need
- To provide a Film Studies Honors course as a Humanities general elective
- To provide an Honors course in Film Studies to add to the Honors program
- To provide an additional course for Communication students pursuing a concentration in Film Studies
- To provide a challenging course where students can develop their analytical, research, and writing skills
IV. Place of Course in College Curriculum
- Elective
- General Education elective in Humanities
- Elective in Communication Studies
- Honors elective in Humanities
This course transfers as a film studies course.
V. Outline of Course Content
Introduction: A Decade of Change in the Hollywood Film Industry
- Hollywood conglomeration and agent packaging
- High concept art
- Ancillary markets / cross-production
- Blockbuster / event film
- Special effects / technical advances
- End of the sixties: financial crisis 1967-
The Cinema of Sensation
- Legacy of Psycho and Last Tango in Paris
- MPAA rating system / censorship
- The “graphic imperative”
- The sex-and-violence debate
Films and the Counterculture
- College film audience demographic
- Civil rights, anti-war, sexual freedom, women’s movement, lifestyle, drug culture
- Hippie generation, protests, Easy Rider, etc.
- The Draft, Kent State, campus demonstrations
- Revisionist genres, i.e. Westerns
Politics and Social Change
- Polarization: silent majority vs. counterculture
- Vietnam and Cambodia: the Communist expansion
- The Cold War
- Watergate
Cluster Projects: see attached list for films (22 clusters)
- End of the sixties: lost illusions
- The hippie generation 3A. The Vietnam film 3B. Revisionist Westerns and genocide
- Feminism: women’s movement and gender in film
- Violence debate: the “graphic imperative”
- Cops and vigilantes: reactionary violence
- Watergate, assassination and conspiracy film
- Disaster films
- Futurism: Sci Fi and dystopia
- The new horror film: slasher sub genre
- The teen flick: exploitation and new markets
- The new documentary film: Cinema Verite
- African-Americans in films: racist stereotypes
- Experimental film: American avant-garde
- Pornography and politics
- European New Wave influences
- Blockbuster phenomenon: the event film
- Media satire film
- Sex comedy: sexual revolution
- Hollywood auteurs: new directors, new films
- Hollywood business and industry
- Social history: the 1970’s
VI. Educational Goals and Learning Outcomes
Educational Goals
Students will:
- To develop a broad understanding of the films and issues of the 1970’s (G.E. 5, 6)
- To research in depth and write about one thematic/genre cluster (see outline) (G.E. 1, 2, 3)
- To develop an understanding of how American films shaped or are shaped by society (G.E. 5, 6)
- To develop an aesthetic awareness of auteur film styles
- To develop an understanding of film theory and its applications
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Compile and organize original research in Film Studies
- Deliver an oral presentation in a seminar setting
- Analyze films and film segments critically
- Explain connections between social themes and specific films
- Explain how films influence various social and political groups (i.e., explain how “reception theory” works)
- Research and write an effective 16-page analytical Film Studies research paper
VII. Modes of Teaching and Learning
- Lecture/discussion
- Small group work (study clusters)
- Guest speakers
- Student oral presentations
- Student collaboration
- Independent study (research paper)
- Film screenings and analysis
VIII. Papers, Examinations, and other Assessment Instruments
- Research paper (min. 16 pp.)
- Analytical essay
- Journal writings on films
- Seminar participation
- Oral presentation
- Final essay exam
IX. Grade Determinants
Research paper, the analytical essay, oral presentation, seminar discussions, and final exam will assess the following outcomes:
- The student will be able to analyze and synthesize information about films, directors, and social issues.
- The student will be able to write clearly, accurately, and fluently with focus and continuity in standard American English.
- The student will be able to select and describe broad themes and ideas that characterize films of the 1970’s.
- The student will be able to compile complex material from varied information sources for a research project, organize and present it effectively in an oral presentation and in a critical research paper.
- The student will be able to parse a film for key cinematic and thematic elements and present them in class.
- The student will be able to explain and compare/contrast complex cinematic theories and concepts in seminar discussions and in the research paper.
X. Texts and Materials
Texts:
DVD’s on reserve in the Learning Center
XII. Honors Courses
- Definition: This course conforms with the definition of an Honors course because it “enriches and challenges students” beyond the “regular scope and curriculum” of a Film Studies course and because it “will offer a sophisticated use of research, introduce intellectually stimulating readings and critical perspectives” (both in the area of film theory and in the area of American social and political theory), “promote a higher level of critical discussion and written work” (particularly in the preparation and writing of a 16-page research paper), “and encourage independent study projects.”
- Educational Goals and Objectives: (outlined in section VI above)
- Course content: (outlined in section V above)
The following characteristics of this newly-designed Honors course distinguish it as an Honors course:
- Seminar setting
- Extensive research paper (min. 16 pages)
- Extensive reading (see texts)
- Extensive and detailed film analysis in film journals and an oral presentation
- Discussion of complex film theories and concepts and 1970’s social and political culture
- Student collaboration on research clusters (see section V above)
