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JUNIATA COLLEGE
PS 305
Fall, 2003
Jack Barlow, Good 319 Course Description This course is designed as an introduction to the study of political ideas as presented in motion pictures. We will look both at the direct representation of political ideas or points of view (especially through satire), and at the way Hollywood has shaped not only Americans’ ideas about politics and the political process, but also our very identity as a people. Because film is very much a 20th century medium, we will look with special care at two of the defining political events of that century, the crisis of Western democracy following World War I, and the Cold War. Course Expectations What are “political” ideas? How may they be presented? We are conditioned to think of political things as having to do with government – elections, campaigns, legislation, and so forth. Political ideas would, then, be ideas related to government and the electoral process. This course asks you to consider a more inclusive definition. Such an expanded definition might include such things as the family, or the place of the individual in society, or whether human beings are basically selfish. The primary requirement of this course is that you have an open mind. This course will be a collaborative effort between the students and the instructor. It may change shape significantly as the semester progresses; we should all be prepared to be flexible. One of my frustrations is the dearth of good scholarly writing in this area, and thus I reserve the right to add any good readings that I might come across. Students are required to attend the screenings on Monday evenings and to participate thoughtfully in the discussions. In addition to the class meetings, there may be lectures or events which students will be required to attend. Why require attending the screenings? Because the movies are a social as well as an intellectual or emotional or whatever experience. Motion pictures were made to be exhibited in large rooms on large screens with audiences who are strangers but sharing a common experience. You will learn things about the films we see by watching them with a group that you could not learn by yourself. Each student will be assigned to a group that will lead the discussion on one film, and thus should be prepared to work with other group members and with me outside of class to prepare for that discussion. Each group will produce a “viewer’s guide” to accompany their film (copies of films will be made available to discussion leaders in advance). The viewer’s guide is to be distributed in advance of the screenings, and no later than the previous Thursday. Each group will have at least one meeting with me to discuss the draft of the “viewer’s guide” and potential avenues for discussing the film. In addition to leading the discussion, students will be expected to write three 2-3 page critiques of different films (but NOT the one on which you lead the discussion) during the course of the semester. Your critiques should focus on the political ideas of the films and the way those ideas are presented, rather than aesthetic or artistic considerations (although these should be included where they are relevant). These papers will be due not later than 5 PM on Thursday of the week the film is discussed. Late critiques will not be accepted. Students will also write a 10-15 page, in-depth analysis of a single film (which MAY be the film on which you led the discussion), and take a comprehensive final examination. All work submitted for the course must be your own (obviously excepting assigned group work); see the Pathfinder (http://www.juniata.edu/catalog/policy/pathfinder/acadhonesty.html) for expectations concerning academic honesty. If you have any questions regarding the proper use of information or opinions gathered elsewhere, please ask me. In addition to the assigned text, for which students will be responsible whether or not it is discussed in class, there will be handouts and readings on reserve in the library. It would be a good idea for you to photocopy the reserve readings, or else take good enough notes on them that you can bring in points from those readings during the class discussion, and/or answer questions about them. The instructor reserves the right to modify the reading list. Grades will be distributed as follows: three critiques, 24% (total – 8% each); discussion leadership, 25%; class participation 11%; analytical paper, 20%; final exam, 20%. What am I looking for when I grade your work? In the course of the semester, I would like to see, first, that you have learned how to watch a film (from which you may guess that I think it is not as easy as it sounds). Second, I would like to see that you have shown that you can examine critically the political ideas presented in the film. Third, I would like to see you learn to make use of some of the different critical tools you have picked up in the course of doing the assigned readings. Fourth, I would like to see that your understanding of what the term “political” encompasses has expanded in the course of the semester. Required Text David Bordwell, Making Meaning: Inference and Rhetoric in the Interpretation of Cinema. Harvard University Press, 1989. Other Resources The most useful single website is the Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com, which has links to almost everything you could want. Both Yahoo and Google have good directories to sites for individual films and film criticism as well. You should try to read the reviews in the New York Times regularly (most of the reviews appear on Fridays). Schedule Introduction. 1939: The Greatest Year? 8/25 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Reading: Neal Gabler, “It’s Like a Movie, but It’s Not” (handout) Part 1. Democracy (1): Can an individual make a difference? 9/1 The Wizard of Oz (1939) This week
I will lead the discussions 9/8 Erin Brockovich (2000) Reading: David Riesman, “The Oral Tradition, the Written Word, and the Screen Image,” and Marshall McLuhan, “Movies: The Reel World,” on reserve 9/15 No Film: Galston Lecture (required)
Reading: Bordwell, ch. 1. Part 2. Does human nature get in the way of democracy? 9/22 The Maltese Falcon (1940) Reading: Bordwell, ch. 2. No class 9/23 9/29 Chinatown (1974) Reading: Bordwell, ch. 3 Part 3. Is there a connection between democracy and the rule of law? 10/6 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) Reading: Bordwell, ch. 4. 10/13 Fall Break – film on Wednesday just for fun? 10/20 Blazing Saddles (1974) Reading: Selections from Aristotle’s Poetics, on reserve Part 4. Was the cold war a threat to democracy? 10/27 High Noon (1950) Reading: Bordwell, ch. 9. 11/3 Dr. Strangelove (1964) Reading: Erwin Panofsky, “On Movies,” on reserve Part 5. Democracy (2): Who governs? 11/10 Lifeboat (1944) Reading: Bordwell, ch. 10. Analytical Papers Due Thursday 11/13 (extensions granted ONLY if you are working on a film that has not yet been discussed – and granted reluctantly even then) 11/17 Election
(1999) Part 6. Film and Politics: Production values and the production of values11/24 Sullivan’s
Travels (1942) 12/1 Wag the Dog
(1997) 12/8 Duck Soup
(1933) Final exam TBA
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