College Seminar/Fall 2010
Prof. Marie-Pascale Pieretti
Office Hrs (in Embury 208): T/W/TH 10:30-11:30
or by appointment
Phone 973 408 3506
From Hollywood to Cannes via Ouagadougou
What does the American movie The Hurtlocker have in common with The White Ribbon, a film directed by Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke, and the Ethiopian feature Teza by Halie Gerima? These three films each recently received a “Best Film” award from a major competition. In the case of Hurtlocker, it was the Oscar presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, while The White Ribbon won the Palmes d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in France and Teza took the Grand Prize - Etalon de Yennega- at the Panafrican Film Festival of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The aim of this seminar is to study the culture of film festivals, to explore recent nominations and awards, and to analyze the themes, the cinematographic techniques and the critique of these films. Among others, we will attempt to answer the following questions: What particular ideas and values do these films promote? How were these films selected and what made them winners? How do these winners fit in the aesthetic, business or geopolitical agendas of the organizations that bestow these awards?
No Textbook required: all readings are available on the K:Drive (Reserve)
Subscription to Netflix required ($8.99/month for unlimited movies, first month is free!). To subscribe go to http://www.netflix.com (you can share subscription with other students in class)
Films discussed:
- Precious
- No Country for Old Men
- The Wrestler (Netflix)
- Babel (Netflix)
- Persepolis (Netflix)
- Milk
- Slumdog Millionaire
- Waiting for Happiness
- Ezra
- Seraphine
- Lorna's Silence
- Der Weisse Band
All movies are shown on Drew TV except when otherwise specified (Netflix).
College Seminar Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the College Seminar, students will be able to:
- Enter into and participate in a scholarly conversation both orally and in writing;
- Comprehend, evaluate and analyze written and visual texts as well as think synthetically and creatively about them;
- Evaluate and explain the appropriate use of different kinds of information from a variety of academic and non-academic sources;
- Gain a new appreciation for film and film festivals.
Grading Policy
The College Seminar is a collective exploration of a topic. Its success depends on the thorough preparation and participation of each of its members. Missing class means depriving yourself of the insights you will gain through discussion and depriving others in the room of your contributions. Therefore students are expected to be present at each meeting of the seminar and prepared to participate fully in the conversation. The College Seminar will be graded as follows:
Attendance and Participation 50%
Students will not be penalized for absences covered by a Drew Policy (Religious Observance, Athletics, Serious Illness, Death in the Family) (e.g. Athletes are allowed a maximum of two absences, i.e. x/24 rather than x/26). However, it is possible for a student to miss so many classes that they cannot be considered to have taken the class and will not earn credit for it. Participation will be evaluated on the basis of a rubric (see Participation Rubric on Moodle). Guidelines for and description of oral presentation assignments posted on Moodle.
Course Assignments 50%
Writing to learn exercises are not counted if you are not in class; missed in-class writing assignments or oral presentations or activities cannot be made up. All guidelines for written assignments posted on Moodle.
NOTE: No extra credit will be offered in this class.
Academic Accommodations
Should you require academic accommodations, you must file a request with the Office of Educational Affairs (BC 114, extension 3327). It is your responsibility to self-identify with the Office of Educational Affairs and to provide me with the appropriate documentation from that office at least one week prior to any request for specific course accommodations. There are no retroactive accommodations.
Academic Integrity
All work in the College Seminar must adhere to the College Standards on Academic Integrity. You must do your own work. You must cite sources appropriately in all papers and presentations. You must acknowledge the contribution of other students to your work. Any student who is in violation of this policy will be referred to the Dean’s Office for further action. The policy can be found at:
http://depts.drew.edu/cladean/drewonly/Academic%20Integrity%20Booklet2.htm
DoNUt and Library Training. This seminar is designed with the assumption that you will have completed both the orientation to the Drew Computing environment (DoNUT) and the orientation to basic use of the Drew Library, both of which are a part of the Common Hour, within the first four weeks of the semester.
ASSIGNMENTS (READINGS, VIEWING FILMS, REFLECTIONS, WRITING, SHORT RESEARCH EXERCISES) AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ALL LISTED ON MOODLE. (Go to moodle.drew.edu and login. All courses you are registered for this semester will be listed. Click on CSEM -1-010 to get started. It is your responsibility to check moodle every week for announcements, information about the course and assignments).
IMPORTANT INFO: DEADLINES TO DROP/ADD A CLASS
- Fri. Sept. 3 Last day to add a semester long class without instructor’s signature.
Last day to add first half semester classes, to change to P/U option (first half semester classes), enroll from wait list (first half semester classes)or drop first half semester classes without a “W - Sept. 13 Last day to add a semester long class with instructor’s signature, to change P/U option, Enroll from Wait List or drop a semester long class without a “W” (Note: No reduction in charges for any reduced load after this date). Outstanding “I” and “NR” grades from the Spring 2009 term convert to “U” grades. Fri .
- Oct. 1 Last day to drop first half-semester classes with a “W.”
- Oct. 22 Last day to add second half semester classes, to drop second half semester classes without a “W,” to enroll from wait list (second half semester courses), or change P/U option (second half semester classes).
- Fri . Nov. 5 Last day to drop semester long course with a “W.” (Courses discontinued after this date earn a grade of “U”). M.-W.
- Nov. 1-10 Registration for Spring 2011 Semester. (Material available one week before; clear financial account required to register)
- Tues. Nov. 16 Last day to drop second half semester classes with a “W”
SYLLABUS
Monday, August 30 Introduction
Wednesday, September 1 Common Hour : Steven Johnson, the author of The Ghost Map, this year's Common Reading, at noon in Baldwin Gym.
*Friday, September 3 *Read “Movie Awards, The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Oscars,
Golden Globes, Critics, Guild and Indie Honors”; Class discussion: questions
and quotes posted on Moodle.
\NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL/
Monday, September 6 Labor Day -- No Class
Friday, September 10 Class discussion: "First You Get the Power, Then You Get the Money: Two Models of Film Festivals"(by Mark Peranson from Dekalog, On Film Festivals); and of Precious.
Monday, September 13 Oral presentation and class discussion: No Country for Old Men
Friday, September 17 Dr. Jody Coldwell, from the Library, visits for an orientation with Library Resources on our topic.
Monday, September 20 Class discussion of “Festivals with Aesthetic Agendas” (by Kenneth Turan, Sundance to Sarajevo) and of “Cinephilia and Film Festivals” (by Robert Koehler from Dekalog, On Film Festivals)
Friday, September 24 Oral presentation and class discussion: The Wrestler
\GOLDEN GLOBES/
Monday, September 27 Oral Presentation and class discussion on Babel and “The Globalization of Hollywood” (526-535, by Scott R. Olson, from The Contemporary Hollywood Reader, ed. Toby Miller)
\BACK TO THE NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL/
Friday, October 1 Prof. Lee Arnold’s College Seminar and our class meet avant-garde filmmaker Deborah Stratman (Room TBA)
Monday, October 4 Oral Presentation and class discussion of Persepolis and “Introduction” to Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice, Cinemas of Girlhood (Frances Gateward and Murray Pomerance)
Friday, October 8 Preparation for our trip to New York: Exploration of NYFF events and reviews. Prepare questions for speaker on Saturday.
Saturday, October 9 Trip to New York! Mandatory participation in the New York Film Festival: 1pm: Meet Dr. Richard Peña, Film Programming Director of New York Film Festival and Professor of Film Studies at Columbia University (Place TBA); 2:45 pm: Old Cats (World Premiere, Lincoln Center); 8:30 pm: Black Venus (Lincoln Center).
Monday, October 11 Class discussion of Old Cats and Black Venus and conclusion on the NYFF
Friday, October 15 Prof. Lee Arnold’s College Seminar and our class meet Michelle Brisson, Office of Student Activities Director to brainstorm on how to create a student-led Cine-Club at Drew.
Monday, October 18 READING DAYS – NO CLASS
\THE OSCARS/
Friday, October 22 Oral Presentation and class discussion of Milk
Monday, October 25 Class discussion of: “Video, Digitization and the Rise of Contemporary Cinephilia” (183-185); and of “Film Festivals and Actor-Network Theory” (32-36 from Film Festivals from European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia by Marijke de Valck)
Class edits film club proposal
Friday, October 29 Oral Presentation and class discussion: Slumdog Millionaire
Discussion of film reviews
\FESPACO (PANAFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL/
\OF OUAGADOUGOU)/
Monday, November 1 Class discussion of : “African Cinema and Festivals FESPACO” “African Cinema Today” (from African Cinema Politics and Culture; “Africans filming Africa: Questioning Theories of an Authentic Cinema” (by David Murphy); “Abderrahmane Sissako” (film director of Waiting for Happiness)
Friday, November 5 Oral Presentation and class discussion: Waiting for Happiness
Monday, November 8 Class discussion of: “Critical Paradigms”; “The Post-Independence Generation”; “Film and the Politics of Liberation”
Friday, November 12 Oral Presentation and class discussion: Ezra
\THE FRENCH CÉSAR/
Monday, November 15 Class discussion: “Understanding Festival Space”(39-40) and “European Cinemas and Hollywood (58-64, from Film Festivals from European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia by Marijke de Valck)
Friday, November 19 Oral Presentation and class discussion: Séraphine
\CANNES FILM FESTIVAL/
Monday, November 22 Oral Presentation and class discussion: Lorna’s Silence
Wednesday, November 24 --Sunday, November 28 THANKSGIVING BREAK
Monday, November 29 Class discussion : “Cannes and the ‘alternative’ Cinema Network, Bridging the Gap between Cultural Criteria and Business Demands” (85-87, Film Festivals from European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia by Marijke de Valck); “European Cinema: In the Shadow of Hollywood” (1-7, from The Politics of Contemporary European Cinema)
Friday, December 3 Oral Presentation and class discussion: Der Weisse Band
Monday, December 6 Planning Spring Cine-Club events and SEMINAR CONCLUSION