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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
THIS COURSE WILL BE TAUGHT IN PRIMARILY ENGLISH, WITH OPTIONAL CZECH SESSIONS FOR CZECH STUDENTS. This course is designed to explore one of the most fundamental bedrocks for understanding cinema and media theory (that is, genre) and how it relates to the cinematic history of Central Europe and its socialist past. Students will gain an understanding of genre studies as they relate to formulating models of media history and media categorization, as well as exploring how the concept of genre itself is a culturally bound. While this syllabus gives a fairly accurate portrayal of the material we will cover, additional material may be assigned (and assigned material may be dropped or altered) at any time as the semester progresses, in order to better suit the needs and interests of the class. Note: This course’s readings, lectures, and screenings will be in English for the benefit of Erasmus and non-Czech students, but all written coursework can be completed in Czech, Slovak, German, or Russian for students with fluency in those languages. All films will be shown with English subtitles/intertitles. Where applicable, translated or alternate readings in Czech or Slovak may be provided for students of the Katedra filmových studií. CLASS STRUCTURE: The seminar will be almost entirely discussion-based, with a mandatory screening attached. During the class, we will have an introductory lecture based on the week’s keywords (basic concepts, historical background information, and other assorted theory) and theme. A discussion will follow, where we talk about the film we have seen. We will then have a screening of the week’s selected film, with my commentary during the screening to point out important scenes, moments, or techniques. Poslední úprava: Hudac Nicholas David, BA, M.A., Ph.D. (26.09.2018)
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Since this class is modeled after an American film studies format, attendance and active class participation is a must, as are all screenings.
Regular and punctual class attendance is mandatory for all students. An absence of 180 minutes is allowed. Three or more absences (90 minutes each) lower the grade automatically (A to A-, A to B+ in case of 4 absences etc.) CELL PHONE USAGE DURING THE LECTURE AND/OR SCREENING IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN. Students caught using their cellphones, tablets, etc. during any portion of lecture will lose their participation grade for that class. While social media and staying connected with friends and family is certainly important, focus on this during our class time disrupts the class and reduces the quality of the educational experience.
ESSAYS AND EXAMS: One of the key skills taught in a college education is the ability to communicate clearly and concisely, while thinking critically about the material at hand.
Students are expected to complete a short midterm essay (3-5 pages), and a longer final paper (7-8 Pages) on the topic of their choosing. For their final, students may alternately opt for a 20-25 minute final exam in English, Czech, or Slovak, if they would prefer. Paper topics must be discussed with me at least one week prior to their due date to ensure that we are all on the same page. Papers that do not meet the minimum length requirements or exceed them by 3 or more pages will be penalized. Students are always welcome to meet and discuss paper topics with me at any time, or via email.
Academic dishonesty: cheating and plagiarism will be treated in the appropriately severe manner. When writing papers, always use your own words and concepts; if quoting or appropriating from any outside sources (be they the Internet, books, articles, etc.) and/or scholars, always indicate that you are quoting and provide sources (Chicago Manual of Style footnotes, preferably). If you are unsure how to properly site a particular source, please ask me for advice. I’m always delighted to help.
TEXTS: All required reading materials for this course, either required or optional, will be available in electronic form. To enhance our discussion of the texts in question, students are encouraged to bring their laptops or own photocopies of the texts to class.
GRADING FORMULA
This class will be graded as per the Czech grading system (1 — 5, 1 = the best, 5 = the lowest). Any students who need American-style letter grading for the home institutions just need to let me know.
The grading breakdown for the course is as follows: Participation - 35% Midterm - 25% Final Paper or Exam - 40% Poslední úprava: Svatoňová Kateřina, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (07.09.2018)
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INTRODUCTION WEEK
Week 1: What IS Genre? Reading: Rick Altman, “A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre” Screening: Věra Chytilová Daisies (excerpts), Fritz Lang Metropolis (excerpts), Andrej Wajda Kanal (excerpts)
SECTION 1 - SILENT CINEMA
Week 2: Between Theatre and Film: Early Silent Comedies Reading: Jan Mukářovský, “An Attempt at a Structural Analysis of an Actor’s Figure” Screening: Svatopluk Innemann Milenky starého kriminálníka, Charlie Chaplin
Week 3: The Silent Melodrama Reading: “Ideology, Genre, Auteur” Screening: Jaroslav Siakeľ Jánošík (excerpts), Martin Frič, The Organist of St. Vitus
Week 4: The Horror Genre Reading: Sigfried Kracauer, “From Caligari to Hitler” (excerpts) Screening: Henrik Galeen, The Student of Prague, Robert Weine The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari/Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
Week 5:Early Hybridities: The Chamber Drama Reading: Sabine Hake, “Who Gets the Last Laugh” Screening: F.W. Murnau The Last Laugh/Der letzte Mann, Dimitri Buchowetzki Mad Love
Week 6: Experimental Silent Film, City Symphonies and Montage Reading: Dziga Vertov, “We: Variant of a Manifesto” Screening: Karel Plicka, The Earth Sings/Zem spieva, Walter Ruttmann, Berlin: Symphony of a Great City
Week 7: Newsreels and Reportage - Non-fiction Filmmaking Reading: Lubomir Linhardt, “Newsreels Show Us the World” Screening: Various Newsreels
MIDTERM DUE ON SUNDAY
SECTION 2 - POST-SOUND CINEMA
Week 8: Socialist Westerns Reading: Petra Watzke, “East Germany’s Imaginary Indians: Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich’s Harka Cycle (1951-63) and Its DEFA Adaptation Die Söhne der Großen Bärin (1966)” Screening: Josef Mach Sons of the Great Bear, Vladimir Motyl, The White Sun of the Desert
Week 9: Crimes, Krimis and Criminals Reading: Barry Keith Grant “Experience and Meaning in Genre Films” Screening: Fritz Lang, M, Ivo Novák The Treasure of a Byzantine Merchant
Week 9 : War Thrillers Reading: Robert Eberwein “The War Film”, (excerpts) Screening: Jiří Menzel, Closely Watched Trains, Andrzej Wajda Ashes and Diamonds
Week 10: The Gag Comedy Reading: Ben Schwartz “The Gag King” Screening: Martin Frič- Hej Rup!, Oldřich Lipský, Lemonade Joe
Week 11: Science Fiction, Double Feature Reading: Peter Swirski, “Stanislaw Lem and the Art of Science” Screening: Jindřich Polák, Ikarie XB-1, Andrej Tarkovskiy, Solaris
Week 12: Psychological Thrillers and Noir Reading: Margaret Tarratt, “Monsters from the Id” Screening: Juraj Herz, The Cremator
Week 13: The Teenage Film Reading: Timothy Shary “Teen Films: The Cinematic Image of Youth” Screening: Marlon Khutsiev, I Am 20, Štefan Uher, The Sun in a Net
FINAL DUE DURING EXAM PERIOD Poslední úprava: Svatoňová Kateřina, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (07.09.2018)
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