Course Goals:

• To develop a basic knowledge of terms, concepts, and theories that commonly appear in film criticism and theory
  
• To strengthen general skills in analysis and interpretation and become increasingly able to better articulate one's thoughts in both speaking and writing
• To enhance your own pleasure in the cinematic experience by increasing your appreciation and knowledge of how movies mean
  

Grading:

• Essay                            30%  
  
• In-class presentations     10%
• Quizzes                         20%                 
  
• Final Exam                    30%
• Work Ethic                    20%
  

      
 

Essays:

    All written work will follow the MLA style sheet. In citing World Wide Web resources, refer to MLA guidelines for print and online sources.  See my Resources for Writers page for online documentation sites.   All requirements, written or presented, will be on time.  Late papers are marked down one letter grade for every day late.  All essays must be submitted to pass the course. 

    Required:  A 1000-word essay (about 4 typed pages) which is a close-reading of an approved (by me) film.  This "reading" should reflect your ability to employ the language and concepts that we've been discussing from Steven Prince's Movies and Meaning in an essay that shows how a particular movie means.   This essay is due Friday, October 10 by 2:00 pm in Jackson Hall 307. 

    Your signature on all work indicates understanding of and compliance with the Honor Code.   Suspected violations of the Honor Code will be referred to the Honor Court; conviction of a violation will result in a a grade of F for the course.
 

   

Work Ethic:  Class Attendance, Participation, and Attitude :

    This class emphasizes oral presentations and discussion. Therefore, you need to be in class every time prepared to talk intelligently and passionately. Absences will hurt your work ethic grade.  You will lose ten (10) points for every class missed.  Attendance is taken at the beginning of the class, and the record is not revised for those who arrive late.  You may make up for absences (getting up to 10 points) by writing a 300 word essay on the readings for that day missed.  You may also obtain extra credit by writing 300 word reviews of approved out-of-class films.  This extra writing must be submitted to me within one week of the event that you attend or the class that you miss.

    To prevent distractions, food, drink (except water), cell phones, etc. are not allowed in class.

    The work we do in class is important and everything talked about in class should be considered a possible subject for quizzes and exams.
 
 

Exams and Quizzes:

    We will have "quiz/exams" in the first half of the semester on the text Movies and Meaning (MM) and the films that we've seen in class (see the syllabus for the dates of the quizzes).  These quizzes will largely be short answer questions on the glossary from MM, with details and cast/crew information from the films.   The final exam will be comprised of essay questions.  Everything we talk about in class is "fair game" for the final exam; the final is cumulative, though the emphasis is always on the most recent material studied in class.

---

back to Film Theory and Criticism home page