AREAS OF INQUIRY
CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS
Department _________MUSIC__
Course Number _______205_
Course Name:
Genre and Genius: Collaboration and Transcendence in Movie Music
†
This form must be submitted to the Faculty Council on Liberal Learning and Academic Life as part of the submission
process.
Please attach a proposed syllabus for this course and the Undergraduate Curriculum Course Proposal Form.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 16 September 2005
Please answer the following questions:
Check Only One:
 This course is an existing course (in the current curriculum) that we are now proposing for this Area of Inquiry.
X This is a new course that we are now proposing for this Area of Inquiry.
1. Name and contact information for the department chair administrating this course.
Dr. Mark Reimer, chair <reimer@cnu.edu>
Dr. Joseph Pollard White <joseph.white@cnu.edu>
2. In any given semester, how many sections of this course is your department willing to offer?
1 (one; though in future multiple sections could be offered)
3. Why is this course being offered/what is it designed to achieve(Course purpose/goal)?
1) to give students a greater appreciation of cinema (movies and video) by exploring the concept of 'genre' in
movies (and music and movie music) and discovering how 'genius' might emerge from the collaborative process
between composer and director.
2) The study of movie music is not currently covered in the Film Studies minor. This course fills that gap.
Check the objectives below that the course will address. The first objective is required and every proposal
must include at least one more objective from the list below.
1.
X Examine selected example(s) of creative expression in terms of artistic, philosophical, cultural and/or
psychological issues (required)
X Discuss the life of creative expressions and/or their originators
 Compare the role and/or meaning of creative expressions among cultures and/or historical periods
X Distinguish multiple approaches toward comprehending, creating, and evaluating creative works
X Apply technical language in developing original ideas or argument
 Demonstrate skills necessary to produce works of creative expression
1.
Briefly explain how this class addresses the above objectives. A course may cover more than two objectives.
a.) Examine a specific repertoire of movies that share the same director and composer in t erms of how
each movie- and thereby the contributions of each artist- boths works inside and outside of genre covention .
Initial iteration of the course will examine 8 movies by director Alfred Hitchcock and composer
Bernard Herrmann. Other director/composer pairings (e.g. Steven Spielberg/John Williams) could be
used in future iterations.
b.) The artistic output of Hitchcock and Herrmann as collaborators will be put into the historical
context of their artistic life overall.
c.) Exploring the dichotomy between the individual artist and the collaborative artist, how might
'genius' emerge? and how might awareness of collaboration alter our experience or expectation?
d.) Building a vocabulary of technical and aesthetic terminology to help focus ideas and discussion.
1.
Course Assessment: Identify how this course will accomplish the above objectives (choose at least one).
X Participating in class discussion and debate
Engaging in teamwork and other collaborative exercises
X Writing analytical or evaluative papers, perhaps incorporating original research
X Making oral presentations
X Creating an artistic product or a performance
 Participating in fieldwork
 Other means – please identify
1.
Attach a proposed syllabus, which includes a statement of purpose, course objectives, and how these
objectives will be accomplished.
8. Please identify and explain if this course contributes to the Foundations of Liberal Learning expectations for:
à Oral Communication Literacy:
'oral literacy' may addressed through in-class presentations, for example presenting the synopsis of the
films/scores under consideration. [addendum via email from Dr. White 11/9/05]
 Information Literacy:
 Writing Literacy:
'written literacy' may be addressed by a final project involving a written paper (q.v. possible topics and
parameters). [addendum via email from Dr. White 11/9/05]
9. Explain how this course connects to Vision 2010 – the CNU Strategic Plan.
Directly contributes to "learning that cultivates critical and innovative thinking".
Fills a gap in the Film Studies minor.
Submission Checklist:
By the deadline, submit a packet with the following documents to the Assistant Dean for Liberal Learning. Please
submit in electronic and hard copy form.
_____ Area of Inquiry Course Proposal Form
_____ Syllabus for the Course
_____ Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
GENRE AND GENIUS: Collaboration and Transcendence in the Movies [draft
syllabus]
MUSIC 205
Tuesday/Thursday [longer meeting times to allow for screenings]
Instructor: Dr. Joseph Pollard White [others may teach in future]
Prerequisites: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor
Ability to read music is useful, not required
Ability to use sound or video editing software is useful, not required
Required Materials
Texts under consideration:
Aristotle: Poetics (various editions; Penguin Books, 1997)
D. Duncan (ed.): Charms That Soothe: Classical Music and the Narrative
Film (Communications and Media Studies, No. 9.; Fordham University Press,
2003)
R.S. Brown: Overtones and Undertones: Reading Film Music (University
of California Press, 1994)
R. Altman: Film/Genre (University of California Press, 1999)
T. Schatz : Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmmaking, and The Studio
System (McGraw-Hill, 1981)
S. Neale (ed.): Genre and Hollywood (Routledge, 2000)
B. Ghiselin (ed.): The Creative Process: Reflections on the Invention of Art
(University of California Press, 1996)
D. Cooper: Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo: a Film Score Handbook
(Greenwood Press, 2001)
S. Gottlieb (ed.): Hitchcock on Hitchcock: Selected Writings and
Interviews by Alfred Hitchcock (University of California Press, 1997)
D. Sterritt, R. Carney (ed.): The Films of Alfred Hitchcock (Cambridge
University Press, 1993)
F. Truffaut, H. Scott: Alfred Hitchcock - A Definitive Study (Simon and
Schuster, 1985)
DVDs of the movies (on reserve or available for purchase from Universal
Pictures) [see below]
Course Objective
The course is intended to give students a greater appreciation of cinema
(movies and video) by exploring the concept of 'genre' in movie music and
discovering how 'genius' might emerge from the collaborative process between
director and composer.
The course will examine: what do we mean by 'genre'? How do movies and
music fall into and make use of genre conventions and structures? We will
experiment with how 'genre' music can drastically alter the sense of a 'genre'
scene.
Then, what do we mean by 'genius'? Can genius and genre co-exist?
Finally, can collaboration and genius co-exist? How do composers and
directors transcend genre in the creation of a movie and its score?
These questions will be addressed with specificity by screening and
analyzing in depth the 8 movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock and scored by
Bernard Herrmann :
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
The Wrong Man (1957)
Vertigo (1958)
North By Northwest (1959)
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Marnie (1964)
Additional works by Hitchcock and by Herrmann individually, before and
after their working together, will also be discussed.
This course is part of the curriculum for the Minor in Film Studies.
The course falls under the Creative Expressions section in the Areas of
Inquiry in the undergraduate curriculum.
Assignments
In addition to screening and dissecting the Hitchcock/Herrmann movies in
class, students will have outside listening and viewing assignments. Students
should expect to give class presentations in addition to written assignments.
A mid-term project concerning a particular genre, with a view towards
understanding in depth the conventions of that genre. This project may be a
paper or a class presentation.
A final project concerning collaboration: investigating the artistic
relationship and aesthetic workings of a director/composer pairing, not
Hitchcock/Herrmann, in one or more movie(s). This project may be a paper, a
class presentation or a 'document' in a video or multi-media format.
Evaluation/Assessment
Your grade will be calculated as follows:
Participation and classroom assignments
Mid-term project
Final project
30%
30%
40%
Attendance
All university and music department policies on attendance apply:
Any student who attains more than three absences from a course that meets three or
more times per week, who attains more than two absences from a course that meets
twice per week, or who attains more than one absence from a course that meets once per
week will automatically receive a grade of “F” in the course. In compliance with the
University Catalog, the only excused absences are extended illnesses verified by a
physician, university-sponsored activities documented before the absence, and extreme
emergencies documented and presented to the instructor no later than the end of the next
class.
The final day to withdraw from the course is ...
Disability Statement
Any student who believes that she or he is disabled should make an appointment to
see me to discuss your needs. In order to receive an accommodation, your disability must
be on record in the Office of Career and Counseling Services, 757-594-7047, Student
Center 146
Referral Statement
We want you to succeed at CNU; therefore, I may notify the Academic Advising
Center if you seem to be having problems with this course. Someone may contact you to
help you determine what help you need to succeed. You will be sent a copy of the referral
form. I invite you to see me at any time that I can be of assistance in helping you with the
course material.
Genre and Genius: Collaboration and Transcendence in the Movies
MUSIC 205
General Outline
I. The Movies
a. vocabulary
b. the viewing experience
c. the listening experience: sound and music in the movies
d. the macguffin
II. Genre
a. conventions
b. categories (traditional, classic, modern)
b. lists of genres
c. examples in various genres
III. Experimenting with Genre
a. crossing boundaries
b. mixing genres
c. subverting conventions
IV. The Concept of Genius
a. classical greek/roman
b. other ancients/cultures
c. genius and individuality (the romantic ideal)
d. contemporary
V. Genre, Genius and Collaboration, Take 1
VI. Alfred Hitchcock
a. life and times
b. early work [The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), Rebecca (1940), Spellbound
(1945)]
VII. Bernard Herrmann
a. life and times
b. early work [Citizen Kane (1941), concert works]
VIII. The Trouble With Harry (1955)
a. comedy is not pretty
IX. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and The Wrong Man (1957)
a. who done it? mystery and mistaken identity
X. Vertigo (1958)
a. love is blind
XI. North By Northwest (1959)
a. adventure in the old west
XII. Psycho (1960)
a. scary movie
XIII. The Birds (1963)
a. electronic score
XIV. Marnie (1964)
a. truth hurts
XV. Later works
a. Hitchcock [Topaz (1969)]
b. Herrmann [Fahrenheit 451 (1966), Taxi Driver (1976)]
XVI. Genre, Genius and Collaboration, Take 2
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
NEW COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Does this proposal affect Liberal Learning requirements? Yes __X__ No _____
1.
Title of Course:
Genre and Genius: Collaboration and Transcendence in Movie Music
Proposed Course Number (cleared with Registrar): MUSC 205
Prerequisite Courses: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor
Ability to read music is useful, not required.
Ability to use sound or video editing software is useful, not required
Catalogue Description (including credits, lecture, and lab hours):
MUSC 205 Genre and Genius: Collaboration and Transcendance in Movie Music (3-3-0)
Fall.
This course is intended to give students a greater appreciation of cinema (movies and video)
by exploring the concept of 'genre' in movie music and discovering how 'genius' might
emerge from the collaborative process between director and composer.
The course will examine: what do we mean by 'genre'? How do movies (and
other arts) fall into and make use of genre conventions and structures?
Then, what do we mean by 'genius'? How do composers and directors (and other
creative artists) transcend genre in the creation of a movie and its score?
In the first iteration of the course, these questions will be addressed with specificity by
exploring the 8 movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock and scored by Bernard Herrmann:
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
The Wrong Man (1957)
Vertigo (1958)
North By Northwest (1959)
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Marnie (1964)
Future iterations would use a different pair of collaborators (e.g. Steven Spielberg and
John Williams).
This course is part of the curriculum for the Minor in Film Studies.
The course falls under the Creative Expressions section in the Areas of Inquiry in the undergraduate
curriculum.
Is the course cross-listed? If so, what is the number of the other course? No
**A proposed syllabus, including complete text and/or reference information, as well as
any relevant information to this decision, must be appended.
NOTE: All affected department chairs must sign approval on last page.
2.
For whom is the course primarily intended? Explain why it should be added to the curriculum.
Film study minors and others interested in the movies or the interaction between music and other arts.
The study of movie music is not currently covered in the Film Studies minor.
3.
If this course is required, append a description of how the course fits into the curriculum. Indicate how
it affects hours required for graduation. N/A
4.
Has this course been offered previously as a special topics course? If so, when? What course number
was used?
No
5.
Has this course, or one closely related to it, been offered at CNU previously? No
If so, is that course currently being offered? How does the proposed course differ? When is the last term the old
course will be offered?
6.
What is the anticipated enrollment per offering for the next three years? Approximately 16.
During which term will this course first be offered? Fall 2006
During which semesters will this course regularly be offered? Every Fall semester.
7.
How will the course be staffed?
Dr. Joseph White will teach the course initially. It could be taught by other instructors currently at CNU who
are knowledgeable about film music.
8.
Does the course involve a particular classroom, special equipment, or costs beyond those usually associated with a
course at CNU? If so, please explain.
It should use a 'smart' classroom, but no other additional requirements.
9.
Is the course repeatable for additional credit? If so, is there a limit to the number of times the course can be
repeated? (e.g., applied music courses)
No
10.
If this course is for an Area of Inquiry. Yes.
a. Identify the Area of Inquiry
Creative Expressions
b. Demonstrate how your course will meet the objectives of this Area of Inquiry
Students will explore the artistic process, especially issues of collaboration and the interaction between
different art forms. Also, assignments (e.g. putting music to video) will engage student creative expression
directly. Explores a specific body of work.
This course was approved by:
(Liberal Learning core courses must be reviewed by BOTH academic Deans.)
|
Concur
Do Not
Concur**
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Department(s): (1)
Date: ________
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Date: ________
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Date: ________
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Date: ________
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(2)
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College Curriculum Committee:
†
Dean:
†
Dean:
Date: ________
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Date: ________
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Undergraduate Curriculum Committee:
Changes to the Liberal Learning requirements must be reviewed by the Faculty Senate.
†
†
Faculty Senate President:
Date: ________
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Date: ________
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Provost
Distribution by Provost Office following approval:
Department Chair(s), UCC Chair, Deans, Registrar
** If “Do Not Concur” is checked, please attach a statement of explanation.
Rev. 09/22/04