COURSE SECTION INFORMATION
Faculty of Technology and Trades
Film and Multiculturalism
General Education Department
Professor’s
Name:
Howard Richardson
Email:
richarh@algonquincollege.com
Phone:
613 727 4723 ext.3438
Academic Year: 2009 – 2010
Office:
B312d
Term:
2010W
Out of Class
Assistance:
By appointment
Academic
Level:
Various
Course
Number:
Course
Section:
GEN2000
350
Section Specific Learning Resources
Required text
Roberts, Graham and Heather Wallis. Introducing Film. New York. Oxford UP. 2001.
Other resources
Films to be viewed throughout the course:
Crash. (USA) 2004. Director, Paul Haggis.
Monsoon Wedding. (India) 2002. Director, Mira Nair.
Atanarjuat. (Canada) 2000. Director, Zacharias Kunuk.
Schindler's List. (USA) 1993. Director, Steven Spielberg.
A final film to be chosen by the student according to course requirements.
Evaluation at a Glance
Four online quizzes
Four synopses
Four analyses
Final Project – Proposal
Final Project – Synopsis
Final Project - Analysis
Due Date
Week 2, 5, 8,
and 11
Week 3, 6, 9,
and 12
Week 4, 7, 10,
13
Week 9
Week 12
Week 14
TOTAL
Value
Validation
20%
CLR 4, and EES 6
20%
CLR 2, 4, and EES 6
20%
CLR 1, 2, 3, 4, EES 6, 8,
and 10
10%
10%
20%
100%
CLR 1, 2, 3, 4, EES 6, 8,
and 10
Learning Schedule
Dates
Week
Film & Readings
Assignments
Orientation
Jan. 11 –
Jan. 15
Reading:
Jan. 18 –
Jan. 22
1
Jan. 25 –
Jan. 29
2
Feb. 1 – Feb.
5
3
Feb. 8 – Feb.
12
Roberts and Wallis, Introducing Film, “Introduction: Why study film?” and “Mise en scène”
(pp. 1 - 20)
Online Quiz 1
Unit 1: Crash
Reading: Roberts and Wallis, “Cinematography” and “Editing” (pp.
21 - 51)
Film Synopsis 1
Due: Friday by midnight
Film Analysis 1
Due: Friday by midnight
Unit 2: Monsoon Wedding
4
Due: Friday by midnight
Online Quiz 2
Due: Friday by midnight
Reading: Roberts and Wallis, “The development of narrative,”
“Classical Hollywood (as form and as institution)” and
“The film industry outside of the Hollywood institutional
mode” (pp. 52 - 102)
Feb. 15 –
Feb. 19
Study Break – No Activity
Feb. 22 –
Feb. 26
5
Mar. 1 –
Mar. 5
6
Mar. 8 –
Mar. 12
7
Unit 2: Monsoon Wedding
Film Synopsis 2
Reading: Roberts and Wallis, “The development of narrative,”
“Classical Hollywood (as form and as institution)” and “The
film industry outside of the Hollywood institutional mode”
(pp. 52 - 102)
Due: Friday by midnight
Film Analysis 2
Unit 3: Atanarjuat
Online Quiz 3
Due: Friday by midnight
Reading: Roberts and Wallis, “Genre,” “Stardom” and “Auteur” (pp. Due: Friday by midnight
103 - 139)
Film Synopsis 3
Mar. 15 –
Mar. 19
Due: Friday by midnight
8
Elective Film Proposal
Due: Friday by midnight
Mar. 22 –
Mar. 26
9
Mar. 29 –
Apr. 2
10
Apr. 5 –
Apr. 9
11
Film Analysis 3
Due: Friday by midnight
Unit 4: Schindler’s List
Online Quiz 4
Due: Friday by midnight
Reading: Roberts and Wallis, “The medium and the message:
representation, audience and spectatorship” and “Bringing
Film Synopsis 4
it all together” (pp. 140 - 170)
Due: Friday by midnight
Elective Film Synopsis
Due: Friday by midnight
Apr. 12 Apr. 16
Film Analysis 4
12
Apr. 19 –
Apr. 23
13
Apr. 26 Apr. 30
14
Due: Friday by midnight
Unit 5: Film of Choice
Elective Film Analysis
Reading: Review Roberts and Wallis, “Bringing it all together” (pp.
153 - 170)
Due: Friday by midnight
Final Assessment Week – No Activity
Other Important Information
CONSULT YOUR BLACKBOARD COURSE SHELL FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
ASSIGNMENTS AND OTHER COURSE ESSENTIALS.
Naturally, all the normal rules apply to this or any other course offered by the college;
this section is intended to highlight the most important areas of special concern.
First, all students are responsible for making themselves familiar with the college’s
policies and rules outlined in the Instaguide handbook; these include the Algonquin
College Code of Conduct which requires, in part, that students:
 Conduct themselves in a manner which respects and promotes the dignity of
others, and interact with others in the community in a spirit of cooperation,
goodwill, and mutual respect.
 Conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner, refraining from using their
position or power to exploit any other individual, refraining from misrepresenting
themselves, their work or qualifications in any manner, and refraining from
violence, abuse, harassment, and discrimination of all kind.
 Assist in the maintenance of good order within their environment and refrain from
creating a disturbance or a disruption to activities.
The College Directive on plagiarism, (E43), is also presented in detail in the Instaguide
and it is one that students should be particularly careful to familiarize themselves with
since a plea of ignorance is not an acceptable defence against a charge of plagiarism.
The Instaguide handbook is an essential reference tool which all students should keep
handy at all times.
ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES
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Assignments are due by midnight on the published due date. No
extensions. No make ups. No exceptions. Late assignments will be graded
with a zero. Do not procrastinate, get your assignments in early – the dates
are all up there.
In the unlikely event of a breakdown in the Blackboard system, we will
communicate alternative arrangements to you. Personal technical problems are
impossible to verify and will not serve to validate late assignments.
Genuine claims of emergency must be accompanied by verifiable documentary
evidence which will be checked.
All assignments must be clearly identified both in the file name and on all pages
of the assignment. Movie acronyms (e.g. MW for Monsoon Wedding) are
acceptable.
All assignments are submitted through the appropriate section in Blackboard. Do
not e-mail assignments to your instructor.
WRITING
All assignments must be submitted in proper, acceptable English. Careless or sloppy
writing will be penalized; any submission written in chat room jargon will be rejected and
graded as zero if it is not resubmitted in proper English by the advertised due date.
Students are advised to:
 Proofread all written work carefully before posting it into Blackboard.
 In the case of difficulty, write assignments in MS Word and then use the
spelling/grammar software to check their work before pasting it into Blackboard.
 Keep a good dictionary handy (e.g. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary). This will be
a lifelong asset to you no matter what you do. The investment will pay for itself a
thousand times over.
 Computer software is not smart, it’s only quick – “smart” needs you. Be there!