WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Politics and Cinema
POLS 301
Spring 2016
Section 001/#20185
Prof. Gregory Baldi
Morgan Hall 413
Email: g–baldi@wiu.edu
Telephone: (309) 298–1261
Class: T, 2:00-3:50, TH, 2:00-2:40
Morgan 109
Office Hours: T/TH 8:30-9:30 a.m. and W
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Course Description
From its earliest days, film has been linked to politics. Films have used to place issues on the political
agenda, promote particular policies, and socialize viewers into political norms and behaviors. This course
examines the interplay between politics and film from the silent era through the 2000s across a range of
movie genres, including action, war, documentary, period epic, comedy, propaganda, and drama.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should have understanding of the key features of different types
of political films and should be able to describe and critically analyze the relationship between cinema
and politics.
Course Structure
Tuesday sessions will generally consist of a film screening, with Thursday sessions reserved for lecture
and/or seminar-style discussion. If there is insufficient time for a film to be screened fully in a given
week, students may be asked by the instructor to view the rest of the film outside of class.
Student questions and comments are strongly encouraged. All opinions should be expressed in a manner
that is respectful of other students in the class. Students should also expect to receive frequent emails from
the professor with information of relevance to the lectures and readings.
Readings
There is no required textbook for the class. All readings are listed below in the course schedule and will
be posted on either the library e-course reserves or Westernonline. You will need a valid ECOM user
name and password to access the supplemental readings on westernonline.wiu.edu. If you have problems
accessing Westernonline, please contact University Technology Support Center at 298-2704.
The professor reserves the right to alter and/or add readings wherever appropriate, and to modify course
requirements.
Assessment
Attendance and participation (15 points)
Students are expected to attend each session and participate in class discussions on the assigned readings
and screened films. If you cannot attend class because of documented illness or a university-recognized
obligation (i.e. travel for participation in WIU athletics, etc.), it remains your responsibility to view the
films and complete the required readings and assignments. Except in cases of proven medical or family
emergency, no-make ups will be allowed. Please note that the use of cell phones and portable electronic
devices in class is not permitted. Students who use such devices in class will not be eligible for attendance
and participation points for that class.
Film Journal (50 points)
Students will be required to write reviews in a film journal for each film screened. Film journals will be
collected twice during the semester (March 10 and May 5) in the Westernonline dropbox. Detailed
guidelines for the journals are available in the “News” section of Westernonline.
Small Group Project (10 points)
In small groups, students will be required to give a presentation (roughly twenty minutes in length) and
prepare questions for class discussion on one of the scheduled films. Presentations should highlight the
main themes of the film, but also provide historical and political context, including an assessment of its
empirical accuracy. Students will be assigned to groups by the second week of class and groups will be
required to meet with the professor in preparation for their presentation.
Research Paper (25 points)
Students will be required to write a final research paper on a topic to be selected in consultation with the
instructor. Detailed paper guidelines will be distributed later in the semester.
Grading Scale
A 93–100
A- 90–92
B+ 87–89
B 83–86
B- 80-82
C+ 77–79
C 73–76
C- 70–72
D+ 67–69
D 63–66
D- 60–62
F Below 60
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Academic Honesty and Student Rights
Academic honesty is expected of all WIU students; cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Please take time to review the University’s academic integrity policy, which is outlined at
http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php. A more complete catalog of student rights and
responsibilities can be found at http://www.wiu.edu/provost/students.php.
Students who violate the academic integrity policy will fail the assignment in question with no
opportunity for make-ups and will be reported to the Council on Admission, Graduation, and Academic
Standards.
Campus Resources for Student Support
Students with disabilities: In accordance with University values and disability law, students with
disabilities may request academic accommodations where there are aspects of a course that result in
barriers to inclusion or accurate assessment of achievement. To file an official request for disabilityrelated accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center at 309-298-2512,
disability@wiu.edu or in 143 Memorial Hall. Please notify the instructor as soon as possible to ensure that
this course is accessible to you in a timely manner.
The University Writing Center is available to assist students with general and specific questions
on writing assigned in any discipline and at any academic level. The one – on – one assistance available at
the Writing Center is valuable for generating ideas, talking about global – level issues such as
organization, and even working through grammatical problems. The University Writing Center is located
in Simpkins Hall 341. Call for an appointment (309-298–2815) and be sure to take a copy of an
assignment.
Course Schedule and Readings
January 19: Introduction - What is a political film?
1. Sachleben, M. and Yenerall, K.M., 2012. Seeing the Bigger Picture. Understanding Politics Through
Film & Television. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. Introduction.
January 21 – 28: Birth of a Nation (1915)
1. Lennig, Arthur. 2004. “Myth and Fact: The Reception of ‘The Birth of a Nation.’” Film History 16(2):
117–41.
2. Rogin, Michael. 1985. “‘The Sword Became a Flashing Vision’: D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a
Nation.” Representations (9): 150–95.
February 2-4: Intolerance (1917)
1. Stern, Seymour. "DW Griffith's' Intolerance.'." The Essential Cinema: Essays on Films in the
Collection of Anthology Film Archives, New York: New York University Press.
February 9-11: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
1. Smoodin, Eric. 1996. “‘Compulsory’ Viewing for Every Citizen: ‘Mr. Smith’ and the Rhetoric of
Reception.” Cinema Journal 35(2): 3–23.
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February 16-18: Jew Süss (Jud Süß) (1940) and Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Süss (2010) (excerpts)
1. Schulte-Sasse, Linda. 1988. “The Jew as Other under National Socialism: Veit Harlan’s Jud Süß.” The
German Quarterly 61(1): 22-49.
February 23-25: The Fall of Berlin (1950)
1. Taylor, Richard. 1998. Film Propaganda : Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany /. 2nd ed. London:
I.B.Tauris, Chapter Nine.
2. Youngblood, Denise J. 2001. “A War Remembered: Soviet Films of the Great Patriotic War.” The
American Historical Review 106(3).
March 1-3: A State of Mind (2004)
1. Lynn, Hyung‐Gu. 2011. “Kimjongilia by N. C. Heikin Crossing the Line. by Daniel Gordon.”
American Anthropologist 113(1): 156-158.
2. Schönherr, Johannes (2007). "14. A Permanent State of War: A Short History of North Korean
Cinema". In Matthew Edwards. Film Out of Bounds; Essays and Interviews on Non-Mainstream
Cinema Worldwide. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 135–
204.
March 8-10: Goodbye Lenin (2003) - Film Journal I Due on March 10 in Westernonline Dropbox
1. Enns, Anthony. 2007. “The Politics of Ostalgie: Post-Socialist Nostalgia in Recent German Film.”
Screen 48(4): 475-491.
March 14-18: Spring Break - No Classes
March 22-24: The Battle of Algiers (1966)
1. Caillé, Patricia. 2007. “The Illegitimate Legitimacy of the Battle of Algiers in French Film Culture.”
Interventions 9(3): 371-388.
March 29-April 7: J’Accuse (1919)
1. Sorlin, Pierre, “France: The Silent Memory,” in Paris, Michael (ed). 2000. The First World War and
Popular Cinema: 1914 to the Present. Rutgers University Press.
2. Welsh, James M., and Steven Philip Kramer. 1975. “Abel Gance’s Accusation against War.” Cinema
Journal 14(3): 55-67
April 5-7: Paths of Glory (1957)
1. Kelly, Andrew. 1993. “The Brutality of Military Incompetence: ‘Paths of Glory’ (1957).” Historical
Journal of Film, Radio and Television 13(2): 215–27.
April 12-14: Dr. Strangelove (1964)
1. Kirshner, Jonathan. 2001. “Subverting the Cold War in the 1960s: Dr. Strangelove, The Manchurian
Candidate, and The Planet of the Apes.” Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and
Television Studies 31(2): 40–44.
2. Maland, Charles. 1979. “Dr. Strangelove (1964): Nightmare Comedy and the Ideology of Liberal
Consensus.” American Quarterly 31(5): 697–717.
April 19-21: The World According to Dick Cheney (2005)
1. Musser, Charles. 2007. “Film Truth in the Age of George W. Bush.” Framework: The Journal of
Cinema and Media 48(2): 9–35.
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April 26-28: Daley, The Last Boss (1996)
1. Culbert, David. 1998. “Television’s Visual Impact on Decision-Making in the USA, 1968: The Tet
Offensive and Chicago’s Democratic National Convention.” Journal of Contemporary History 33(3):
419–49.
May 3-5: The Intruder (1962) Film Journal II Due on May 5 in Westernonline Dropbox
1. Sieving, C., 2011. Soul searching: Black-themed cinema from the March on Washington to the Rise of
Blaxploitation. Wesleyan University Press. Introduction and Chapter one.
Final Papers Due: Hard Copy, Tuesday, May 10, 3:00 p.m.
Westernonline Dropbox: Wednesday, May 11, Noon.
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