Syllabus, CLT 594: Film and Fiction, Fall 2014
Tues, 7-7:40
HH 134
Professor Harold Jaffe
hjaffe@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thurs: 5:30-7:15, AL 269.
*Note: What follows is as precise an introduction as possible to Film and Fiction,
but please do not expect the actual class to adhere to every proposed detail in this
protocol. Classes have their own momentum which will often supercede
prescriptions before the fact.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: SCOPE AND PURPOSE
Ideally this course will aid you in comprehending and enjoying graphic novels and
volumes of fiction which function both verbally and visually. Some, but not all, of the
films will have graphic or animated images which will compare suggestively with the
readings.
Other films will lack any palpable relationship to the readings, but are meant to be viewed
for their own sake, to increase your under-standing about how film, whether video, or 35
mm, works.
EXPECTED STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course, students will have learned to:
1. Continue deepening and strengthening their appreciation and respect for literature
and film.
2. Write both analytically and imaginatively about graphic novels and films.
3. Become aware of the nature of art-making and its connections to our everday
lives.
ASSIGNED TEXTS
Black Hole, by Charles Burns
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, by Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco
Induced Coma, by Harold Jaffe
Caustic Soda, by Shane Roeschlein
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FILMS
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
Pan’s Labyrinth, by Guillermo del Toro
Enter the Void, by Gaspar Noe
Reefer Madness (?)
They Live, by John Carpenter
Norma Rae, by Marin Ritt
Waking Life, by Richard Linklater
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS
What you need to do to succeed in the course: Come to class regularly, bring your
required materials, contribute to the class discussion, demonstrate your understanding of
the material in the short papers and exams. Please note that students who aren’t
contributing sufficiently to class can have their grade affected even if their graded
assignments are solid.
Short Papers:
Over the course of the semester, you will be expected to write 4 short papers on aspects
of the readings and films that we are studying. The short papers will usually be between
500 and 750 words long, due electronically on the weekend before our Tuesday class. In
the paper, you will be discussing your response to the text or film in the context of the
larger questions we’ll be asking throughout the semester. More details will be provided
before each assigned paper.
Exams
A midterm and final exam, each comprised of essay questions, along with assigned short
papers, class participation, and consistent
Attendance, will figure into your final grade.
CLASS POLICIES
Late Work
Assigned work that is late without a viable explanation will affect your final grade.
Absences
Because the class meets once weekly, more than 2 absences without a viable explanation
will affect your final grade.
Plagiarism
From SDSU’s Academic Senate Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism (full text at:
http://its.sdsu.edu/docs/TURN_Plagiarism_AcadSen.pdf):
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Cheating and Plagiarism
1.0 Institutions of higher education are founded to impart knowledge, seek truth, and
encourage one’s development for the good of society. University students shall thus
be intellectually and morally obliged to pursue their course of studies with honesty
and integrity. Therefore, in preparing and submitting materials for academic courses
and in taking examinations, a student shall not yield to cheating or plagiarism, which
not only violate academic standards but also make the offender liable to penalties
explicit in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, part 5, sec. 41301(a), as
follows:
“41301. Expulsion, Suspension and Probation of Students. Following procedures
consonant with due process established pursuant to Section 41304, any student of a
campus may be expelled, suspended, placed on probation or given a lesser sanction
for one or more of the following causes that must be campus related:
“(a) Cheating or plagiarism in connection with an academic program at a campus “A
student who has committed either offense may be subject to University disciplinary
action.”
Students with Disabilities
Students who need accommodation of disabilities should contact me
privately, early on in the semester (at least 1 week before the first graded assignment), so
we can be sure that you have everything you need to succeed in this course. If you have a
disability, but have not contacted Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Capulli
Center, Suite 3101), please do so before making an appointment to see me. The website
for Student Disability Services is: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/index.html
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CLASS SCHEDULE
Tues, 8/26—Intro to the class; gather information; discuss reading, films, papers and
exams. Assignment for 9/2:
Read Persepolis.
9/2—View film of Persepolis. Assign 750 word paper comparing film and novel.
9/9—Two students leading the discussion of Persepolis, graphic novel and film. Papers
discussed. Black Hole assigned for following week
9/16—View film Reefer Madness, followed by discussion. Questions and responses
about Black Hole.
9/23—Two students leading the discussion of Black Hole.
9/30—Enter the Void, film by Gaspar Noe. 750 word assigned paper for following week.
10/7—Discussions of Enter the Void and assigned paper.
10/14—John Carpenter film, They Live. Assign Caustic Soda.
10/21—Shane Roeschlein, author of Caustic Soda, leads discussion.
10/28—Film: Norma Rae
11/4—Midterm exam, assignment of Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, by Chris
Hedges and Joe Sacco
11/11—Veteran’s Day
11/18—discussion of exam and of Days of Destruction
11/25—Film, Weather Underground; short paper on social activism assigned
12/2—Induced Coma; social activism paper discussed
12/9—Further discussion of Induced Coma
12/16—Final exam
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