INTERNATIONAL CINEMA
AN INTRODUCTION TO WORLD FILM STYLE
Dr. Peter Kunze | Film Studies | Eckerd College | Fall 2018
Course Information
Course Description
Course ID: FI 224G
David Bordwell has argued that the classical
Hollywood style remains the dominant mode
for cinematic storytelling. Yet a range of national
traditions have arisen alongside and in
opposition to this hegemony. This course
surveys world cinema history through a focus on
aesthetics and storytelling. Through a close
study of fourteen films, we will seek to
understand influential directions, movements,
and industries in the development of popular,
art, and experimental filmmaking outside of the
U.S. In so doing, students will hone their
knowledge of the vocabulary, tools, and
methods necessary to analyze cinema.
Lecture: Tuesdays, 3:20-6:15
Screening: Thursdays, 3:20-5:15
Classroom: FO 114
Email: kunzepc@eckerd.edu
Office: CEC 134, Research #1
Office Hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 12-3
and Fridays, 11-1
Phone: ext. 8375
International Cinema Syllabus—Page 2 of 7
Objectives and Outcomes
• Students will develop and apply a critical vocabulary for discussing cinematic traditions
beyond Hollywood.
• Students will closely analyze a range of influential films, directors, and national industries.
• Students will create an original work of film studies scholarship.
• Students will evaluate the significance and influence of representative films and directors.
• Students will understand the breadth of storytelling modes and film techniques.
Course Text
Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey, ed. The Oxford History of World Cinema. New York: Oxford University Press,
1999.
Grading
10% Attendance and Participation
20% Guided Reading Practices
5%
Short Essay
20% Term Paper
10% Glossary
10% Director Pitch
5%
Review Infographic
20% Final Essay Exam
Attendance
I expect you to be in class by the start and to stay to the end. Arriving late and leaving early will result
in a penalty.
Screenings
The films we screen function as course texts. In planning the course, I have factored group screenings
as part of the classwork. Therefore, missing a screening is equivalent to missing lecture. Students
will not be excused to go to work, student activities, or attend other classes. Anticipate that we will
meet each week to screen the film together.
Screening Advisory
Each screening is curated to demonstrate the concepts under discussion in a given week. The primary
motivation for selection is pedagogical value. Nevertheless, some screenings may contain scenes that
students find unsettling, including violence, nudity, sexuality, coarse language, or racist, sexist, or
homophobic content. Students are encouraged to review plot summaries online or the Content
Advisory page on IMDb for each screened film beforehand as a precaution against such upsetting
material. Please speak with me in office hours about planning alternative assignments if any
screening proves potentially distressing.
Participation
A college film course allows you to view, study, and discuss films with other interested, intelligent
people. This opportunity should not be taken lightly. I expect you to read all assigned readings before
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our first weekly meeting, bring appropriate course materials, and ask and answer questions. Our
course is only as successful as the effort we collectively put into it. Please do your part.
Technology Policy
Students who are texting during class will receive will lose attendance credit for that day’s class. You
can keep your phone visible as long as it is silent. Any calls you need to take should be completed
outside of the classroom. Laptops may be used for note-taking or groupwork, but unauthorized uses
may result in penalties to your attendance grade.
Course Binder
Each student should maintain a binder, which they bring to each class. These binders should contain
all guided reading practices, handouts, and lecture notes received in class. They will occasionally be
collected to ensure they are up-to-date, and the grade will be included within the attendance and
participation credit.
Guided Reading Practices
To ensure students are engaging in focused critical reading, guided reading practices will be posted
online by Friday evening before the class week. They will include fill-in-the-blank or open-ended
questions. They are due at the beginning of class each week. After grading, they should be properly
stored in your course binder.
Short Essay
The short essay is an opportunity for students to write and receive feedback without fear of strict
grading. It should be 3 pages long, properly formatted, and appropriately documented. A list of
prompts will be distributed in class. It will be graded on an A, A-, B+ scale, and it will have in-depth
feedback to keep in mind going forward.
Glossary
Lower-level courses have a responsibility to introduce students to key terms and ideas within a chosen
field or discipline. For this assignment, each student will select 10 terms from the provide list and
define them in their own words. Next, students will provide a specific example from a course
screening to illustrate that concept. Each definition should be at least 100 words.
Review Infographic
As we head into the final exam, each student will select a week and develop a review infographic
with text and images to help their classmates prepare for the final exam. The review should be one
page long. I would encourage students to use Canva, Pages, Piktochart, etc. to generate this image.
Make enough copies for distributing to each classmate and to me.
Term Paper
Students will produce a research paper on an approved film that follows Julie D’Acci’s “circuit of
media” model. Each paper will be 8 pages long, with at least 2 pages on each of the following topics:
sociohistorical context, production history, text, and reception. In the first section, student will use
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at least five newspaper articles from the year to establish significant events that capture the milieu
from which the film emerged. Production history will use four sources—histories, biographies,
scholarship, trade coverage, etc.—to detail how the film was produced, identifying key figures and
important moments in its development and filming. In the text section, students will offer a concise
analysis of regarding the film’s narrative, aesthetics, themes, ideology, or representation. Finally, the
reception section should offer box office information and critical reception among contemporary
film reviewers and scholars. I expect four sources in this section.
Director Pitch
Unfortunately, any class can only cover so many films, topics, and directors. This is an opportunity
for you to research and learn about a director and a representative film. You will present this
individual and this film to the class in a five-minute presentation. You should also create a one-page
handout including biography, key film, and review of your favorite film for students to include in
your binder. I will provide a list of approved directors.
Late Work
Assignments are due in hard copy at the beginning of class. I will not accept digital versions. Late
work receives a 10% penalty each class day it is late. The late penalty is only waived if students
provide proper documentation. I reserve the right to approve or deny documentation, as
appropriate.
Academic Honesty
As a member of a community of scholars, each student is expected to abide by this statement: “On
my honor, as an Eckerd College student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal, nor to tolerate those
behaviors in others.”
Academic Integrity
As members of a learning community, we have an obligation to each other to maintain the highest
academic standards. I have a zero-tolerance policy toward double submission, unauthorized
collaboration, careless citation, cheating, and plagiarism (deliberate and unintentional). You have
an obligation to familiarize yourself with Eckerd College’s policies on academic integrity, which are
available at
http://www.eckerd.edu/library/Services/plagiarism/ec-policies.php. I am happy to explain and
clarify any aspects of this protocol that are unclear.
Accessibility
If you have a disability or believe that you qualify for accommodations under the Americans with
Disabilities Act or other laws, please contact The Office of Accessibility at extension 7724 or via
email at accessibility@eckerd.edu as soon as possible. Appropriate accommodations can only be
arranged through that office, located in Brown Hall 101, and may not be made retroactively. The
request form for accommodations can be found at http://eckerd.edu/aes/academicaccommodations/.
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Title IX
In accordance with Title IX, faculty who become aware of any incident of sexual violence are required
by law to notify Eckerd’s Title IX Coordinator. For more information about your rights and
reporting options at Eckerd, including confidential and anonymous reporting options, please visit
http://www.eckerd.edu/titleix.
Contingency Policy Statement
If for any reason, class delivery is interrupted, students should continue their studies. And if Eckerd
College is evacuated, students who leave campus for stays of overnight or longer should bring their
texts, notes and syllabus so that they are ready to continue their course work. In the event of any
interruption to classes, check your Eckerd email from your on- or off-campus location and continue
with the course work according to the syllabus and as delivered via Online Course Materials
(Moodle).
Email Policy
My prior means of communicating with you will be via email. Check your email daily to ensure you
are up-to-date on announcements. When emailing me, please be sure to include your name and
course at the end. I expect you to conduct yourself professionally in all correspondence. Please allow
up to 24 hours for a reply during the work week.
Unauthorized Use of Course Materials
All course materials (including lectures, PowerPoint, and materials posted on Moodle or other
course management sites or shared by email) may only be used for the purposes of an individual’s
or group’s study while enrolled in this course, and may not be shared with a wider audience on or
off campus nor posted on an external website without my explicit permission.
Disclaimer
The course syllabus is a contract between you and me. I will not adjust the grading breakdown. I
reserve the right to change the course calendar, as necessary.
Course Schedule
Week 1:
Screening:
Reading:
Introduction to Cinematic Traditions
All About My Mother (Almodóvar, 1999)
Ruth Vasey, “The World-Wide Spread of Cinema,” pp. 53-61
David Bordwell, “Introduction: Beyond the Blockbuster” (Moodle)
Week 2:
Screening:
Reading:
Soviet Montage
The Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925)
Natalia Nussinova, “The Soviet Union and the Russian Emigres,” pp. 162-73
David Bordwell, “Sergei Eisenstein,” pp. 168-69
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Week 3:
Screening:
Reading:
German Expressionism
Metropolis (Lang, 1926)
Thomas Elsaesser, “Germany: The Weimar Years,” pp. 136-51
Janet Bergstrom, “Fritz Lang,” pp. 196-97
Week 4:
Screening:
Reading:
Italian Neo-Realism
Rome Open City (Rossellini, 1945)
Morando Morandini, “Italy from Fascism to Neo-Realism,” pp. 353-61
Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, “Roberto Rossellini,” p. 438
Week 5:
Screening:
Reading:
French New Wave
Breathless (Godard, 1959)
Peter Graham, “New Directions in French Cinema,” pp. 576-86
Phillip Drummond, “Jean-Luc Godard,” pp. 752-53
Week 6:
Screening:
Reading:
Japanese Art Cinema
Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953)
Hiroshi Komatsu, “The Modernization of Japanese Film,” pp. 714-21
David Bordwell, "Yasujiro Ozu," 420-21
Week 7:
Screening:
Reading:
Modern African Cinemas
Black Girl (Sembene, 1966)
P. Vincent Magombe, “The Cinemas of Sub-Saharan Africa,” pp. 667-72
P. Vincent Magombe, “Sembene Ousmane,” pp. 668-69
Week 8:
Screening:
Reading:
Indian Art Cinema
Pather Panchali (Ray, 1955)
Ashish Rajadhyaksha, “India: Filming the Nation,” pp. 678-89
Ashish Rajadhyaksha, “Satyajit Ray,” pp. 682-83
Week 9:
Screening:
Reading:
European Art Cinema
Persona (Bergman, 1966)
Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, “Art Cinema,” pp. 567-75
Philip Kemp, “Ingmar Bergman,” pp. 572-73
Week 10:
Screening:
Reading:
Iranian Art Cinema
Close Up (Kiarostami, 1990)
Hamid Naficy, “Iranian Cinema,” pp. 672-78
Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa, “Abbas Kiarostami” (Moodle)
Week 11:
Screening:
Reading:
Brazilian Art Cinema
City of God (Meirelles and Lund, 2002)
Michael Chanan, “New Cinemas in Latin America,” pp. 740-49
Randal Johnson, “Post-Cinema Novo Brazilian Cinema” (Moodle)
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Week 12:
Screening:
Reading:
New Argentine Cinema
The Headless Woman (Martel, 2009)
Myrto Konstantarakos, “New Argentine Cinema” (Moodle)
Week 13:
Screening:
Reading:
Director Pitch
N/A
N/A
Week 14:
Screening:
Reading:
Hong Kong Art Cinema
Chungking Express (Wong, 1994)
Li Cheuk-To, “Popular Cinema in Hong Kong,” pp. 704-11
Elizabeth Wright, “Wong Kar-wai” (Moodle)
Final Exam:
Thursday, December 13 at 3 PM