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GEOG 3374W The City in Film
(meets Liberal Education Core: Arts/Humanities and Writing Intensive)
Lecture and Film: Monday 6:00-9:30pm in Hanson Hall 1-106
Discussion Section: Monday 2:30-3:45pm in Blegen or Thursday 2:30-3:45 in Blegen
MOODLE SITE: https://ay13.moodle.umn.edu/course/view.php?id=11703
Professor George Henderson
Office: 548 SST
Ph: 625-4085
Office hours:
Email: hende057@umn.edu
Mailbox: 414 Social Sciences
Teaching Assistant, TBA
Office:
Office hours:
Email:
Office phone: 625-6080 (email preferred)
Mailbox: 414 Social Sciences
Why “the city in film”?
Film, as many writers -- and filmmakers -- have pointed out, seems to have been made for the modern,
industrial city. Consider the following. (1) Film seems authentically to capture and then re-present motion
and velocity. (2) The camera’s shifting of perspective and differential placement appears to show reality
from the perspective of multiple characters, or perhaps an omniscient eye. (3) Editing techniques allow
film viewers to see simultaneous events occurring in different sites. (4) Contrasts of light and shadow,
focal depth, and, now, computer generated imagery (CGI), make for the illusion of three-dimensional
reality. These considerations 1 - 4 have a certain suitability with respect to the city. Insofar as the city
seems itself to be a place of motion and speed (or gridlock, pent up speed); of social difference and power,
in which different people do see things differently; of multiple geographies knitted together into a
seeming totality; and of a near constant stimulation that continually reminds us of the world outside our
heads -- film just seems readymade for the city, and indeed for modernity itself. Films that represent cities
are not set at a remove as mere representations. Film is itself an industrial technology, as well as a social
and cultural institution that reflects the institutions of society “outside” film. This is important because
film, in every particular, has to be made, and film viewers have an enormous role in making film
meaningful. Why “the city in film” then? As one author states, study of the modern city can hardly take
place without attention to film: film is a preeminent form/medium for thinking about cities and what they
mean.
In the above paragraph I hint that there are certain techniques, codes, and languages of film, which allow
film to achieve its effects. Grappling with these questions requires attention to be paid to some of the
creative tools through which meaning is possible. These include editing, lighting, camera work, mise en
scène (“put on scene”), framing, sound design; narrative, story, and plot; diegetic elements that belong to
the story world of the film (e.g. dialogue between characters) and non-diegetic elements shown or
projected to us but that don’t belong to the world shown in the film (e.g. screeching violins or such in
horror films, when intended for the audience only and not heard by the characters themselves). While we
will not follow a strict rule, your TA and I will try to highlight each week one, two, or three form-related
elements of film that help to establish meaning. That said, film meaning, if it exists, is not a function of
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the filmmaker’s art alone. Historical and geographic context are also crucial, as is the viewer. For
example, to the extent that film seems to present the effect of reality, the viewer’s own sensory apparatus
seals the deal.
One more thing! Notice that in the above paragraphs I chose words such as “seems,” “illusion,”
“representation,” and “effect.” These smack of two crucial questions: Does the art of film work because it
is a transparent medium allowing an exact depiction of reality, showing (for the very first time
historically) the world as it actually is? Or is film artful because certain of its properties can be used to
point to distort or manipulate reality for creative purposes or to create a new reality – thus showing either
way something new about our situation in and relationship to the world, including the world of the “inner
self”? These are not questions that we need to answer with certainty. They are instead questions alerting
us to the possibility that film does something important. It is only a question then of looking, thinking,
conversing, writing, to see what that might be.
NOTE ABOUT THE FILMS: Non-English language films will be shown with English subtitles. There
will be films shown with an “R” rating or equivalent.
*****
Course Particulars:
The Teaching Assistant for the course is TBA, a graduate student in the Department of Geography,
Environment, and Society. The TA is responsible for recording your attendance, working with you on
your writing assignments, grading them, and leading discussion sections on Mondays and Thursdays.
You are free to visit with the TA or with Prof. Henderson during office hours or to make appointments
with us if the office hour schedule does not match your own schedule.
Attendance and participation are required. Attendance at the Monday evening lecture and film is
crucial. The lecture sets the theme and context for the film and viewing films is regarded as a collective
event. The large (or largish anyway) screen approximates what was intended by the filmmakers, whose
work we will view, while collective viewing is an opportunity to gage and to participate in audience
reaction. Participation in discussion section is essential and will count toward your final grade.
NOTE: Monday night film screenings are shown prior to the discussion sections in which they are
treated. It is essential to take good notes during the screenings to aid in your recall for discussion
section.
If you know in advance that you will be missing a class for a legitimate reason (e.g. religious
observance recognized by the U), please let your TA know ahead of time. (Extra vacation time around
University holidays will not be an excused absence, so be sure to have a good time during the University
holiday.) If you missed class for a legitimate reason, let your TA know. More than two unexcused
absences will affect your final grade. It is my hope that this simply will not become an issue for anyone.
Do NOT surf the internet or read the newspaper or do crossword puzzles or send text messages or
sleep during class. This is rude, disrespectful, and distracting to anyone trying to pay attention.
All assigned readings must be completed by the time of class on the date shown in the syllabus.
Readings are required unless denoted as optional.
NOTE: Additional required readings not listed in the syllabus will posted on moodle or emailed to
you at your umn.edu address. Check the moodle site and your umn.edu email regularly. One of the
required texts for the course is meant primarily for your reference and enjoyment, although selections
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will sometimes be formally assigned -- David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An
Introduction (McGraw Hill), 9th edition or later. This is an excellent textbook, well written and with
great illustrations. Enjoy it!
Writing assignments: There are three required papers for the course. The first two are 6 – 8 pages
long, the third is 10 – 12 pages long. The assignments have a strong similarity to each other. Each asks for
a comparative, critical analysis of films in which you develop your own argument linked tightly to
evidence drawn from films and readings. Depending on the assignment these films and readings may be
drawn from the course or from outside materials. This course is a Writing Intensive course; the
assignments are designed to build your skill level over the course of the semester.
Assignment deadlines are firm. Students may be granted an extension or turn in late work only under
extenuating circumstances (i.e., due to events beyond your control).
Make up Policy: All assignments/tests are due on the dates listed in the course schedule, at the beginning
of class session. An assignment will be accepted as ‘late’ during the next scheduled class session, but will
be valued at only 50% of the grade achieved. No semester assignments will be accepted beyond the
described ‘late’ class session. Missed exams may only be made up in the case of an emergency and
documentation will be required from the student unless prior arrangements have been established.
Grading: You can receive up to 100 points in this course:
First paper: 20 points
Second paper: 20 points
Third paper: 30 points
Quizzes: 20 points (total for all quizzes)
Participation in discussion: 10 points
If you improve over the course of the semester this may be taken into account in determining your
final grade. If your performance declines over the semester this may be taken into account. Also,
revisit the note above on class attendance.
Troubleshooting Grades:
If you have concerns about how your work has been graded, first approach the TA who graded your work
and explain in writing what concerns you. Your TA will respond in a timely fashion, after consulting with
Prof. Henderson. You may also meet with Prof. Henderson but he will ask first whether you contacted
your TA.
Grades in Sum:
Given the above, you can observe that your final grade is much determined by your written work, and
“secured,” so to speak, by a great attendance and reading record. All in all a final grade of…
A means your work is practically flawless.
B means your work is very good but needs some improvement.
C means your work is good but needs significant improvement.
D means your work is below course expectations and needs very significant improvement.
F means you have not met the expectations in significant portions of the course.
Incomplete and S/N Grades:
Those who elect to take the course on an S/N basis must obtain the equivalent of a C or better to receive
an S. An "I" grade can be given only if the student has discussed with the instructor the reasons for not
completing an assignment (including quizzes or tests) BEFORE the date when that assignment should be
completed.
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Other Important Course Policies Appear in the Appendix to this syllabus (after the Schedule of
Topics, Films, and Readings)
Required texts:
• David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction (McGraw Hill), 9th edition or later.
• Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing About Film (Pearson Longman), 7th edition or later.
• There will be other readings than the above but they will be made available to you on the moodle site for
this course. On occasion they may also be sent out by email. Check your umn.edu email regularly for that
purpose and for course announcements.
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Weekly Schedule of Topics, Films, and Readings
Part One: City and cinema as “modern” forces/actors
Week
1 Introduction to the course; First theme: The city as an actor
Film: Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Grosstadt) (dir. Walter Ruttman, 1927)
[Can also be streamed at: https://archive.org/details/BerlinSymphonyofaGreatCity]
Readings:
Nezar AlSayyad, “Introduction: the cinematic city and the quest for the modern” and “Industrial
modernity: the flaneur and the tramp in the early twentieth-century city” (ch. 1), in Cinematic Urbanism:
A history of the modern from ‘reel’ to ‘real,’ Routledge, 2006, pp. 1-18, 19-44.
Georg Simmel, “The metropolis and mental life” (excerpts), in Kurt Wolff, ed., The Sociology of Georg
Simmel, Glencoe, 1950.
2 Film/Cinema as an actor
Film: Cinema Paradiso (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso) (dir. Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
Readings:
AlSayyad, “Urbanizing modernity: the traditional cinematic small town” (ch. 2), in Nezar AlSayyad,
Cinematic Urbanism, pp. 45-70.
Anna Schober, excerpt from The Cinema Makers, Intellect, 2013, pp. 24-30.
Read before your Discussion Section (i.e., after the screening of Cinema Paradiso): Timothy Corrigan, A
Short Guide to Writing about Film, 7th ed., Pearson, ch. 1 – 3.
Part Two: Engagements with modernity
3 Utopia/Dystopia
Film: Brazil (dir. Terry Gilliam, 1985)
Readings:
AlSayyad, “Orwellian modernity: utopia/dystopia and the city of the future past” (ch. 3), in Cinematic
Urbanism, pp. 71-96.
Linda William, “Dream girls and mechanic panic: dystopia and its others in Brazil and Nineteen EightyFour, in Hunter, ed., British Science Fiction Cinema, Routledge, 1999, pp. 153-68.
Michel Foucault, “Panopticism,” in Bartholomae and Petrosky, ed., Ways of Reading, 6th ed, St. Martin’s,
2002, pp. 223-39. [Originally published in Foucault, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, ch.3]
Read the following before your Discussion Section (i.e., after the screening of Brazil): Timothy Corrigan,
A Short Guide to Writing about Film, 7th ed., Pearson, ch. 4-5.
4 The present is a foreign country
Film: Playtime (dir. Jacques Tati, 1967)
Readings: AlSayyad, “Cynical modernity, or the modernity of cynicism” (ch. 4), in Nezar AlSayyad,
Cinematic Urbanism, pp. 97-122.
5 Logics of the postmodern city
Film: Blade Runner (dir. Ridley Scott, 1982)
Readings: AlSayyad, “From postmodern condition to cinematic city” (ch. 5) in Nezar AlSayyad,
Cinematic Urbanism, pp. 123-46.
FIRST PAPER DUE
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6 Spy cameras: I see you…seeing me see you
Film: Rear Window (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
Readings: AlSayyad, “Voyeuristic modernity: the lens, the screen, and the city” (ch. 6), in Nezar
AlSayyad, Cinematic Urbanism, pp. 147-68.
7 CUT! SPRING BREAK
8 Alternative modernity
Film: Do the Right Thing (dir. Spike Lee, 1989)
Readings: AlSayyad, “An alternative modernity: race, ethnicity, and the urban experience” (ch. 8) in
Nezar AlSayyad, Cinematic Urbanism, pp. 189-210.
Part Three: Close-ups: Kinds of urban spaces
9 City of night
Film: When Strangers Marry (aka Betrayed) (dir. William Castle, 1944)
Readings:
Jane Place, “Women in film noir,” in Anne Kaplan, ed. Women in Film Noir, BFI, pp. 35-67
Frank Krutnik, “Something more than night: tales of the Noir city,” in David Clarke, ed., Cinematic City,
Routledge, 1997, pp. 83-109.
Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin, “Exploring the visual parameters of women in film,” in America on
Film, 2nd ed., Wiley, 2009, pp. 238-56.
SECOND PAPER DUE
10 TBA
11 Politics of semi-public enclosure (stairwells, cafes...)
Film: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Angst essen Seele auf) (dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1974)
Readings:
Anna Schober, “The migrant guestworker: Fassbinder’s interventions in the projection spaces of the
imagination,” in The Cinema Makers, Intellect, 2013, pp. 143-59.
12 Urban wastelands
Film: Fight Club (dir. David Fincher, 1999)
Readings: George Henderson, “What was Fight Club? Theses on the Value-Worlds of Trash Capitalism”
Cultural Geographies, vol. 18.2 ( 2011): 143-70.
13 Guest lecture
Film: Shanghai (dir. Dibakar Banerjee, 2012)
Readings:
Roy, Worlding Cities, Blackwell, 2011, excerpts.
J. Robinson, Ordinary Cities, Routledge, 2006, excerpts.
A. Appadurai, Modernity at Large, Univ of Minnesota Press, 2008, excerpts.
14 Suburbia
Film: Ma Vie en Rose (dir. Alain Berliner, 1997)
Readings: Barbara Mennel, “The city as queer playground,” in Cities and Cinema, Routledge, 2008, pp.
176-94.
THIRD PAPER DUE
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15 Hong Kong: One city, many times; how films emanating from one place change over time
Film: City on Fire (Lung fu fong wan) (dir. Ringo Lam, 1987)
Readings: Barbara Mennel, “City film industry: Hong Kong,” in Cities and Cinema, Routledge, 2008, pp.
83-102.
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APPENDIX: OTHER IMPORTANT COURSE POLICIES
Writing Intensive/Writing Support:
If you feel you need help with your writing skills in any respect, please visit the Student Writing Support
(SWS) on campus, in addition to meeting with your TA. SWS helps students to become better writers,
either through face-to-face consulting sessions or on-line (SWS.online). Student Writing Support is
located in 15 Nicholson Hall. Please make appointments and check website for current hours on-line or
calling 612-625-1893.
Scholastic Misconduct:
Scholastic misconduct is broadly defined as "any act that violates the right of another student in academic
work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work. Scholastic dishonesty includes, (but is not
necessarily limited to): cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, which means
misrepresenting as your own work any part of work done by another; submitting the same paper, or
substantially similar papers, to meet the requirements of more than one course without the approval and
consent of all instructors concerned; depriving another student of necessary course materials; or
interfering with another student's work." Students found cheating or committing plagiarism on any of the
assignments or examination in this course will receive a score of zero for that assignment or examination.
Such cases will also be referred to the appropriate University office for investigation.
Plagiarism:
If you have any doubts whether you know what constitutes plagiarism please visit the following
University website:
http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html. The following is
a brief quote from this website (page 1): “All of the following are considered plagiarism: • turning in
someone else's work as your own: • copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit;
failing to put a quotation in quotation marks; • giving incorrect information about the source of a
quotation; • changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit;
•copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you
give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules). Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however,
by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed, and providing your
audience with the information necessary to find that source, is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See
our section on citation for more information on how to cite sources properly.”
Disability Accommodation:
The University of Minnesota is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all
students. Disability Services (DS) is the campus office that collaborates with students who have
disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations.
If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health,
sensory, or physical), please contact DS at 612-626-1333 (Email: ds@umn.edu) to arrange a confidential
discussion regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations.
If you are registered with DS and have a current letter requesting reasonable accommodations, we
encourage you to contact your instructor early in the semester to review how the accommodations will be
applied in the course.
Mental Health:
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained
relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating, and/or
lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic
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performance or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University of Minnesota services are
available to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. You can learn
more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus via
www.mentalhealth.umn.edu.
Sexual Harassment: University policy prohibits sexual harassment as defined in the University policy
statement of 17 May 1984; copies of this statement are available in 419 Morrill Hall. Complaints about
sexual harassment should be reported to the University Office of Equal Opportunity, 419 Morrill Hall.
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