Anthropology 439: Cultural Comparison Through Film
Fall 2014, Schedule # 20166
Wednesdays 4:00 – 6:40 pm, Little Theatre (161)
Primary Instructor: Dr. Arianna Huhn (pronounced hue-n) ahuhn@mail.sdsu.edu
Office: AL 478 – Office Hours: Wednesdays 10am-2pm, or by appointment
Secondary Instructor: Lori Thurman lthurman@rohan.sdsu.edu
"Whether we like it or not, cinema assumes a pedagogical role in the lives of many
people. It may not be the intent of a filmmaker to teach audiences anything, but that
does not mean that lessons are not learned” – bell hooks
Course Description & Goals
This course uses feature-length films to introduce students to the anthropological
perspective and key disciplinary topics. The course is somewhat unusual in that there is
no additional theme that ties the content together. The class is premised not on a set of
facts, a specific theory, or a geographical region, but instead on learning to interrogate
and make sense of cultural differences and common human dilemmas. Our focus will
largely be relating film content to topics of particular interest to anthropologists – identity,
worldview, family, hierarchy, violence, economics, and cultural change – and specifically
how different societies approach and wrestle with the contradictions and ambiguities
inherent in these issues (rather than how the issues are absolutely solved). In addition to
considering mainstream US culture and several subcultures, this class will provide an
introduction to populations from Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Samoa, Japan,
Brazil, Nigeria, and Iran, among other locales. PREREQUISITE: Completion of the
General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B (Social and
Behavioral Sciences) required for non-majors.
Student Learning Outcomes (the objectives of this class are to enhance your abilities to):
• Appreciate, draw out, and engage the dramatization of human dilemmas in film;
• Employ an anthropological perspective to make sense of cultural differences;
• Critically appraise preconceptions about your own and other world cultures; and
• Demonstrate a deeper cultural knowledge of selected regions and populations
This course is first and foremost an upper-division anthropology class. The course can
also be used to fulfill the Explorations IV B (Social & Behavioral Sciences) requirement.
Students entering this class should thus do so with a full understanding that you will be
expected to engage in the following:
 Explore and recognize basic terms, concepts, and domains of the social sciences
 Comprehend diverse theories and methods of the social sciences
 Identify and discuss interrelatedness and distinctiveness of human behavioral patterns
 Apply conceptual frameworks to a first-hand engagement with contemporary issues
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: Students should be aware that this course will not address
cinematography, the ethnography of film production and consumption, or the history and
theory of visual or media anthropology. Also, although we will watch almost entirely nondocumentary films, please remember that this is an academic class, not a movie theatre
– films have been selected because they are useful pedagogical tools, not because they
are necessarily entertaining or have high cinematic quality. Rather than concentrating on
whether or not you like the films we watch, you are encouraged to think about how and
what you can learn from applying an anthropological perspective when watching them.
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WARNINGS: In addition to class discussion of potentially sensitive topics, films required
for the course may feature nudity, graphic images, offensive language, excessive
violence, killing of animals, and drug use.
SPECIAL NOTE FROM INSTRUCTOR FOR FALL 2014 – HYBRID FORMAT AND
MATERNITY LEAVE: I will deliver a baby during the fall semester. I have taken
measures to ensure the continuity of course content during the full semester, and to
guarantee that your learning experience is not compromised by my maternity leave.
Below is a summary of the plan for my absence. I ask for your flexibility should
unforeseen circumstances arise, and your diligence in checking your email and
Blackboard announcements for last-minute changes:
- While I am on maternity leave, your instructor will be Lori Thurman. Professor
Thurman has extensive previous experience with the material, and is well prepared to
guide you through it! While Professor Thurman will assist me with content delivery and
course management during my absence, I am taking responsibility for course content. In
other words, I have designed the full semester’s course, and you should not notice any
hiccups or discontinuities in its coherence. I have taken measures to provide extensive
guidance in course activities and assignments such that your opportunities to succeed
will not be diminished by my absence.
- During my absence, lecture content will be delivered online. The dates for online
lectures are indicated in the course calendar with a star “”. Online lectures have been
developed using Camtasia. The sound and visual quality of these screencasts is
sometimes less than ideal due to time and technology restrictions, but the content is
sufficient for you to learn the material.
- Where lectures are delivered online, you will have the option to come to the
regularly scheduled class meeting to view the assigned films and to engage in
discussion with and ask clarifying questions of Professor Thurman. If you choose to
not come to class meetings during online lecture weeks, you will be responsible for
accessing and viewing the films and processing course content on your own.
- Online lectures will be posted as screencasts by 4pm on the date listed in the course
calendar, unless unusual circumstances arise.
- During my maternity leave (22 September – 25 November) you should communicate
with Professor Thurman for your course needs, particularly if you need an immediate
response – I will respond to emails only sporadically.
- There is a very real possibility that I will deliver my baby before my maternity leave
officially begins. If this requires me to cancel the lecture portion of class one evening, be
assured that the material will be covered via an online lecture, to be posted at my
earliest convenience, with due dates for associated quizzes delayed accordingly.
Please pay attention to emails and Blackboard announcements about changes to
the course schedule and a final announcement of maternity leave dates.
Required Texts & Films
Robbins, Richard H. 2012. Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach, 6th
edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning
Supplemental readings (approximately 20 pages / week) are required and will be
available electronically through Blackboard
Most required films are on reserve in the Media Center (in the basement of the library
addition), and all of them should be on reserve by mid-term (several are on order). Many
of the films can also be accessed via Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
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Grades
Your final grade in the course is determined in part by your ability to digest and
demonstrate knowledge of material explicitly taught through lecture and readings, and in
part by your ability to demonstrate higher-level thinking utilizing the perspectives and
concepts we discuss, and specifically using feature films to illuminate conditions and
problems inherent in the human condition. You will be evaluated through textbook
quizzes (15%), movie quizzes (30%), one preliminary short research paper (5%),
two additional short research papers or one longer research paper (25%), and a
final exam (25%). The requirements for each of these assignments are spelled out in
detail following the course calendar.
Although every student willing to engage in the class material, submit all assignments,
and regularly attend class should be able to pass this course, please recognize that this
is an upper division course and it does not offer an “easy A.” Do not expect to earn
marks that suggest an exemplary (“A”) or very good (“B”) performance if you cannot
meet the expectations of an upper-division social science class, namely to: read a
substantial amount of material each week; extract from scholarly literature an author’s
main arguments and lines of evidence/support; engage in critical thinking; formulate and
support argumentative theses; conduct research using reputable, scholarly sources; and
write to college-level standards (mechanics, formatting, organization, etc.). You are
encouraged to make use of on-campus resources such as research librarians and the
Writing Center to help you to succeed. If you are taking the course C/NC, please be
aware that the university considers a C- (C minus) as a NC (no credit) grade. “Passing”
will therefore require at least a 72.5% in this class.
* HAIL MARY POLICY Missing quizzes can substantially negatively impact your grade.
That said, there are a lot of quizzes in this class, and life happens – students sometimes
forget to take their quizzes, have temporary engagements that make it not possible to
complete a quiz, or face unexpected last-minute technological challenges in accessing
the internet. While it is your responsibility to take all quizzes within the allotted windows
for doing so, I feel uncomfortable with a missed quiz (or a series of missed quizzes)
being the only reason that keeps a student from receiving credit for this course. With this
in mind, students with a final grade of C- or below will have ONE 24 HOUR “Hail
Mary” WINDOW on 20 December to take any quizzes missed during the semester.
The goal here is to fill the missing zeros in the hope of achieving a passing grade.
Students who take advantage of this opportunity cannot earn a final grade higher than a
C (in other words, if you miss every quiz during the semester, giving you a final grade of
“F,” but when you take the quizzes during the Hail Mary Window you wind up with a
calculated total of 89% for your course grade, you will still receive a “C,” not a “B+”).
There will be no exceptions.
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CALENDAR
NOTES: A star “” is used below to indicate the likely schedule for delivery of online
lectures, the exact dates of which (corresponding with maternity leave) will be confirmed
via Blackboard announcement. It is your responsibility to remain informed about these
dates, and to keep your schedule free on Wednesdays from 4-7pm for the duration of
the semester. Schedule, readings, and films are subject to change.
Introduction
27 August
Introduction to the Course
Sutton and Wogan 2009, 7-15; Drummond 1996, 6-11,17-21
Culture and Meaning: Real versus Reel
TEXTBOOK QUIZ on Chapter 1 must be completed before 9/3 at 2pm
3 September
Babies, 2010 (Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, USA)
Supplemental Reading: Small 1997, 1-7
Babies quiz must be completed online by Sunday 9/7 at 11:59pm
10 September
Krippendorf’s Tribe, 1998 (USA, Papua New Guinea)
Supplemental Reading: Chalfen 2003, 375-389
Babies paper Due In Class and online via Turnitin
Krippendorf’s Tribe quiz must be completed online by Sunday 9/14 at 11:59pm
Identity
TEXTBOOK QUIZ on Chapter 6 must be completed before 9/17 at 2pm
17 September
Mr. Baseball, 1992 (Japan, USA)
No assigned readings
Mr. Baseball quiz must be completed online by Sunday 9/21 at 11:59pm
 24 September
Pariah, 2011 (USA)
Supplemental Reading: Cole and Guy-Sheftall 2003, 154-181
Pariah quiz must be completed online by Sunday 9/28 at 11:59pm
Family
TEXTBOOK QUIZ on Chapter 5 must be completed before 10/1 at 2pm
 1 October
Mother of George, 2013 (USA [Nigerian immigrants])
Supplemental Reading: Smith 2004, 221-238
Mother of George quiz must be completed online by Sunday 10/5 at 11:59pm
 8 October
A Separation, 2011 (Iran)
Supplemental Reading: Rahimieh 2009, 97-112
A Separation quiz must be completed online by Sunday 10/12 at 11:59pm
Long Research Essay Proposal Due In Class (if selecting this option)
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Progress, Development, Globalization
TEXTBOOK QUIZ on Chapter 2 must be completed before 10/15 at 2pm
 15 October
Whale Rider, 2002 (New Zealand)
Supplemental Reading: Hokowhitu 2007, 22-30
Whale Rider quiz must be completed online by Sunday 10/19 at 11:59pm
 22 October
Avatar, 2009 (“Pandora”)
Supplemental Reading: Fritz 2012, 67-89; Robbins (textbook) Chapter 8, 333-341
Avatar quiz must be completed online by Sunday 10/26 at 11:59pm
 29 October Babel, 2006 (Japan, USA, Mexico, Morocco)
Supplemental Reading: Textbook, Chapter 3 [note, no separate textbook quiz]
Babel quiz must be completed online by Sunday 11/2 at 11:59pm
Hierarchy
TEXTBOOK QUIZZES on Chapter 7 must be completed before 11/5 at 2pm
 5 November
Stand and Deliver, 1988 (USA)
Supplemental Reading: Bulman 2002, 251-276
Stand and Deliver quiz must be completed online by Sunday 11/9 at 11:59pm
12 November
Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle –Lori Thurman
Supplemental Reading: Gillota 2012, 960-978
Movie quiz must be completed online by Sunday 11/16 at 11:59pm
Violence
TEXTBOOK QUIZZES on Chapter 8 must be completed before 11/19 at 2pm
19 November
The Orator, 2011 (Samoa)
Supplemental Reading: Macpherson and Macpherson 2006, 128-158
The Orator quiz must be completed online by Sunday 11/23 at 11:59pm
26 November
NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK
 3 December City of God, 2002 (Brazil)
Supplemental Reading: Goldstein 2003, 174-225
* Note, Lecture will be delivered online (instructor will be at AAA Meeting)
City of God quiz must be completed online by Sunday 12/7 at 11:59pm
Review
10 December
Star Wars, Episode IV 1977 (“A Galaxy Far, Far Away”)
No assigned readings
 Long Research Paper Due (if selecting this option)
17 December
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Final Exam, 4-6pm, Little Theater
Course Assignment Details & Guidelines
Readings
Students should note that the textbook for this course is provided and assigned
as a learning tool, more than it is as the primary learning material of this course.
This is in recognition of the fact that (as a course that can be used to fulfill general
education requirements), for many students, this is their first anthropology course, and a
grasp on basic concepts may be necessary in order to engage course material at the
level required in an upper-division class. Basic disciplinary concepts will be applied in
class rather than explicitly lectured about (please recognize that there are severe time
constraints in a course that screens a feature-length film each week); should you be
interested in receiving more explicit pedagogical instruction on basic disciplinary
concepts, consider taking AN102: Introduction to Socio-Cultural Anthropology.
Supplemental readings have been selected for several reasons: to provide background
to and enhance your understanding of concepts and cultures discussed in lecture; to
introduce theories, ideas, and analytical perspectives that you will be expected to apply
to films viewed in this class, and to demonstrate the application of anthropological
perspectives. Supplemental readings more generally are meant: to model academic
writing about film and culture, which you will be expected to replicate in written
assignments; and to more effectively engage, challenge, and inspire those students with
a scholarly interest in anthropology, culture, and/or film. Memorizing specific authors’
arguments is not an objective in this class, though you will be asked to demonstrate an
understanding of and familiarity with these arguments, sometimes through application, in
written assignments, quizzes, and exams.
All readings listed in the course calendar are required and should be completed prior to
the class for which they are assigned.
Movies & Viewing Guides
All films listed in the syllabus are required viewings. Films will be shown in-class, and
can also be viewed independently by students – most films are on reserve in the Media
Center, and some can be accessed through services such as Netflix and Amazon
Instant Video. To help you to succeed in this course, you will be provided with a
Viewing Guide for each film. Viewing guides will include bibliographic information for
the film, a plot summary, and a series of plot and critical thinking questions related to
course material (present, past, and future). Downloading, reviewing, and using the
viewing guides is optional, but highly recommended. Reviewing past viewing guides
when we cover new course content is also a great way to prepare for the final exam.
Weekly Quizzes (45%)
There are two types of quizzes in this class, both of which are self-administered
through Blackboard. These quizzes take the place of a midterm exam, and are
designed to help encourage you to keep up with the readings and to critically engage the
material. Quizzes are open-book / open-note and multiple choice. Please understand,
however, that you may still find the quizzes to be challenging – they will require a
basic understanding of complex theoretical concepts, knowledge of specific case studies
presented in the readings and the lectures, and applying material from one medium (film,
lecture, reading) to another, among other tasks. Because the quizzes are timed (you will
have one hour to complete each quiz), you are encouraged to take notes and to study
the material (not just read it) to ensure your satisfactory comprehension before taking
the quizzes if your aim to achieve exemplary grades. Students are expected to act with
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academic integrity in working alone on quizzes, and not discussing quizzes with
classmates until the availability window for each quiz has closed.
Quizzes will be posted under the “Quizzes” tab on Blackboard, accessible from the
main navigation menu. All quizzes will contain between 10 and 20 questions. Once you
begin a quiz, you must complete it; you cannot save your work and return at a later time
to finish. A pop-up window with a timer may appear while taking the quiz, which can
obscure the quiz submit or forward button. Use Firefox to avoid this problem. Browser
windows should not be refreshed during a quiz. If you refresh the window, or open
another Blackboard tab or window, the assessment will stop, a partial score will be
recorded, and you will be unable to access the quiz again. Your browser may also
timeout after a certain period of inactivity – you are therefore encouraged to actively
work on the quiz while it is open, and to spend no more than 15 minutes on any
individual question. Quizzes may be inaccessible using certain browsers, tablets, or
mobile phones. Please use the “functionality sample quiz,” located under the
“Quizzes” tab, before taking the actual quiz if you have any doubts about your
browser or device compatibility. Quizzes will not be reset for you if you access them
with an incompatible browser or device, thus nulling your allotted attempt(s).
Once you complete a quiz, you will be provided with a score. You will not have post-quiz
access to the questions or a summary of your correct and incorrect responses. Should
you wish to go over your quizzes individually with an instructor, you may also make an
appointment to do so.
There will be no make-up quizzes (with the exception of the Hail Mary policy, explained
above), but resets and extensions will be considered on an individual basis where there
is a case for extenuating circumstances or verified technological errors over which the
student had no control. Resets and extensions are never guaranteed, and are up to
instructors’ discretions. Ensuring a stable Internet connection, securing access to a
device compatible with Blackboard, having a back-up plan to access the internet should
your plan A fail, and completing each quiz within the requisite window of time are your
responsibilities. You are encouraged to set up reminders on a calendar or phone so
that you do not forget to take quizzes before their due dates pass.
Please read the following information carefully to learn about the two quiz types:
TEXTBOOK QUIZZES A self-administered, open-book, open-note quiz must be
completed for the textbook readings before the date on which we will discuss the
chapter(s) for the first time in class. These quizzes are part of the “flipped classroom”
design of this course (meaning that the learning of basic concepts is done at home, to
enable more effective use of classroom time to watch a film and to dig deeper into the
material). You are thus expected to come to class with a basic understanding of the
textbook concepts that we will be engaging and applying in class. If you are having
a difficult time mastering these concepts on your own, you are advised to seek help from
the instructor, teaching assistant, or a tutor before taking the quiz.
Textbook Quizzes will be made available one week before they are due, and will be
open through Wednesday at 2:00 pm the week for which the textbook chapter(s) are
assigned for the first time. After 2:00 pm, the quiz will no longer be accessible, except by
using a password (provided only to those with extenuating circumstances or disability
accommodations). You have the option to take each quiz twice. Should you exercise this
option, your recorded grade will be the average of the two attempts, rather than the
higher of the two. In the case of technological error with one or the other attempt, it is
your responsibility to contact the instructor immediately to ensure that your quiz score is
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recorded appropriately (the error score nulled). There will be a total of 6 quizzes,
weighted equally to constitute 15% of your overall grade.
Textbook Quiz Schedule
Chapter
Chapter 1
Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Chapter 2
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Quiz Window Opens
27 August (W), 4pm
10 September (W), 4pm
24 September (W), 4pm
8 October (W), 4pm
29 October (W), 4pm
12 November (W), 4pm
Quiz Window Closes
3 September (W), 2pm
17 September (W), 2pm
1 October (W), 2pm
15 October (W), 2pm
5 November (W), 2pm
19 November (W), 2pm
MOVIE QUIZZES A self-administered, open-book, open-note quiz must be
completed after each week’s class is complete. These quizzes will cover the assigned
film, the associated lecture material, and required readings and viewings for that
week or unit. The focus of these quizzes will be in part on ensuring that you watched
the films (questions about plotline, characters, settings), but primarily on showing that
you are able to relate the films to the associated lecture and the required readings.
Unlike the textbook quizzes, you will have only one attempt to take each movie quiz.
Movie Quizzes will be made available after class on Wednesday at 9:00 pm and will be
open through the following Sunday at 11:59 pm. After 11:59 pm Sunday, the quiz will no
longer be accessible. There will be a total of 13 quizzes, weighted equally to
constitute 30% of your overall grade. If you find yourself doing poorly on these
quizzes or you find them to be particularly difficult, you are encouraged to come speak
with the instructor individually to ensure that you have a firm grasp on the material
before you are asked to engage in more independent tasks of critical thinking for the
research papers and the final exam.
Movie Quiz Schedule
Movie
Babies
Krippendorf’s Tribe
Mr. Baseball
Pariah
Mother of George
A Separation
Whale Rider
Avatar
Babel
Stand and Deliver
Harold & Kumar
The Orator
City of God
Quiz Window Opens
3 September (W), 9pm
10 September (W), 9pm
17 September (W), 9pm
24 September (W), 9pm
1 October (W), 9pm
8 October (W), 9pm
15 October (W), 9pm
22 October (W), 9pm
29 October (W), 9pm
5 November (W), 9pm
12 November (W), 9pm
19 November (W), 9pm
3 December (W), 9pm
Quiz Window Closes
7 September (Su), 11:59pm
14 September (Su), 11:59pm
21 September (Su), 11:59pm
28 September (Su), 11:59pm
5 October (Su), 11:59pm
12 October (Su), 11:59pm
19 October (Su), 11:59pm
26 October (Su), 11:59pm
2 November (Su), 11:59pm
9 November (Su), 11:59pm
16 November (Su), 11:59pm
23 November (Su), 11:59pm
7 December (Su), 11:59pm
Written Assignments (30%)
The goal for each written assignment in this class is the same – students will make a
creative and logical argument showcasing understanding of course content and
analytical techniques and demonstrating an anthropological perspective, support the
argument with specific filmic examples, and back the argument with scholarly opinion.
You must therefore present an original argumentative thesis and evidence of scholarly
research in each written assignment. Please note that wikis (including Wikipedia),
encyclopedias, IMDB (Internet Movie Database), newspaper articles, National
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Geographic and similar magazines aimed at a popular rather than a scholarly audience,
websites (including blogs) written by individuals without clear expertise as an authority
on a topic and where there is no indication of a peer review process, unpublished
undergraduate papers or Masters theses or other self-published materials (which
you might come across on websites like academia.edu), and similar sources are nonscholarly, and are usually not acceptable sources for your written assignments. It
is okay to use sources such as these to come up with ideas for your paper, but you
always must follow up with, conduct research using, and properly cite academic sources.
You are additionally recommended to evaluate your sources carefully for their capacity
to support an analysis of anthropological concerns – while there is nothing inherently
wrong with scholarship from political science, psychology, sociobiology, or related fields,
the information provided in these sources may not be best for enabling the type of
analysis required in your assignments for this class. Please watch the Research
Tutorial provided on our Blackboard site for further instruction.
Each assignment must be written as a “stand alone” piece of writing – meaning that it
should be written as if it will be read by an individual who has not seen the film(s) you
are discussing, and who lacks access to the assignment prompt or other course content.
In other words, while they may not be of publishable quality, your written assignments
should be presented as if appearing in a scholarly journal (thus, you should not make
statements like “As we talked about in class . . .” or “In the textbook . . .”).
Your instructors have very high and unwavering standards for academic writing, but also
an understanding that for many students this is the first class they have taken where
they are expected to conduct library-based research or develop argumentative theses. If
you do not feel adequately prepared for this type of writing, you are advised to start early
and to seek help from the Writing Center, an instructor, the teaching assistant, and/or
tutors. See the “Written Assignments” tab on Blackboard for additional
information about conducting academic research and identifying scholarly
sources, requirements for formatting and citation style, and other tips for
success. Examples of exemplary essays are also available in the instructor’s office for
your review. No extensions will be grated and no late papers accepted. You are
encouraged to plan ahead. If you have difficulties posting your essay via Turnitin you
must email it to the instructor for a timestamp of your attempt to submit.
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH PAPER Every student is responsible for writing
one short (3-4 page) research paper related to the film Babies. You will be required to
reference at least two outside scholarly sources and the film Babies to support an
original, argumentative thesis responding to an assigned prompt. This assignment
primarily serves the purpose of familiarizing you with the rigors required for scholarly
research and analysis, and instructor expectations for written assignments (before you
attempt a written assignment of more consequence for your final grade). This essay
constitutes only 5% of your final grade and is due via Turnitin on 10 September (or,
for students who join late, one week after the date of your enrollment).
ADDITIONAL RESEARCH PAPER(S)
You will select to write two additional directed, short research papers throughout
the term, or to write one independent, longer research paper. Regardless of your
selection, each paper must: present an argumentative thesis; incorporate research using
relevant scholarly sources not assigned in this class and that support the student’s
analysis; incorporate a discussion of film(s); provide a maximum half page summary of
each film discussed, ideally introducing plot points and characters relevant for your
analysis; explicitly ground arguments in a discussion of the film(s), incorporating specific
scenes, quotes, and plot features that support your analysis (explain why these
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examples are relevant – do not expect the information to speak for itself, and do not
simply state your conclusions without providing any details); and demonstrate
comprehension and application of and critical thinking about course material. The paper
or papers constitute 25% of your final grade.
Option One: Two Short Research Essays
All students will sign up before 10 September for two weeks in which you will be
responsible for writing a 4-5 page essay related to the week’s course content and
film. A maximum will be set for students permitted to sign up for any given week to
ensure an even spread, based on course enrollment. Sign-ups will be via Blackboard
(look under the “Written Assignments” tab) and begin the first day of class. Students
who do not sign up by 10 September will be randomly assigned. Students may only
change or swap their assigned week(s) due to extenuating circumstances, and with
written approval from the instructor. When your weeks arrive, you will be provided with
several prompts to select from, and you will have two weeks to complete the
assignment. You will submit each essay via Turnitin (online) on or before 4pm the
day that it is due. Each essay must utilize at least three outside, scholarly sources –
two to support your analysis, and one additional scholarly source (to support your
analysis or otherwise). You must also incorporate a discussion of the film. Your two
essays will be equally weighted to constitute 25% of your grade.
Option Two: One Long Research Essay
Students may select to substitute a longer (8-10 page) research essay in the place
of the two short research essays. This option is only recommended for students who
have well-developed writing skills, previous experience completing social science
research using academic sources, a specific geographic or population interest, the
motivation to develop a unique research topic and argumentative thesis, and the selfdiscipline to complete the assignment unsupervised. Students who receive a “C” or
below on their preliminary research paper should probably not select this option.
Students interested in this option must make their intensions clear to Dr. Huhn via
email on or before 17 September (or, for students who join late, during the first week of
their enrollment). These students will not be responsible for submitting the two short
research essays that they signed up for. Once you declare your intension to follow
Option Two, you will not have the opportunity to change your mind.
Students who opt to complete the long research paper will select a society, region,
country, or ethnicity, and two fiction films not assigned for this class that feature persons
from the selected population. You will make these choices yourself (they will not be
assigned). You will additionally select one or two questions from the textbook (each
chapter provides four or five questions to choose from – see the table of contents). You
will use the question(s) that you choose to focus your analysis of how the films reveal
direct or indirect insight into the dynamics of life for members of your population – in
other words, the tensions, apprehensions, and power struggles that underlie your
population’s response to the problems inherent to living as a group in an unpredictable
world with limited resources (the focus of your textbook). The goal is thus not precisely
to answer the textbook question(s) you select, nor is it to focus on surface cultural details
(please avoid treating this assignment like a “seek and find” of traits, or a simple
inventory of common experiences for members of your population), but to instead
approach these films as products of material culture through which you can gain insight
into relevant concerns for your population, and the complications they envision, fear, or
otherwise find relevant to depict filmically for mediating and resolving their concerns.
You will use these insights to develop a clearly articulated argumentative thesis that
focuses and organizes your paper. You are recommended to watch more than two films,
and to choose those most adequate for analysis driven by your specific topical theme, or
to let the theme emerge organically through watching a selection of films. See chapter
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four [Star Wars] and chapter five [soap operas] of your textbook for inspiration, or read
exemplary papers from previous semesters (available in the instructor’s office). It is up to
you to decide how to approach the themes you wish to address. Where appropriate,
however, you must consider the historical emergence of the issues you discuss (this
should not, however, be your focus). You should also be sure to place the movies in
dialogue with one another, and use discrepancies and conflicts to point out cultural
tensions and ambivalences. While you may reference readings from this class, you
must also use at least five outside scholarly sources, at least three of which must
support your analysis of these films as revealing direct or indirect insight into the
dynamics of life for members of your population. Additional sources may be used to
support analysis as well, to support other assertions, or for cultural or historical
contextualization, as necessary. You should not use outside sources for plot summary.
A one-page paper proposal listing the two movies you plan to use for this
assignment, a very brief plot summary for each (in your own words, please, not
copied from IMDB), how you plan to access each movie, and explaining the
planned focus of your paper, must be submitted via Turnitin on or before class the
day of 8 October. The more information you provide, the more guidance your
instructors can give you (Dr. Huhn will review these proposals while on Maternity Leave).
While the proposal will not be graded, failure to submit a proposal will result in 10%
docked from your final paper grade. You may change your focus or films after submitting
the topic proposal, but you are encouraged to consult with an instructor before doing so.
Final papers must be submitted via Turnitin on or before 4pm on 10 December.
Final Examination (25%)
The final examination will be “cumulative” in that it will require you to reflect back on
films watched and concepts learned throughout the course. The exam will consist
primarily of essays that require students to draw comparisons between the films viewed
in class (and the cultures they depict), and to apply insights gained through assigned
readings, assigned viewings, and lectures to an analysis of multiple films. There may
also be a section requiring students to identify on an unlabeled political map the
countries associated with movies viewed in class, using such identifiers as plot or scene
descriptions, images, or memorable quotes that capture the essence of the film as it was
discussed in class. The final exam will be held on 17 December from 4-6pm.
Requests for alternative dates or times must be made at least two weeks in advance. A
study guide of essay prompts will be provided on Blackboard under the “Logistics” tab
on or before 3 December. A list of essay prompts used in previous semesters is
also provided to you now – not as a study guide, but for you to become familiar with
the types of essay prompts you will be asked to respond to on the final exam. This
document can also be found under the “Logistics” tab on Blackboard.
OTHER NOTES
Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Evidence of plagiarism (to
include, but not limited to, insufficient rephrasing of cited material, academic recycling,
and failure to cite the ideas and words of other authors) will result in a zero for the
assignment in question, and submission of the incident to University officials. Suspicion
of other instances of dishonesty will be taken up on a case-by-case basis. It is your
responsibility to educate yourself about the perils and consequences of academic
dishonesty, and techniques for proper incorporation of sources and avoiding plagiarism.
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Disability Accommodation
Instructors for this class will accommodate disabilities and protect student’s
confidentiality regarding disability issues. Students with and without official
accommodation requests can set up a private conference with the instructor to request
and determine alternative assignment submission schedules or testing formats to meet
their individual needs. All films will be shown in class with subtitles to assist the hearing
impaired. Transcripts for online lectures can be provided upon request.
Student Privacy and Intellectual Property
You are assured the privacy of grades and feedback on individual assignments, unless
you waive these rights. Your consent will always be obtained before copies of your work
are retained as examples for future students’ reference. Unless you request otherwise or
make arrangements to collect your work, assignments remaining with the instructor at
the semester’s end will be retained for three months, and thereafter discarded.
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