Peterson, ENGL 382 1
ENGLISH 382: Film Genres & Styles, Fall 2007
Instructor: D.K. Peterson
Department Office: 320 Minard
My Office: 320 G Minard
My Phone: 701.231.7156
Email: d.k.peterson@ndsu.edu
TR 7.00 p.m.- 9.30 p.m.
Room: Putnam 101
Class #: 7702
3 credits
Office Hours: TR 8.15 - 9.15 am., W 6.00 – 7.00 pm. and by appt.
Required & Recommended Texts
 Required: Grant, Barry K. Film Genre Reader III. Austin: U of Texas P, 2003.
 Recommended: Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film. 5th edition. New York:
Longman, 2003.
 Assigned films will be viewed in class and will also be placed on reserve at the NDSU Library.
Bulletin Course Description:
Study of one or more film genres, styles, or movements, focusing on aesthetic conventions, cultural
context, socio-historical significance, and critical approaches. May be repeated for credit with change of
topic. Prerequisites: THEA 115 or ENGL 225 or ENGL 271, or permission of instructor. May be repeated
for credit with change of topic.
Course Overview
This course examines one or more select genres, styles, and movements. Central to the course are several
considerations: what constitutes genres, styles, and movements; methods and challenges related to their
implementation; the rationales for the use of such categories; and how their application informs film
studies and presents cultural issues and ideologies. Questions of genre transformation, cultural sources
and parallel media, institutional practices, and spectatorship will also be addressed.
This specific section of English 399: Film Genres & Styles develops around an investigation of film noir,
concentrating on noir’s debated status as genre or style as well as addressing its aesthetic conventions,
social significance, transformation into neo-noir, and blurred boundaries with other genres and styles (e.g.
thrillers, mysteries, science fiction). Other possible topics for English 399 include, but are not limited to,
the Western, the melodrama, the musical, gangster films, women’s films, horror, avant-garde film, the
documentary. The course may also be developed around sub-genres, styles, movements and other genrerelated explorations: the animated film, New Wave Cinema, Dogme films, the road movie, chick flicks,
comic-book adaptations, and so on.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
 Apply key concepts, secondary criticism, and critical approaches to film analysis
 Recognize the conventions and development of specific film genres
 Explain how film genres and movements express social and cultural tensions
 Demonstrate a critical awareness of the processes in which specific films and studio practices
support and/or interrogate cultural norms
 Demonstrate a critical awareness of the ways in which film, and visual media more generally,
reflects and informs cultural attitudes and assumptions
 Examine their role as spectators and increase their ability to engage with films actively and
critically
Class Format & Assignments
The class format consists of weekly film screenings, lectures, and discussions. The first 2 ½ hour class
session of each week is reserved for film screenings, the second for lecture and discussion. Assignments
include weekly in-class film screenings and readings, a screening/reading journal, midterm, final exam,
term paper, oral presentation, and regular participation.
Peterson, ENGL 382 2
Course Policies
Academic Conduct: All interactions in the course should be civil and show respect for others. Student
conduct at NDSU is governed by the Code of Student Behavior:
<http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/vpsa/code/codeindx00.htm>.
Academic Honesty: All work in this course must be completed in a manner consistent with NDSU
University Senate Policy, Section 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct:
<http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/335.htm>. I assume that all work you turn in for this course is yours,
and the use of any material or ideas you have acquired from an outside source is documented properly.
Neglecting to do so is considered plagiarism and may result in failure of the assignment or, depending
upon the severity of the offense, the course.
ADA/Students with Special Needs
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, I encourage students with disabilities or special
needs and who require special accommodations to contact me as soon as possible so that appropriate
arrangements can be made.
Attendance
Important components to the work for this course will take place during class sessions: film screenings,
lectures and discussions, coverage of discussion of terms and concepts used to illuminate the course’s
films and readings, and group presentations. Consistent, prompt attendance and arriving in class on time
is thus an expectation and requirement. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences, but
you may miss four classes without adversely affecting your grade. Each additional absence will result in a
deduction of your participation grade. Tardies in excess of fifteen minutes also constitute an absence. You
are responsible for keeping up with all screenings, readings, and other assignments regardless of whether
you attend class; be sure to contact your peers for information should you miss class. Also, you are
responsible for contacting your group members if you miss class. If you know that you will be absent
more than four times, regardless of the reason(s) for those absences, you may wish to reconsider your
enrollment in this course.
Deadlines & Submissions: Do all readings, preparatory activities, and other assignments prior to attending
class; completion of assignments is expected by the date the calendar lists an assignment. Please submit
all written work in class by the due date. Late papers will lose 5% per day until they are turned in. You
must submit all major assignments in order to receive a passing grade in the course. The submission of all
papers, presentations, and projects by the due date and a student’s prompt attendance at exams are
expected unless prior arrangements are made; such arrangements are subject to my approval.
Paper Format: All written assignments and/or written portions completed outside of class should conform
to MLA guidelines for format and citations. Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are to be typed,
double-spaced with one-inch margins, and use 12-point Times font. Your name, the class, my name, and
the date are to be at the top of the first page and the work should be introduced with an appropriate title.
Any papers longer than one page must have page numbers and be stapled in left corner. When
appropriate, use parenthetical citations and a Works Cited/Works Consulted list.
Course Assignments
Midterm (25%, 250 points)
The midterm will be structured as a take-home essay. It will require students discuss one or more of the
films in response to a prompt dealing with the issues of genre and style, as presented in the course
readings, lectures and discussions. More information will be provided.
Peterson, ENGL 382 3
Participation (15%, 150 points, 150 points)
This course assumes a general and minimal level of preparation: your prompt attendance, bringing your
books and writing material to every class meeting, and listening carefully to lectures and discussions.
Participation, as a graded component of the course, consists of regular verbal participation in class
discussions, self-directed initiation of discussion, posting on Blackboard or other electronic forums,
responding constructively to your classmates either face-to-face or electronically, being active in group
work, and taking part in any presentations assigned. I reserve the right to assign homework and exercises
or to give unannounced quizzes in order to aid in your comprehension of materials.
Presentation (15%, 150 points)
This oral presentation will provide you with an opportunity to share your understanding of course
materials and independent research with your peers and to extend class materials. You may be creative in
this presentation and are strongly encouraged to incorporate audio-visual aids such as film clips to support
and energize your presentation. Your presentation notes should be given to your instructor following your
presentation. These presentations may be designed as group projects, dependent upon the needs and
interests of the class. Details on the presentation will be provided.
Screening & Reading Journal (20%, 200 points)
The screening and reading assignments will help you critically engage with film genres and styles and
analyze specific films. To encourage your engagement with these readings, I require a written response to
each week’s screening & reading assignments. Journal responses may be written either as separate entries
for each assignment or as integrated responses which make connections and/or consider ways in which
the readings contribute to your interpretations of course films. Journals will be collected at least twice and
perhaps at other, unannounced intervals, so be sure to bring your completed journals with you to every
class. More information on journal entries and submissions will be provided.
Term Paper (25%, 250 point)
This researched essay will analyze how a film—chosen from an approved list of recent neo-genre films—
fits within, resists being categorized as, or shifts an audience’s understanding of film noir. As part of this
analysis, the paper should also discuss the film’s cultural context. More information on the term paper
will be provided.
Grading
Assignments
Journal
Midterm
Term Paper
Presentation
Participation
20%--200 points
25%--250 points
25%--250 points
15%--150 points
15%--150 points
Scale (1000 points possible, converted to %)
A
100-90 %--900-1000
B
89-80 %--800-899
C
79-70 %--700-799
D
69-60 %--600-699
F
59-0 %--590 and below
On Watching Films
 I expect everyone to take notes on all assigned films. It is difficult if not impossible to have a
productive discussion of a film if people are struggling to remember what happened or how a
scene was filmed. Try and develop the habit of note-taking during a film screening.
 Keep a notebook dedicated to film screenings in which you record initial responses, questions, or
issues. I suggest a couple of different strategies: 1) the purchase of a small penlight to enable you
to write notes in a darkened classroom; 2) learning to write notes without relying on light; and/or
3) taking notes directly after a screening, while the film is fresh in your mind.
 We will see each film once in its entirety, with relevant clips shown during the designated
lecture/discussion periods. I suggest you try to see the film on your own at least once as well,
paying particular attention to questions or issues that emerge after your first viewing. Copies of
the assigned films will be placed on reserve at the NDSU Library.
 When submitting your journal, include both your initial screening notes and your formal response
to each film. Your preparatory work is considered part of your journal.
Peterson, ENGL 382 4
English 382: Film Genres & Styles
Tentative Calendar (subject to change; announcements made in class)
Week One
Introduction to Course
The Maltese Falcon (Huston, 1941)*
FGR: Andrew Tudor, “Genre”
[Consult Corrigan for tips on writing about film; I will also discuss conventions in class]
Week Two
The Big Sleep (Dir. Howard Hawks, 1946)*
FGR: Paul Schrader, “Notes on Film Noir”
Week Three
Labor Day—No Class
Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944)*
FGR: Jean-Loup Bourget, “Social Implications in the Hollywood Genres”
Week Four
Shadow of a Doubt (Hitchcock, 1943)*
FGR: Robin Wood, “Ideology, Genre, Auteur”
Week Five
Laura (Preminger, 1944)*
FGR, Judith Hess Wright, “Genre Films and the Status Quo”
Due: Journal
Week Six
Gilda (Vidor, 1946)*
FGR: Richard de Cordova, “Genre and Performance: An Overview”
Week Seven
The Hitch-Hiker (Lupino, 1953)*
FGR: Barry Keith Grant, “Experience and Meaning in Genre Films”
Week Eight
Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958)*
FGR: Edward Buscombe, “The Idea of Genre in American Cinema”
Week Nine
Due: Midterm Essay
Chinatown (Polanksi, 1974)*
FGR: “Chinatown and Generic Transformation in Recent American Films”
Week Ten
Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)*
FGR, Rick Altman, “A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre”
Week Eleven
Blade Runner (Scott, 1982)*
FGR, Steven Neale, “Questions of Genre”
Week Twelve
Dark City (Proyas, 1998)*
FGR, Janet Staiger, “Hybrid or Inbred: The Purity Hypothesis and Hollywood Genre History”
Week Thirteen
The Usual Suspects (Singer, 1995)*
Week Fourteen
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Zemekis, 1988)*
Thanksgiving Recess
Week Fifteen
Presentations
Due: Journal
Week Sixteen
Presentations
Week Seventeen
Final Exam Period
Due: Term Paper
* A filmography with production information follows this course calendar.
Peterson, ENGL 382 5
Filmography
The Big Sleep. Dir. Howard Hawks. Perf. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Warner Bros., 1946.
DVD. Warner Home Video, 2000.
Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The Ladd
Company, 1982. DVD. Warner Home Video, 1999.
Chinatown. Dir. Roman Polankski. Perf. Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston. Paramount
Pictures, 1974. DVD. Paramount, 1999.
Dark City. Dir. Alex Proyas. Perf. Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, and Jennifer Connelly.
New Line Cinema, 1998. DVD. New Line Home Video, 1998.
Detour. Dir. Edward Ulmer. Perf. Tom Neal and Ann Savage. PRC Pictures, 1945. DVD. Image
Entertainment, 2000.
Double Indemnity. Dir. Billy Wilder. Perf. Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G.
Robinson. Paramount Pictures, 1944. DVD. Paramount/Image Entertainment, 1998.
Gilda. Dir. Charles Vidor. Perf. Rita Hayward, Glenn Ford, and George Macready. Columbia Pictures,
1946. DVD. Columbia/Tristar, 2000.
The Hitch-Hiker. Dir. Ida Lupino. Perf. Edmund O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy. The Filmakers Inc., 1953.
DVD. GoodTimes Home Video, 2004.
Laura. Dir. Otto Preminger. Perf. Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. 20th Century Fox, 1944. DVD. Fox
Home Entertainment, 2003.
The Maltese Falcon. Dir. John Huston. Perf. Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. Warner Bros., 1941.
DVD. Warner Home Video, 2000.
Shadow of a Doubt. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Perf. Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotton. Universal Pictures,
1942. DVD. Universal Home Entertainment, 2001.
Taxi Driver. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Perf. Robert DeNiro, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle, and Jodie Foster.
Columbia Pictures, 1976. DVD. Columbia/Tristar, 1999.
Touch of Evil. Dir. Orson Welles. Perf. Janet Leigh, Charlton Heston, and Orson Welles. Universal
Peterson, ENGL 382 6
Pictures, 1958. DVD. Universal, 2000.
The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Tor, Kevin
Pollack, and Kevin Spacey. PolyGram Entertainment, 1995. DVD. Polygram, 1998.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Dir. Robert Zemekis. Perf. Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, and Joanna
Cassidy. Amblin Entertainment/Touchstone Pictures, 1988. DVD. Touchstone Home Video,
1999.