FEMINISM AND FILM (AKA QUEER AND FEMINIST FILM STUDIES)

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FEMINISM AND FILM
(AKA QUEER AND FEMINIST FILM STUDIES)
WOMEN’S & GENDER STUDIES 272-01: SPRING 2013
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Sarah E. Kersh
TIMES:
MW 1:10-2:25
EMAIL:
sarah.kersh@vanderbilt.edu
OFFICE:
MW
TR
Calhoun 423
Benson 421
Curb Center (corner of Edgehill and 18th)
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon: 2:30-3:30 in Benson 421
Tues: 9:30-10:45 in the Curb Center
COURSE BLOG:
my.vanderbilt.edu/wgs272
REQUIRED TEXTS
Available in the Bookstore or online:
Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts (3rd edition) by Susan Hayward [ISBN: 9780415367820]
Other required texts will be provided either in class, online, or on reserve in the Central Library. It is your
responsibility to see all assigned films, and to print out and read all required readings.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In this course students will analyze film as an art form as well as be exposed to feminist and queer film
theory. We will consider the role of film in our understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality. Through
discussions and writing (primarily blog posts) we will work to discern relevant social, political, ideological,
and aesthetic concepts in the media we examine. We will look at contemporary Hollywood and
independent cinema, US and some international films by both established and emerging filmmakers.
COURSE CONTENT NOTE:
Please be aware that some of the films that we will screen as part of this course have adult language,
themes, and sexual content. If this type of material bothers you, you may want to consider an alternate
course, or if you have specific issues, please see me as soon as possible.
GRADING DISTRIBUTION:
Participation
10%
Film Review
15%
Blog Posts
50% (35% posts; 15% comments)
Final Project
25% (20% project; 5% presentation) (details TBA)
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“How can I know what I think until I see what I say?” – E.M. Forster
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:
ATTENDANCE:
This class is a workshop/seminar and therefore depends on the participation of its members. Failure to
attend undermines the class as a whole. Attendance, therefore, will be a substantial part of your
participation grade. You may miss up to three class periods without penalty. Save these misses for when
you really need them (e.g. illness, family emergency, long lines in the Commons). I don’t distinguish
between excused and unexcused absences—a missed class is a missed class. If you miss the class for any
reason, you are responsible for what went on in the class, including changes of assignments. I will not
answer emails asking me to describe what went on in class. You are responsible for contacting one of your
classmates to find out what went on, including changes of any assignments. If you miss more than three
classes, for whatever reason, your overall participation grade will decrease by ten percent per missed
class. If you miss six or more classes, you are in danger of failing the course. If you have extenuating
circumstances, please contact me as soon as possible.
LATENESS, CELL PHONES, AND OTHER DISRUPTIONS:
Please make an effort to be on time. Class begins promptly and if you
are more than ten minutes late, I will record you as absent. If you
have a reason that may cause you to be late from time to time, please
let me know. Please remember to turn OFF all cell phones unless
otherwise directed. If you are a student athlete or member of a student
group which requires you to miss class for a university-sanctioned
event, please let me know as soon as possible.
ELECTRONICS:
Since thoughtful listening and responding will be instrumental to the success of our course, I prefer
students not rely on electronic instruments in class. In other words, I do not like for students to use
laptops for general note taking in class. If we do in-class writing assignments you may use a laptop. (For
these assignments, I will give advance notice.) If this presents a problem, please see me.
BLOG POSTS, IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS, AND FILM REVIEW:
You will complete 10 blog posts (500 words/post) over the course of the semester as well as comment on
other posts made by your classmates. These posts are a response to the week’s readings, films, and in-class
discussions. I expect you to engage with the readings/films/discussions and not simply summarize them. I
also expect you to make connections to other sources, media, and class texts so
please add quotations, images, links, videos, etc that relate to the week’s topics and
your interpretation of it. A good post will ask questions, note limitations, analyze
details of content, form, and argument. The blog is a place to work through the
challenging material we are covering in this class and the difficult theories I am
asking you to consider. The blog is also an extension of ideas about performance
and performativity that we are thinking through together. As with every aspect of
this class, I expect you to ask hard questions, but to do so with respect and courtesy to your fellow classmates.
Posts are a way for you to show me you are actively engaging with the texts as well as give me a way to
give you feedback on your writing and analytic skills. Your responses will also serve as a basis for our
Kersh 3
class discussion and often the basis for your papers. If you’re having trouble participating in class
discussion, this is a way to work out your thoughts on paper so that you can jump into the conversation.
You will also complete a film review (3-5 pages) and you may also have in-class writing assignments.
Further details TBA.
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Class participation is a mandatory part of this course. I expect all students to
be prepared for class. Please make sure you have the text we are discussing with
you as well as whatever you need to take good notes. It is your responsibility to
have the reading completed and be ready to discuss it. Remember, reading is not
a passive activity. I suggest you take reading notes. If you are not ready to
speak, listen, and discuss when you come to class on any given day, then you
are not prepared for class. The success of the class depends on the enthusiastic
participation of each and every member. Your contributions—based on your
unique viewpoints and experiences—make a vast difference in the way we all
come to understand issues and texts. Coming to class regularly, in and of itself,
will earn only a C at best.
PRESENTATIONS:
All students will present at least once during the semester. Further details TBA.
DEADLINES:
Deadlines are firm. Unless you have asked for and received prior permission to extend the deadline or you
have a signed medical excuse, late assignments will lose one grade increment per day late. I cannot accept
assignments more than one week late.
PLAGIARISM:
Presenting someone else’s work as your own, not citing sources of information and ideas that you use
in your papers, is plagiarizing, and plagiarized papers automatically fail. Even when you use your own
wording for someone else’s ideas (e.g. a paraphrase or summary), you need to cite the source. Always
acknowledge your source for any idea that is not your own. If you have questions about what constitutes
plagiarism, consult your student handbook or ask me.
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/student_handbook/the-honor-system
THE WRITING STUDIO:
For extra help with your writing, consider visiting the Writing Studio
in room 007 of Calhoun Hall or in the Commons. The studio can
help you improve your work at any stage in the writing process.
Call 615-343-2225, stop by, or fill out on online form to schedule a
half-hour long, one-on-one appointment. I strongly encourage
everyone to do this at least once during the semester.
For times and more information, see their website at:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/writing/index.php
GRADE CALCULATIONS:
I use an excel worksheet to calculate my grades. If you would like to discuss graded work, please take at
least two days to review my comments, along with the grading criteria for the assignment. While I don't
negotiate grades, I am happy to discuss strategies for improving your writing.
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EXTRA CREDIT:
If you attend any Vanderbilt University screening, workshop, or lecture and write a 1-2 page reflection
stating how the event related to this class and what was interesting about it for you, I will award 1 point
extra credit. You may complete up to 5 extra credit reflections. I will reject any reflection I feel is
insufficient or unsuitable.
**It is STRONGLY encouraged that you attend an International Lens screening this semester** See
website for details: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/internationallens/
OTHER NEEDS AND A NOTE ON COMMUNITY:
If you have a concern or issue regarding this class, your ability to participate in it or the material we are
covering, please stop by my office hours or email me to set up an appointment. The sooner we can talk
about your concerns, the better I will be able to help you negotiate a solution. I am committed to providing
equal educational opportunity to all students.
All members of the Vanderbilt community have the responsibility to demonstrate basic respect for all
individuals. We communicate this respect in all aspects of behavior, including our expressed ideas, our
associations with others in social groups and organizations, and our interactions with others in the
classroom environment. We aim to increase contact with and understanding of individuals who are
different from ourselves, and we seek out exposure to ideas that challenge our preconceptions.
You as members of the Vanderbilt University community have a responsibility to promote and a right to
expect scholarship, honesty, civility, accountability, caring, discovery, and celebration as described in the
Vanderbilt Community Creed. See:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/student_handbook/
CLASS CONTACTS:
If you miss class for ANY reason it is YOUR responsibility to
contact another member of the class to see what you may have
missed. Please make sure you have at least three contacts:
1. name: __________________________________________ cell: _________________________
2. name: __________________________________________ cell: _________________________
3. name: __________________________________________ cell: _________________________
NOTE: The policies, procedures, schedules, and requirements in this syllabus are subject to change—
should any occur I will make every effort to give you plenty of notice.
Course Calendar: Feminism & Film
SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS
Please know that I am fully committed to insuring a productive educational environment for all students. If you have
any physical or learning needs that may affect your work in this or any class, please let me know and contact the
Opportunity Development Center (322-4705) as soon as possible so that we can discuss appropriate
accommodations.
Topics for Class
Discussion
WEEK 1
Jan 7
Jan 9
Mon.
Reading & Writing Due IN CLASS
Course Introduction
Wed.
Syllabus and
Expectations
Sun.
No Screening
o Questionnaire Due (PDF)
o Smith, Greg. “ ‘It’s Just a Movie’: A Teaching Essay for Introductory
Media Classes.” (online article)
o Read in Cinema Studies: feminist film theory; (film) theory; Queer
cinema
WEEK 2
Jan 14
Mon.
Jan 16
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Blog Entry Option 1
WEEK 3
Jan 20
Jan 21
Sun.
Mon.
4: 00 Screening
Jan 23
Wed.
o Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (PDF)
o CS: gaze/look; psychoanalysis
o John Berger: Chapter 3 from Ways of Seeing (45-64) (PDF)
o bell hooks: “Oppositional Gaze” (115-131) (PDF)
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
Fri/Sun
Rear Window (1954) (dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
No Class—MLK day (go volunteer!)
o CS: film noir
o Tania Modleski, “The Master’s Dollhouse: Rear Window” (PDF)
Film Noir and the
o Online Review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/21/alfredDetective Thriller
hitchcock-women-psycho-the-birds-bidisha
o Online Review/Critique: http://thefilmspectrum.com/?p=241
Blog Entry Option 2 Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
WEEK 4
Jan 27
Sun.
4: 00 Screening
Jan 28
Mon.
Jan 30
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Bound (1996) (dirs. Andy and Lana Wachowski)
o CS: gangster/criminal thriller; mise-en-abîme; mise-en-scéne;
Neo-Noir: Film Noir
voyeurism/fetishism
Revised?
o “Bound Together” by Kelly Kessler (PDF)
o Sherrie A. Inness, from Tough Girls: “Beyond Muscles” (11-27)(PDF)
Blog Entry Option 3
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
WEEK 5
Feb. 3
Sun.
Screening
Feb. 4
Mon.
Gender and Camp
Feb. 6
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Blog Entry Option 4
Note that this calendar is subject to change.
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) (dir. Jamie Babbit)
o Susan Sontag’s “Notes on Camp” (PDF)
o CS: exploitation movies
o Review of But I’m a Cheerleader by Eva Phillips on Bitch Flicks
o Selections from My Gender Workbook pp 25-71 (PDF)
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
Course Calendar: Feminism & Film
WEEK 6
Feb. 10
Sun.
Screening
Feb. 11
Mon.
Women and Politics
Feb. 13
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Blog Entry Option 5
WEEK 7
Feb. 17
Sun.
Screening
Feb. 18
Mon.
Feb. 20
Wed.
WEEK 8
Feb. 24
Feb. 25
Feb. 27
Fri/Sun
Blog Entry Option 6
Sun.
Mon.
Wed.
Screening
Fri/Sun
Blog Entry Option 7
Mar. 2-10
SPRING BREAK
WEEK 9
Mar 10
Sun.
Screening
Mar 11
Mon.
Queer Futurity
Mar 13
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Blog Entry Option 8
Sun.
Mon.
Wed.
No Screening
No Class
No Class
Blog Entry 9
Mandatory entry on
Final Project
Election (1999) (dir. Alexander Payne)
No new reading:
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Sarah Niebler (Political Science)
o Diana B. Carlin & Kelly L. Winfrey: “Have You Come a Long Way,
Baby? Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign
Coverage” (PDF)
o Selections from Notes from the Cracked Ceiling by Anne E.
Kornblut (PDF)
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
Paris is Burning (1990) (dir. Jennie Livingston)
No new reading
Guest Lecturer: Prof. Donika Ross (English)
o CS: documentary; take a look at Queer Cinema again
o Excerpt from Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble (PDF)
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
All About My Mother (1999) (dir. Pedro Almodóvar.)
o TBA
***Film Review Due via email to me*** (see prompt)
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight (I
will accept these entries up until the Fri/Sun before we return to class.)
NO CLASS
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009) (dir. Daniel Alfredson)
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Diana Bellonby
o Excerpt from Gayle Rubin: “Traffic in Women…” (PDF)
o Halberstam, Jack. “The Girl Who Played with Queer Utopia.”
(online review/article)
o Muñoz, José Esteban. “Feeling Utopia.” Cruising Utopia: The Then
and There of Queer Futurity. New York: NYU Press, 2009. 1-18.
(PDF)
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
WEEK 10
Mar 18
Mar 20
Fri/Sun
WEEK 11
Mar 24
Mar 25
Mar 27
Sun.
Mon.
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Screening
Required individual Conferences
Required individual Conferences
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
TBA
o TBA
o TBA
Blog Entry Option 10 Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
Note that this calendar is subject to change.
Course Calendar: Feminism & Film
WEEK 12
Mar 31
Apr 1
Apr 3
Sun.
Mon.
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Screening
Queer Time
Dr. Who episode
o TBA
o TBA
Blog Entry Option 11 Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
WEEK 13
Apr 8
Apr 10
Sun.
Mon.
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Blog Entry Option 12
No Screening
Presentations
Presentations
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
Blog Entry Option 13
No Screening
presentations
presentations
Post due by Fri at midnight and Comments Due Sun at midnight
WEEK 14
Apr 15
Apr 17
WEEK 15
April 22
FINALS
April 30
Sun.
Mon.
Wed.
Fri/Sun
Mon.
Final Class wrap up
Tues.
Final Project Due
My Writing Assignments & Grades:
1. Writing Questionnaire (Due first week of class):
2. Film Review (Due by 2/27):
3. Class Blog (required total: 10 posts and 20 comments):
Week 1 *
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 2
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 3
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 4
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 5
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 5
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 7
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 8
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 9 *
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 10
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 11
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 12
Post:
2 Comments:
Week 13
Post:
2 Comments:
* Mandatory posts
Note that this calendar is subject to change.
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