AMST3513 Film & American Society
Hollywood as Industry & Image
Spring 2010
Prof. Stacy Takacs
Office: Main Hall 2221
Office Hours: M,T, 2-4:00 pm; R 4-5 pm
Email: stacy.takacs@okstate.edu
Phone: 918-594-8331
OSU American Studies Website
http://amst.okstate.edu/index.php
Also, catch us on Facebook. Search for American Studies Oklahoma State University.
Course Description:
“Hollywood” is a dreamland: the site of the production of potent national and global imaginaries
and a misty realm of fantasy in its own right. A city, an industry and an incarnation of the
American dream, Hollywood has accumulated a variety of potent meanings in US culture. The
term refers to the film and television industries based in Los Angeles, but also to the
multinational media corporations who run these industries. Depending on the source, it signifies
the gold standard of production values and quality aesthetics or the “dumbing down” of the
collective intelligence and a form of “cultural imperialism” bent on eliminating local cultural
expression. Hollywood films are noted for an emphasis on simplified story-telling and happy
endings but also for an excess of spectacle, violence and sex. This course will explore some of
the many meanings of Hollywood in US culture and how the meanings of Hollywood have
changed over time. It will examine the history of the Hollywood film industry, its influence in the
world, and its image in the minds of consumers.
Texts:
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Steven J. Ross, Movies and American Society
Nathaniel West, The Day of the Locust
A collection of readings available on the D2L <https://oc.okstate.edu>.
We will also examine a variety of films, old and new, some of which you will be asked to
view outside of class time.
Policies:
Participation: Students are expected to attend every class and participate actively in class
discussions, both real and virtual. Participation will comprise 10% of your grade (100 points).
Excessive absence may result in a failing grade for the course. Absences will be excused
only for dire illness and family emergency, both of which must be substantiated by
documentation (a Dr's note, a funeral notice, etc.). If you accumulate more than one
unexcused absence, you forfeit the right to earn extra-credit points.
Active participation means:
 You will have read the materials, watch the films, and completed any writing
assignments, including on-line assignments, before you arrive in class.
 You will bring the day’s reading materials with you to class so that you may refer to
them.
 You will engage with and respond to your peers during both large and small group
discussions and during on-line assignments.
 You will listen attentively to every speaker and respond respectfully to the ideas of
others both in class and in the virtual venue (about which, see below).
 You will exhibit a deliberate effort to apply, extend, and challenge concepts that we
generate in class.
 You will demonstrate your curiosity and willingness to ask questions, advance
comparisons, and make observations.
Discussion Homework: You will be asked to watch a film each week, and write a brief (100+
words) analytical response that discusses an aspect of the film in relation to assigned
readings. You will post your analysis on the D2L Discussion Board. You will post TEN of
these homework assignments, but will have eleven opportunities to do so (i.e. you have one
assignment to play with). Responses can be informal but should still be critical—that is, you
are required to make an important connection between the assigned film(s) and one or more
course readings/topics. Videos will be available either on Reserve at the OSUT library, on
my Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/stakacs09), or, in some cases, through free
streaming video services. Each posting will be worth a possible10 pts (100 total), and
together they will comprise 10% of your grade..
Short Analytical Essay: You will complete ONE 2-3 page analytical writing assignment
related to the novel, Day of the Locust. See the ASSIGNMENTS folder on the D2L for full
details and the schedule for due date. This essay will be worth 100 points and will comprise
10% of your grade.
Longer Research Essay: You will craft an in-depth research essay that responds to one of a
series of possible questions. Essays will be 5-7 pages in length and will require you to
examine the production, distribution, and/or reception history of a film of your choice from
any era. See the ASSIGNMENTS folder on the D2L for full details and possible topics. This
essay will be worth 300 points and will comprise 30% of your grade.
Midterm Exam (Take Home): There will be one mid-term exam in this class, and it will be a
take-home exam. The exam will consist of a mix of identifications, short-answer responses,
and essay questions and will cover the course readings, lectures, media, and discussions to
that point in the semester. The exam will be due the week before spring break; no late
exams will be accepted. The exam will be worth 200 points, and will comprise 20% of your
course grade.
Final Exam: The final exam in this class should be scheduled for May 3 (subject to change
pending release of OSUT Exam schedule). The exam will consist of a mix of identifications,
short-answer responses, and essay questions and will cover the course readings, lectures,
media, and discussions in equal measure. It will be a cumulative final. Check the course
schedule to determine the exam dates. There will be a study guide offered for the exam; it
behooves you to use it. Make-up exams will be given only in cases of documented
emergency and only if I am notified of said emergency well before the scheduled date and
time of the exam. If you contact me after you miss the exam, I will be unable to help you,
and you will receive a grade of zero. The exam will be worth 200 points, and will comprise
20% of your course grade.
Academic Honesty: All work you turn in for this class must be your own work. Incidents
of plagiarism—including the failure to cite your sources properly—will result in a failing
grade for the assignment. Any more egregious violation (turning in someone else's paper
as your own, copying content from the internet, or cheating during an exam, for example)
will result in a failing grade for the course. Consult OSU’s Office of Academic Affairs for
more information on the University's new, more stringent Academic Integrity policy.
Special Needs and Disabilities: Please feel free to contact me with any special needs that you
may have related to a physical or mental disability; I’ll be happy to work with you to
accommodate your needs. NOTE: If you have a disability, physical or otherwise, you must
register with the appropriate liaison in the Student Disability Services Office (103 North Hall;
918-594-8354).
Grading:
Participation
10%
(100 points)
Discussion
10%
(100 points)
A=90-100%
Short Essay
10%
(100 points)
B=80-89%
Research Essay
30%
(300 points)
C=70-79%
Midterm Exam
20%
(200 points)
D=60-69%
Final Exam
20%
(200 points)
F=59% or less
Total
100%
(1000 points)
Schedule:
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MAS=Movies and American Society; Read all documents included in the
chapters assigned along with the critical essay
Readings marked with an Asterisk (*) are available in the "Readings" section of
the D2L website (https://oc.okstate.edu)
Readings with an html link can be viewed online by clicking the link.
1/11
Read:
Introduction: Movies Before Hollywood
MAS: Chapters 1-2 (+ all documents)
View: Early Silent Cinema (in-class)
Class Cancelled—MLK Day
1/18
1/25
Read:
The Rise of Hollywood
MAS: Chapter 3 (+ all documents)
*Harry Benshoff, “The Style of Hollywood Cinema”
View: Don’t Change Your Husband (Reserve)
In Class: Casablanca, “The Studio System” (American Cinema Pt. 2)
2/1
Read:
The Star System
*Miriam Hansen, “Male Star, Female Fans”
View: The Sheik (Reserve; Youtube)
In Class: “The Star” (American Cinema Pt. 2)
2/8
Read:
Censorship in Hollywood
MAS: Chapter 4 (+ all documents)
View: I’m No Angel (Reserve; Youtube)
2/15
Read:
Cinema and the Great Depression
MAS: Chapter 5 (+ all documents)
View (choose 1): It Happened One Night, Little Caesar, Gold Diggers of 1933;
Stand Up and Cheer (All on Reserve; Youtube)
2/22
Read:
Nathaniel West, The Day of the Locust
Short Essay 1 Due
3/1
Read:
Hollywood in the Post-WWII Era
MAS: Chapters7-8 (+ all documents)
View (choose 1): Red Nightmare (Reserve; Youtube), Rebel Without a Cause
(Reserve); All That Heaven Allows (Reserve)
3/8
Read:
Race and Film in the 60s and 70s
MAS: Chapter 9 (+ all documents)
View: Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song (Reserve)
In Class: Baadasssss Cinema
Midterm Exam Due
Class Cancelled—Spring Break
3/15
3/22
Read:
The New Hollywood I: Filmmaking Gets Serious
*John Belton, ”The Color of Money: Young Directors and the Box Office”
View (choose 1): Bonnie and Clyde (Reserve), The Graduate (Reserve), Taxi
Driver (Reserve); Easy Rider (Reserve)
In Class: “The Studio System” (New Hollywood) (American Cinema pt. 2)
Topic Proposal for Research Essay Due
3/29
Hollywood and Post-Vietnam America
MAS: Chapters 10-11
View: Full Metal Jacket (Reserve)
4/5
New Hollywood II: Blockbuster Production
MAS: Chapter 12
*Geoff King, “The New Hollywood II: Blockbusters & Corporate Hollywood”
View: Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977) (Reserve)
In Class: Frontline: “The Monster That Ate Hollywood”; This Film is Not Yet Rated
4/12
Hollywood After 9/11
Chris Collin, “Terror Cleansing”
*David Holloway, “Cinema”
*Jeffrey Melnick, “Tools”
View: A film of your choice related to 9/11 (see list on D2L)
In Class: Rescue Me
Draft of Research Essay Due (optional)
4/19
Hollywood in the Digital Age
*Henry Jenkins, “Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars? Digital Cinema, Media
Convergence and Participatory Culture”
*Robert E. Davis, “The Instantaneous Worldwide Release: Coming Soon to
Everyone, Everywhere”
Joshua Davis, “James Cameron’s New 3-D Epic Could Change Film Forever”
David, Brooks, “The Messiah Complex”
In-class: Avatar (if available; Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, if not)
4/26
In-Class: Avatar (if available; Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, if not)
Research Essay Due
5/3
Final Exam