Charles R. Kaczyński
LEH 301/Lehman College (CUNY)
Fall Semester 2009
charles.kaczynski@lehman.cuny.edu
LEH 301: “Real to Reel”: New York Immigration in Film
Course Description: This course examines how twentieth-century immigration to New York City is
depicted in American and foreign films released between 1927 and 2008. Every week the student will
screen a film and discuss it with the instructor and his/her fellow students. Special attention is given
throughout the course to the common experiences of the different immigrant groups that have come to New
York City. Through active participation in the class, students will be able:
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To identify and describe common immigrant experiences such as the economic and political
motivations for emigrating to New York City, the immigrants’ perception of New York City and
the United States, the tensions associated with assimilating into American society, the effort to
maintain home-country cultural practices, and the generational conflicts between immigrants and
their American-born children.
To compare different directors’ treatment of the above experiences.
To judge how realistically a particular director depicts a group’s immigration and assimilation
processes.
To describe how cinematic depictions of the immigrant experience in New York City changed
from 1927 to 2008.
Course Requirements: The required work for this course consists of four comparative film reviews (80%
of the final grade) and participation (20% of the final grade). The participation grade will be based on inclass attention and questions/comments and the quality and number of postings made on each film’s
discussion page.
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Before the screening of a film, the student will read and annotate the assigned reading(s). The
hyperlink to the reading(s) is located under the film’s title on the course website:
www.wikispaces.com.
During the viewing of each film, the student will take notes on the film, concentrating on
collecting information to answer the framing questions.
The students will participate in a virtual forum discussion of EACH of the films screened this
semester. The discussion pages may be accessed from the homepage of the LEH 301 “Real to
Reel” class on the Wikispaces website.
Unless previous arrangements have been made, late responses and papers will not be accepted.
I expect students to attend ALL class sessions.
Academic Honesty: All work submitted will be the result of the student’s own effort. Any cheating on
the postings or reviews will result in a failing grade for the particular assignment and possibly the course.
Simply put--Do not plagiarize!1
Websites: The following websites may come in handy when a student needs to verify a fact about a film
or when the student needs to order films for an additional screening.
o Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com.
o Netflix: www.netflix.com.
Plagiarize: “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own; to use (a created
production) without crediting the source.” See: Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary 150th Anniversary
Edition, (Springfield: G. & C. Merriam Company, 1981).
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Calendar of Films:
o 30 August: Course/website introduction & screening of The Immigrant (1917).
 Jewish Immigration Films.
o 6 September: The Jazz Singer (1927).
o 13 September: Hester Street (1975).
o 20 September: NO CLASS.
o 27 September: Discussion of Jewish immigration films.
 Chinese Immigration Films:
o 4 October: Combination Platter (1993).
o 11 October: The Wedding Banquet (1993).
o 18 October: Discussion of Chinese immigration films.
 Latino Immigration Films:
o 25 October: Nueba Yol (1995).
o 1 November: La Ciudad (1998).
o 8 November: Chop Shop (2007).
o 15 November: Discussion of Latino immigration films.
 Pakistani Immigration Films:
o 22 November: NO CLASS.
o 29 November: The War Within (2005).
o 6 December: Man Push Cart (2005).
o 13 December: Discussion of Pakistani immigration films.
Calendar of Assignments:
 4 October: Comparative review of Jewish immigration films.
 25 October: Comparative review of Chinese immigration films.
 29 November: Comparative review of Latino immigraiton films.
 20 December: Comparative review of Pakistani immigration films.