Wed Jan 15 : Introduction
Lesson One: Course Introduction, Delmore Schwartz, “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities,” “Screeno” (PDF sent by e-mail)
Lesson Two: Charlie Chaplin, The Gold Rush (1925), available on youtube and on the class website
Wed Jan 22: The Hollywood Musical
Lesson Three: The Jazz Singer (1927)
Critical Reading: Rogin, Michael, “Blackface, White Noise: The Jewish Jazz Singer Finds His Voice.” In Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot. By Michael Rogin, 73–120. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.
Lesson Four: Stanley Donen, Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Critical Reading: Raymond Knapp, “The Movie Musical: Singin’ in the Rain,” from The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity (2006)
Introduction to Assignment #1: Musical, Western, Noir
Wed Jan 29: The Hollywood Western
Lesson Five: Edwin S. Porter, The Great Train Robbery (1903)
Critical Reading: Jim Kitses, “Authorship and Genre: Notes on the Western” (1969)
Andre Bazin: “The Evolution of the Western” (1955)
Lesson Six: John Ford, Stagecoach (1939) (available on Hulu and class website)
Critical Reading: Sherman Alexie, “My Heroes Have Never Been Cowboys” and “Reservation Drive-in” (1993)
Pam Cook, “Women and the Western” (1988)
Tag Gallagher, “Angels Gambol Where They Will: John Ford’s Indians” (1993)
Recommended:
Ernest Haycox, “The Stage to Lordsburg” (1937) (available on class website)
Guy de Maupassant, “Boule de suif” (1880) (available on class website)
Bret Harte, “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” (1869) (available on class website)
Wed Feb 5: Film Noir
Lesson Seven: No meeting, but out-of-class assignment due
Critical Reading:
Raymond Borde and Étienne Chaumeton, “Towards a Definition of Film Noir” (1955)
Sherwood King, If I Die Before I Wake (1938) (excerpts)
We will not meet because we are going to see The Lady from Shanghai in the evening. However, there will be a short out-of-class assignment due electronically during class time (ie. submitted between 11:30 and 2 PM)
Lesson Eight: FILM EXCURSION: Orson Welles, The Lady from Shanghai (1948), Film Forum, 7:00 PM
Essay #2: Review of The Lady from Shanghai in the style of Andrew Sarris or Pauline Kael. Imitate both the style and the point of view: auteur theory in Sarris’s case, a more holistic, reader-response based approach in Kael’s
Wed Feb 12: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Lesson Nine: Lesson Eleven: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
Lesson Ten: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
Wed Feb 19: Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (2013)
Lesson Eleven: Baz Luhrmann: The Great Gatsby
Lesson Twelve: Claude McKay, "Harlem Shadows," "The Harlem Dancer" (1922), Josephine Baker ("Banana Dance," "Zouzou" and other performance clips)
Wed Feb 26: Genre Assignment Presentations
Lesson Thirteen: Genre Assignment Due, Class presentations
Lesson Fourteen: Genre Assignment Due, Class Presentations
Lesson One: Course Introduction, Delmore Schwartz, “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities,” “Screeno” (PDF sent by e-mail)
Lesson Two: Charlie Chaplin, The Gold Rush (1925), available on youtube and on the class website
Wed Jan 22: The Hollywood Musical
Lesson Three: The Jazz Singer (1927)
Critical Reading: Rogin, Michael, “Blackface, White Noise: The Jewish Jazz Singer Finds His Voice.” In Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot. By Michael Rogin, 73–120. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.
Lesson Four: Stanley Donen, Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Critical Reading: Raymond Knapp, “The Movie Musical: Singin’ in the Rain,” from The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity (2006)
Introduction to Assignment #1: Musical, Western, Noir
Wed Jan 29: The Hollywood Western
Lesson Five: Edwin S. Porter, The Great Train Robbery (1903)
Critical Reading: Jim Kitses, “Authorship and Genre: Notes on the Western” (1969)
Andre Bazin: “The Evolution of the Western” (1955)
Lesson Six: John Ford, Stagecoach (1939) (available on Hulu and class website)
Critical Reading: Sherman Alexie, “My Heroes Have Never Been Cowboys” and “Reservation Drive-in” (1993)
Pam Cook, “Women and the Western” (1988)
Tag Gallagher, “Angels Gambol Where They Will: John Ford’s Indians” (1993)
Recommended:
Ernest Haycox, “The Stage to Lordsburg” (1937) (available on class website)
Guy de Maupassant, “Boule de suif” (1880) (available on class website)
Bret Harte, “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” (1869) (available on class website)
Wed Feb 5: Film Noir
Lesson Seven: No meeting, but out-of-class assignment due
Critical Reading:
Raymond Borde and Étienne Chaumeton, “Towards a Definition of Film Noir” (1955)
Sherwood King, If I Die Before I Wake (1938) (excerpts)
We will not meet because we are going to see The Lady from Shanghai in the evening. However, there will be a short out-of-class assignment due electronically during class time (ie. submitted between 11:30 and 2 PM)
Lesson Eight: FILM EXCURSION: Orson Welles, The Lady from Shanghai (1948), Film Forum, 7:00 PM
Essay #2: Review of The Lady from Shanghai in the style of Andrew Sarris or Pauline Kael. Imitate both the style and the point of view: auteur theory in Sarris’s case, a more holistic, reader-response based approach in Kael’s
Wed Feb 12: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Lesson Nine: Lesson Eleven: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
Lesson Ten: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
Wed Feb 19: Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (2013)
Lesson Eleven: Baz Luhrmann: The Great Gatsby
Lesson Twelve: Claude McKay, "Harlem Shadows," "The Harlem Dancer" (1922), Josephine Baker ("Banana Dance," "Zouzou" and other performance clips)
Wed Feb 26: Genre Assignment Presentations
Lesson Thirteen: Genre Assignment Due, Class presentations
Lesson Fourteen: Genre Assignment Due, Class Presentations