Chapman University
Fall 2023
English 472: Film, gender, sexuality
Land Acknowledgement (from Chapman's Wilkinson College website)
Wilkinson College believes all students should be taught the importance of recognizing land to understand the colonizing roots of academia and the way many fields of higher education have been used in the ostracizing, marginalization and disempowering (as well as the stealing of land, forced removal, and genocide) of communities. In doing so, we hope to inspire our students to use their education to challenge institutional and structural barriers to work toward equality, respect, and the lifting of their communities. Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences collectively acknowledges that Chapman University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Acjachemen Peoples in the Juaneño Territory, adjacent to our Tongva/Kizh neighbors to the North and Payomkawichum/Luiseño and Kumeyaay neighbors to the South. In addition, we recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of California’s 109 federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in California, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty, and consistent with our values of community and diversity, acknowledge our responsibility to hold the university more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.
Statement on Diversity and Inclusion
Department of English, Chapman University
December 2016
For at least half a century now, English as an academic discipline has been at the forefront of scholarly work and pedagogy in feminist theory, critical race studies, ecocriticism, queer theory, disability studies, working-class studies, postcolonial theory, multiculturalism, linguistic diversity, and student agency. The English Department at Chapman University works in all these areas and endorses Chapman’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. We pledge to vigorously support all our students; to welcome all students into our classrooms irrespective of immigration status; to contest racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, imperialism, anti-Semitism, and anti-environmentalism; and to resist deportations.
Wilkinson College Interdisciplinary Minors Statement of Solidarity with Black Lives Matter, June 2020
English Department Statement of Solidarity with Black Lives Matter and endorsement of the statement by the Association of Asian American Studies on heightened anti-Asian bigotry during the Coronavirus pandemic, June 2020
Instructor Information:
- Ian Barnard, Ph.D.
- Office: 428 N. Glassell #104
- Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment, in person or via Zoom (email me to schedule)
- Email Office Hours: [email protected]
Catalog Course Description:
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
Required Texts:
Films (you will watch most on your own; we'll watch a few together in class):
S = on Swank; K = on Kanopy; N = on Netflix; A = on Amazon Prime Video
Grade Information:
This course uses the contract grading system (also known as labor-based grading) that is becoming increasingly common in educational institutions. This means that I will not be “giving” you a grade at the end of the course; rather, you will determine and work toward your own grade, based on the criteria below. I will also not be assigning grades to individual class projects but will give you plenty of feedback on your work. Like other faculty, I am using contract grading primarily for four reasons: 1) research has demonstrated that traditional grading practices are inequitable; 2) since what constitutes “good” or “bad” student work is subjective, contract grading gets rid of this kind of subjectivity because I will not be grading the content of your work; 3) I prefer to give you constructive feedback on your work, rather than have to rank you by assigning a grade to your work; 4) studies have shown that grades inhibit student learning, and students learn more and produce better work when they are not “writing for a grade.” It’s up to you to decide which grade you’d like to work for in this course—I won’t hold your choice against you; a student’s grade is not a comment on their intelligence or indicative of if they’re a good or likeable person or not!
Grade Contract:
A
A-
1 small (S) course component missing/late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
B+
2 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
B
3 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
B-
4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
C+/C/C-
5-9 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component missing OR 2-4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete and 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
D and F
Don’t meet C requirements
Attendance policy: class discussions are a central component of this course, so your attendance in class is crucial. You have four free absences to use for medical and other emergencies, no questions asked; you may miss an additional two class meetings without penalty if you give me advance notice and provide documentation of your emergency; if you miss a fifth or sixth class meeting without advance notice or documentation of emergency, your final course grade will be negatively impacted. Note that you cannot pass the class if you miss more than six class meetings for any reason. According to the official university catalog, “The University recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed.” However, I don’t want anyone to fail the course, so if you need to miss more than six classes, I will encourage you to withdraw from the course, and will support a late withdrawal petition on your behalf.
Extension policy (h/t Sawyer Kelly and Samantha Dressel): each class member has three available extensions. These extensions are for one day, two days, and seven days respectively. Each extension may only be used once throughout the semester and can be used on any assignment except the journal expansion draft and film festival. If you would like to use an extension, send me an email letting me know which extension you plan to use before the assignment’s original due date. The extensions enable you to turn in assignments late without penalty.
Major Assignments:
Additional Course Policies and Resources:
- This course examines the relationship among film, gender, and sexuality. Topics covered may include cinematic representations of gender and sexuality, GLBT issues in film, feminist film theory, censorship, transgression, screening the body, psychoanalysis and cinema. Letter grade with Pass/No Pass option. Enrollment limited to juniors and above.
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
- understand the political, social, and cultural significance of cinematic representations of people of diverse genders and sexual orientations
- understand how to analyze film form and content from multicultural and global queer and feminist perspectives
- know the history of feminist and queer films and film theory, including anti-imperialist and anti-racist interventions into film theory
- demonstrate your engagement with queer and feminist film theory and your ability to analyze films in oral, written, and other forms
- ability to explain and apply significant theoretical and critical approaches in the field of English studies
- skill in critical reading, or the practice of identifying and interpreting the formal, rhetorical, and stylistic features of a text
- skill in writing grammatically, coherently, and persuasively
- compose critical or creative works that embody or analyze conceptually an artistic form at a baccalaureate / pre-professional level
- interpret identity as multifaceted and constituting multiple categories of difference, such as race, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, age, and/or disability as operating by individual and group
- analyze and communicate the consequences of elements of intolerance and exclusion based on categories of difference on a local, national and/or global scale
Required Texts:
- You are required to watch many films on your own for this class. Most are available for free on Kanopy or Swank. You will need to log in with your Chapman ID in order to view these films. In addition, you will need to pay a nominal free to stream three films that are not available on Chapman platforms.
- I will post articles on Canvas for you to read.
- You will also do independent research for your collaborative presentation and journal expansion essay.
Films (you will watch most on your own; we'll watch a few together in class):
S = on Swank; K = on Kanopy; N = on Netflix; A = on Amazon Prime Video
- Ahn, Andrew, dir. Spa Night. K (tw: internalized homophobia)
- Akerman, Chantal, dir. Jeanne Dielman. K
- Baker, Sean, dir. Tangerine. S (tw: violence against women, anti-trans hate crimes)
- Benning, Sadie, dir. The Videos of Sadie Benning, Volume 1. (tw: homophobia)
- Cheng, Li, dir. José. K (tw: homophobia)
- Diop, Alice, dir. Saint Omer. A (tw: racism, infanticide)
- Ducournau, Julia, dir. Titane. K (tw: sexual assault, self-harm, extreme violence)
- Epstein, Rob, and Jeffrey Friedman, dirs. The Celluloid Closet. A (tw: violence against lgbtq characters; use of n-word)
- Feder, Sam, dir. Disclosure. N (tw: racism, transphobia, violence against trans characters)
- Hammer, Barbara, dir. Dyketactics.
- Hilferty, Robert, dir. Stop the Church.
- Jarman, Derek, dir. Blue. K (tw: suicidal ideation)
- Julien, Isaac, dir. The Attendant. (tw: slavery)
- Menkes, Nina, dir. Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power. K
- Mulvey, Laura, and Peter Wollen, dirs. Riddles of the Sphinx.
- Peele, Jordan, dir. Get Out! S (tw: racism)
- Puenzo, Lucía, dir. XXY. K (tw: rape, anti-intersex violence)
- Ramaka, Joseph Gaï, dir. Karmen Geï. K (tw: suicide)
Grade Information:
This course uses the contract grading system (also known as labor-based grading) that is becoming increasingly common in educational institutions. This means that I will not be “giving” you a grade at the end of the course; rather, you will determine and work toward your own grade, based on the criteria below. I will also not be assigning grades to individual class projects but will give you plenty of feedback on your work. Like other faculty, I am using contract grading primarily for four reasons: 1) research has demonstrated that traditional grading practices are inequitable; 2) since what constitutes “good” or “bad” student work is subjective, contract grading gets rid of this kind of subjectivity because I will not be grading the content of your work; 3) I prefer to give you constructive feedback on your work, rather than have to rank you by assigning a grade to your work; 4) studies have shown that grades inhibit student learning, and students learn more and produce better work when they are not “writing for a grade.” It’s up to you to decide which grade you’d like to work for in this course—I won’t hold your choice against you; a student’s grade is not a comment on their intelligence or indicative of if they’re a good or likeable person or not!
Grade Contract:
A
- Attend class meetings (see attendance policy below)
- Carefully and critically read/view all assigned class readings/films (S)
- Thoughtfully and vigorously participate in class discussions (If you would prefer not to participate in class discussions, please see me so that we can come up with an alternative assignment sequence for you; if you tend to talk a lot in class, please make an effort to leave space for other class members to participate in class discussions as well) (S)
- Complete a journal introduction and eight journal entries following the instructions I post on Canvas (S)
- Give one recorded or live collaborative oral presentation following the guidelines below (L)
- Complete an anonymous in-class mid-semester survey giving your feedback on the course so far (S)
- Ask a question or make a comment as an assigned respondent for an oral presentation (S)
- Report on the sources you plan on using for your journal expansion assignment following the guidelines I post on Canvas (S)
- Post a substantial draft of your journal expansion assignment on Canvas following the guidelines below for the journal expansion assignment (S)
- Get feedback on your draft in an in-class peer workshop (S)
- Post a revision of your journal expansion assignment on Canvas that engages with workshop feedback if you had a workshop (L)
- Report on the progress you are making toward completing your final film and presentation (S)
- Individually or collaboratively create and present a feminist or queer film following the guidelines below (L)
- Post/present all assignments by the assigned due date and time (for exceptions, see extension policy below)
A-
1 small (S) course component missing/late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
B+
2 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
B
3 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
B-
4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
C+/C/C-
5-9 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete OR 1 large (L) course component missing OR 2-4 small (S) course components missing/late/incomplete and 1 large (L) course component late/incomplete (for exceptions, see extension policy below). Also, see attendance policy below.
D and F
Don’t meet C requirements
Attendance policy: class discussions are a central component of this course, so your attendance in class is crucial. You have four free absences to use for medical and other emergencies, no questions asked; you may miss an additional two class meetings without penalty if you give me advance notice and provide documentation of your emergency; if you miss a fifth or sixth class meeting without advance notice or documentation of emergency, your final course grade will be negatively impacted. Note that you cannot pass the class if you miss more than six class meetings for any reason. According to the official university catalog, “The University recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed.” However, I don’t want anyone to fail the course, so if you need to miss more than six classes, I will encourage you to withdraw from the course, and will support a late withdrawal petition on your behalf.
Extension policy (h/t Sawyer Kelly and Samantha Dressel): each class member has three available extensions. These extensions are for one day, two days, and seven days respectively. Each extension may only be used once throughout the semester and can be used on any assignment except the journal expansion draft and film festival. If you would like to use an extension, send me an email letting me know which extension you plan to use before the assignment’s original due date. The extensions enable you to turn in assignments late without penalty.
Major Assignments:
- Film and Presentation (may be individual or collaborative): Using Sadie Benning’s work as a model, create a 3-5 minute feminist or queer film individually or with other class members that addresses some aspect of feminist cinema, your own gender expression, queerness, queer cinema, or your own queerness, or another issue we have addressed in this course. You will post your film on Canvas and introduce it to the class at our class queer/feminist film festival on the day of our final exam. At our film festival, you'll tell us a bit about your film, explain what your goal was in creating this film, discuss your process of creating it, if collaborative explain how each group member contributed to the project, show your film to the class, and answer questions afterwards. Don't forget to note any trigger warnings, if applicable. If you work collaboratively, I expect all group members to contribute to making the film and to the presentation and Q and A. Each presentation lasts a maximum of 10 minutes: 2 minutes to introduce your film, 5 minutes to screen your film, and 3 minutes to answer questions.
- Journal: The purpose of the journal is 1) to enable you to record and reflect on your responses to course materials, usually before being influenced by class discussions, but in some cases after class discussions of a particular text/event (in the latter case, don’t just repeat what we say in class, but reflect on how your ideas have evolved as a result of class discussion); 2) to generate material that you can use in class discussions and in your major assignments. Each journal entry will take the form of an informal written reflection of at least 500 words; since this is a digital journal, you may include links, images, video excerpts, and other digital elements to support your points. Don’t just summarize the films/readings; use the first person and focus on your response to the texts/readings and what you found particularly interesting or important or problematic about them—be sure to give specific examples from the films and readings.
- Journal Expansion: 1250-2500 words (excluding bibliography). This is your opportunity to revise and expand one of your first seven journal entries into a more traditional essay. Perhaps you have deepened or changed your understanding of a topic or film as a result of reading other class members' journal entries, class discussions or readings, or the passage of time? Perhaps you are particularly interested in one of the topics or films and have more to say on it? Choose one of your first seven journal entries and revise/expand it. Make sure that your essay doesn’t just summarize the film, readings, or our or others’ discussions of them. Write in the first person and focus on your contribution to/intervention into these discussions. Support your points with specific examples from your film. You must engage with at least one other class member’s journal entry on your chosen film and at least outside scholarly source. I can help you find scholarly sources! You’re also welcome to bring additional class or outside texts (including other films) into your discussion. And since you’ll be posting your essay on Canvas, you’re welcome to include links, images, video clips, and other digital elements. Cite all sources following MLA (or another scholarly) format in the body of your essay, and don’t forget a bibliography at the end—it should follow MLA (or another scholarly) format and include all primary and secondary sources you cite (including films and classmates’ journal entries). You should also include appropriate citations for any images you use. Your target audience is other scholars who are interested in and know something about film, gender, and sexuality, but are not necessarily members of our class and have not necessarily seen the film(s) you are discussing. You will have the opportunity to get feedback on a draft of your essay from colleagues before you turn in the final version.
- Collaborative Presentation: You and one or two colleagues will research and develop a presentation on an assigned topic, and you’ll either record your presentation for screening during class or give your presentation live in class. All presentations will be followed by live Q and A. The purpose of your presentation is to provide class members with background and contextual information on class topics, filmmakers, and films in order to enrich our understanding and inform our discussion of these topics/filmmakers/films. Each presentation should include at least one digital element (e.g., video clips from films you are discussing, images, websites, music, slides) and must acknowledge the sources you used to get your information (e.g., you can mention the sources by name or write them on a slide). If you have difficulty finding material on your topic, let me know—I’ll be happy to direct you to appropriate sources. Your presentation should be 10-15 minutes long (excluding the Q and A), so you will need to focus on the most important and/or interesting aspects of your topic, and those aspects that you feel are most relevant to our class. Avoid the temptation to give an exhaustive overview of your topic—you need to be selective in your material. If you choose to use slides, don’t make these slides text-heavy and don’t read what’s on your slides--slides are supposed to enhance or summarize what you are saying, not act as teleprompters! After your presentation, class members will respond with questions and comments. I expect you and your partner(s) to respond collaboratively to comments/questions.
Additional Course Policies and Resources:
- Citation of Sources: Plagiarism is a contested and context-specific topic. We will discuss effective ways of using sources and issues around plagiarism. View Chapman's policy on academic integtriy here. It's important to cite all sources you use in your work, including AI applications like ChatGPT.
- Email Protocol: Email is the best way to reach me. I acknowledge all email messages within 48 hours. If you email me but don’t get a response, I haven’t received your email. Feel free to email me concerning any questions you have about the course or your work.
- Class Dynamics: I do not spend much time lecturing and expect you to participate vigorously in the many discussions around which the course is organized. We all teach and learn in this course--I do not believe in a one-way transmission of “knowledge” from instructor to students. I don’t have all the answers, and I look forward to learning as much as teaching in this course. You should direct your questions and comments to your colleagues as much as to me. I encourage you to speak during each discussion and to encourage your colleagues to do the same.
- Diversity: I share with Chapman University, the English Department, and the LGBTQ Studies program a commitment to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Any violations Chapman's Harassment and Discrimination Policy should be discussed with me, the Dean of Students, and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy.
- Students With Disabilities: Please let me know me early in the semester if you have a documented disability, so that we can discuss what accommodations, if any, I might make to help you succeed in this class.
- The Chapman Writing Center is a free service where you can get feedback on class projects.
- Student Psychological Counseling Services is a free service for Chapman students, and offers assistance with mental health challenges and other issues.
- Electronic Devices: Please bring your laptop to seminar meetings, but do not use electronic devices for non course-related work. Also, it's very important to put away all electronic devices when we watch films and film excerpts in class--light and sound from devices are distracting and ruin everyone's viewing experience. If you need to take notes while we are watching films in class, please use pen and paper.
- Do not record class meetings without prior permission from me.
tentative schedule
All readings are on Canvas
Unit 1: Horror Movies
Monday, 8/28/2023:
Unit 2: Authorship and Representation
Monday, 9/11/2023:
Unit 3: Form
Monday, 10/30/2023:
Unit 4: Activism
Monday, 11/27/2023:
Final Exam, 12/12/2023, 10:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.: party and film festival!
Unit 1: Horror Movies
Monday, 8/28/2023:
- In-Class Activities: introduction to the course and to Get Out!; horror films, gender, and sexuality
- Homework Assignments for 8/30: watch Get Out! on Swank
- In-Class Activities: discuss Get Out!; introduction to Titane; set up journals
- Homework Assignments for 9/6: review presentation topics; watch Titane on Kanopy; journal introduction and journal 1 due by 2 p.m. on 9/6
- In-Class Activities: discuss Titane and journal 1; special guest: Professor Kelli Fuery; sign up for presentations; introduction to Unit 2 and Disclosure
- Homework Assignments for 9/11: watch Disclosure on Netflix; journal 2 due by 2 p.m. on 9/11
Unit 2: Authorship and Representation
Monday, 9/11/2023:
- In-Class Activities: discuss Disclosure, journal 2, and issues of trans representation and authorship
- Homework Assignments for 9/13: read Chapter 3 in A Short Guide to Writing About Film
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; presentation on the making of Tangerine
- Homework Assignments for 9/18: watch Tangerine on Swank; read articles about Tangerine
- In-Class Activities: discuss Tangerine
- Homework Assignments for 9/20: journal 3 due by 2 p.m. on 9/20
- In-Class Activities: discuss journal 3; continue discussing how to read a film; introduction to The Celluloid Closet
- Homework Assignments for 9/25: watch The Celluloid Closet on Amazon
- In-Class Activities: discuss The Celluloid Closet and queer representation and authorship
- Homework Assignments for 9/27:
- In-Class Activities: introduction to Karmen Geï; presentation on Senegalese history
- Homework Assignments for 10/2: watch Karmen Geï on Kanopy; journal 4 due at 2 p.m. on 10/2
- In-Class Activities: discuss Karmen Geï and journal 4
- Homework Assignments for 10/4: read articles on Canvas
- In-Class Activities: presentation on the making of José; watch video on the Guatemalan civil war; discuss readings
- Homework Assignments for 10/9: watch José on Kanopy; journal 5 due by 2 p.m. on 10/9
- In-Class Activities: discuss José and journal 5; introduction to Spa Night; presentation on Los Angeles' Koreatown
- Homework Assignments for 10/11: watch Spa Night on Kanopy
- In-Class Activities: discuss Spa Night; introduction to XXY; presentation on intersex identity and activism; mid-semester course feedback
- Homework Assignments for 10/16: watch XXY on Kanopy; journal 6 due by 2 p.m. on 10/16
- In-Class Activities: discuss XXY and journal 6
- Homework Assignments for 10/18: read articles on Canvas
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings, gender representation and authorship, and mid-semester course feedback; presentation on the making of Saint Omer
- Homework Assignments for 10/23: watch Saint Omer on Amazon; journal 7 due by 2 p.m. on 10/23
- In-Class Activities: discuss Saint Omer and journal 7; assign journal expansion
- Homework Assignments for 10/25: work on your journal expansion
- In-Class Activities: work on journal expansion; introduction to Unit 3
- Homework Assignments for 10/30: post a complete draft of your journal expansion on Canvas by 2 p.m. on 10/30
Unit 3: Form
Monday, 10/30/2023:
- In-Class Activities: peer workshops on journal expansion; introduction to Laura Mulvey
- Homework Assignments for 11/1: read Laura Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"; optional: watch interview with Laura Mulvey on Kanopy
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; watch and discuss excerpts from Riddles of the Sphinx
- Homework Assignments for 11/6: read responses to Laura Mulvey; post your revised journal expansion on Canvas by 2 p.m. on 11/6
- In-Class Activities: journal expansion debrief; discuss reading; presentation on Chantal Akerman; watch and discuss excerpts from Jeanne Dielman
- Homework Assignments for 11/8: watch Brainwashed on Kanopy
- In-Class Activities: discuss Brainwashed; presentation on Barbara Hammer; watch and discuss Barbara Hammer shorts; introduction to The Attendant
- Homework Assignments for 11/13: read articles on The Attendant
- In-Class Activities: presentation on Isaac Julien; watch and discuss The Attendant
- Homework Assignments for 11/15:
- In-Class Activities: presentation on Sadie Benning; watch and discuss Sadie Benning shorts; assign final project; presentation on Derek Jarman; introduction to Blue
- Homework Assignments for 11/27: watch Blue on Kanopy; read articles on Blue; journal 8 due by 2 p.m. on 11/27; complete survey on preferences for final project
Unit 4: Activism
Monday, 11/27/2023:
- In-Class Activities: discuss Blue and journal 8; presentation on ACT UP; designate final project groups
- Homework Assignments for 11/29: work on your final project
- In-Class Activities: watch and discuss Stop the Church
- Homework Assignments for 12/4: work on your final project
- In-Class Activities: work on your final project; course debrief
- Homework Assignments for 12/6: work on your final project
- In-Class Activities: work on your final project; course evaluations
- Homework Assignments for 12/12: work on your final project; post your film on Canvas by 10 a.m. on 12/12
Final Exam, 12/12/2023, 10:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.: party and film festival!
Thanks to Jada Patchigondla, Matt Lemas, and Sawyer Kelly for ideas for and feedback on this syllabus.