Chapman University
Spring 2020
English 472: Film, Gender, Sexuality
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.
Instructor Contact Information:
- Ian Barnard, Ph.D.
- Office: 428 N. Glassell #104
- Office Hours Via Zoom (email me to schedule)
- Email Office Hours: [email protected]
Graduate Course Assistant:
- Danielle Shorr
- Email: [email protected]
Catalog Course Description:
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
you will
This Course is a GE Artistic Inquiry Course, Counts Toward the English Major, the Writing and Rhetoric Minor, the Women's Studies Minor, the LGBTQ Studies Minor, and Fulfills the Following Program Learning Outcomes for the BA in English:
This Course Fulfills the Following Artistic Inquiry Learning Outcome:
you will
Required Texts:
(Available at the University Bookstore)
Recommended Book:
(On reserve in the Leatherby Libraries)
Films You'll Need to Watch On Your Own:
* = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
K = available on Kanopy
N = available on Netflix
A = available on Amazon Prime Video
I = available on iTunes
In-Class Videos and Excerpts:
Grade Distribution:
Graded Assignments:
Additional Course Policies:
- Prerequisite: written inquiry. Enrollment limited to juniors and above. 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. May be repeated for credit.
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
you will
- 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
This Course is a GE Artistic Inquiry Course, Counts Toward the English Major, the Writing and Rhetoric Minor, the Women's Studies Minor, the LGBTQ Studies Minor, and Fulfills the Following Program Learning Outcomes for the BA in English:
- 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
This Course Fulfills the Following Artistic Inquiry Learning Outcome:
you will
- compose critical or creative works that embody or analyze conceptually an artistic form at a baccalaureate / pre-professional level
Required Texts:
(Available at the University Bookstore)
- Bell-Metereau, Rebecca. Transgender Cinema.
- Hole and Jelača. Film Feminisms: A Global Introduction.
- I will post additional articles on Blackboard for you to read. You are also required to watch many films and videos for this class. You will watch most on your own as homework assignments. I will screen some short films and film excerpts in class. If you miss class during one of these screenings, it's your responsibility to watch the films in your own time.
Recommended Book:
(On reserve in the Leatherby Libraries)
- Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing About Film.
Films You'll Need to Watch On Your Own:
* = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
K = available on Kanopy
N = available on Netflix
A = available on Amazon Prime Video
I = available on iTunes
- Baker, Sean, dir. Tangerine. *A
- Carpenter, John, dir. Halloween. A I
- Das, Rima, dir. Bulbul Can Sing. N
- Epstein, Rob, and Jeffrey Friedman, dirs. The Celluloid Closet. *A
- Fassbinder, Rainer Werner, dir. Fox and His Friends. *A
- Ghazvinizadeh, Anahita, dir. They. K
- Hepburn, Kathleen, and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, dirs. The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. N
- Jarman, Derek, dir. Blue. *K
- Livingston, Jennie, dir. Paris is Burning. *N
- Ramaka, Joseph Gaï, dir. Karmen Gei. * K
- Riggs, Marlon, dir. Tongues Untied. K
In-Class Videos and Excerpts:
- Akerman, Chantal, dir. Jeanne Dielman.
- Hammer, Barbara, dir. Dyketactics.
- Hilferty, Robert, dir. Stop the Church.
- Julien, Isaac, dir. The Attendant.
- Keith, Thomas, dir. Generation M: Misogyny in Media and Culture.
- Mulvey, Laura, and Peter Wollen, dirs. Riddles of the Sphinx.
- Sun, Chyng Feng, dir. Mickey Mouse Monopoly.
Grade Distribution:
- Collaborative Oral Presentation..............................20%
- Film Blog..................................................................35%
- Final Project.............................................................35%
- Other Assignments....................................................10%
- Due to the highly interactive nature of this course and the emphasis on collaborative work and class discussions, I expect you to attend all class meetings and to be on time. You may miss two class meetings without penalty. If you miss more than two class meetings, I will lower your final course grade for each additional absence. Two tardies (arriving late or leaving early) count as one absence. I will also mark you tardy if you are unprepared for class. Please note that, according to the university catalog, Chapman University "recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed."
Graded Assignments:
- Collaborative Oral Presentation: You and one or two colleagues will give an oral presentation on an assigned subject that will introduce or contextualize one of the films/readings/topics we will be discussing. Your presentation should include at least two digital media components (e.g., websites, Prezi slides, YouTube video clips) and reference to at least one scholarly source other than class readings. All presentations will be followed by questions from the class. The presentation should last no longer than 15 minutes (excluding questions). My evaluation of your presentation will be based on the quality of your research and material/analysis, how well you present your material, your ability to answer questions, how well your group members work together, and your adherence to the time limit. If you use PowerPoint or Prezi, do not read your slides! All collaborators will earn the same grade unless someone fails to make a substantial contribution to the presentation. Your group is required to meet with Danielle and me before the date of your presentation to discuss your presentation plans.
- Film Blog: You will keep a scholarly WordPress blog that charts your ongoing engagement with the course over the semester (you may author the blog under your own name or you may use a pseudonym, though class members will know who you are). I will post prompts for blog entries on Blackboard. Responses to class members' blog posts should each be at least a paragraph long. You must disable comment moderating for your blog, so that class members' responses to your blog can be displayed promptly. Keep track of whose blogs you respond to. You should not respond to the same class members each time. Since the blog is a digital medium, I expect you to include links, images, and other digital materials to illustrate and complement your points. Be sure to cite your sources and to acknowledge sources of images if you use images that aren't your own. Remember that anyone in the world can read your blog; you will need to frame your blog entries so that they make sense to readers outside our class. Post blog entries and responses by the deadlines listed in the schedule below in order to receive credit for each blog assignment. The Film Blog is designed to help you prepare for class discussions, develop your independent thinking and research on the course topics, get feedback on your ideas, generate ideas for your Final Project, and engage in dialogue on course topics. See the blog rubric for information on grading criteria for the blog.
- Final Project: You will have the option of developing an individual or collaborative critical or creative final project. I will give you specific guidelines and suggested topics for the final project in class. You'll have the opportunity to get feedback from Danielle and me on a draft of your project before you post the final version on your Film Blog. You are welcome to use material from your blog or your responses to colleagues' blogs in your final project.
- Other Assignments: These include Blackboard posts, a draft of your Final Project, responses to colleagues' work, responses to oral presentations, and in-class activities. These assignments are graded on a credit/no credit basis. Be sure to log in to WordPress or sign your name when you respond to colleagues' blogs, so that you can earn credit for your responses. In class we will discuss the criteria for earning credit on these assignments. Since we will be working on Blackboard in class, you need to bring your laptop or tablet with you to class. You cannot make up a missed in-class assignment.
Additional Course Policies:
- Citation of Sources: Plagiarism is a contested and context-specific topic. We will discuss effective ways of using sources and issues around plagiarism in class.
- Email Protocol: 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 about your work. Do not email your work to me for feedback; I’d be happy to discuss your work with you in person. It’s important to practice composing professional emails: be sure that your emails to Danielle and me include appropriate subject lines, salutations, and closes.
- Classroom 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 in class to your colleagues as much as to Danielle and me. I encourage you to talk in class and to encourage your colleagues to do the same.
- Diversity: Chapman University is committed to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Students and professors are reminded to show respect at all times as outlined in Chapman's Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Any violations of this policy should be discussed with the professor, the Dean of Students, and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy. Click here to read Chapman University's Statement on Diversity.
- Students With Disabilities: Please see 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 to succeed in this class. Click here to read Chapman University's Policy Statement for Assisting Students with Disabilities.
- Electronic Devices: Please bring your laptop to seminar meetings, but do not use electronic devices for non course-related work during class time. You may not use any electronic devices while we are watching films or film excerpts in class.
tentative schedule
Readings marked * are on Blackboard
2/7/20
Unit 1: Representation
2/14/20
2/21/20
2/28/20
3/6/20
Unit 2: Authorship
3/13/20
3/20/20
4/3/20
Unit 3: Form
4/10/20
4/17/20
4/24/20
Unit 4: Documentary, Activism, and Social Change
5/1/20
5/8/20
5/11/20-5/15/20
2/7/20
- In-Class Activities: introduction to the course, setting up blogs, presentation sign-up; discuss representation, blog criteria, how to read a film, presentations, and upcoming assignments
- Homework Assignments: watch Halloween, read Chapter 7 in Film Feminisms, post your blog link on Blackboard and complete blog introduction and Blog 1 by 12 p.m. on 2/14
Unit 1: Representation
2/14/20
- In-Class Activities: discuss Halloween, blog posts, responding to blog posts, reading, pornography; presentation on the feminist "sex wars"; watch and discuss excerpts from The Mickey Mouse Monopoly and Generation M
- Homework Assignments: watch The Celluloid Closet, read Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1 in Transgender Cinema, complete Blog 2, and respond to at least two colleagues' Blog 1 by 12 p.m. on 2/21
2/21/20
- In-Class Activities: discuss The Celluloid Closet, reading, blog posts and responses, and The Russo Test; presentation on Rainer Werner Fassbinder; introduction to homework reading and films
- Homework Assignments: watch Fox and His Friends and They; respond to at least two colleagues' Blog 2 by 12 p.m. on 2/28; read Julien and Savage, "Queering the Pitch: A Conversation"*
2/28/20
- In-Class Activities: discuss Fox and His Friends, They, reading, and blog responses; watch excerpts from Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction
- Homework Assignments: watch Tangerine, read Tangerine articles* and Chapter 2 in Transgender Cinema
3/6/20
- In-Class Activities: discuss Tangerine and readings; presentation on Chapter 2 of Transgender Cinema; introduction to next unit
- Homework Assignments: watch The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open; read Chapter 1 in Film Feminisms; complete Blog 3 by 12 noon on 3/13
Unit 2: Authorship
3/13/20
- In-Class Activities: discuss The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, reading, blog post, histories of film authorship, and the Bechdel Test
- Homework Assignments: watch Paris is Burning; read articles on Paris is Burning*; respond to at least two colleagues' Blog 3 by 12 p.m. on 3/20
3/20/20
- In-Class Activities: discuss Paris is Burning, readings, blog responses, and issues of appropriation; presentation on Pose
- Homework Assignments: complete Blog 4, Paris is Burning discussion posts, and responses to Pose presentation by 12 p.m. on 4/3
4/3/20
- Assignments for the coming week (due by 12 p.m. on 4/10): read Chapters 2 and 6 in Film Feminisms; read Laura Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"*; respond to at least two colleagues' Blog 4; read topics for Final Project and ask one question or make one comment
Unit 3: Form
4/10/20
- Assignments for the coming week (due by 12 p.m. on 4/17): watch and respond to presentation on responses to and influence of Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"; watch excerpt from and discuss Jeanne Dielman; read B. Ruby Rich, "New Queer Cinema,"* Anat Pick, "New Queer Cinema and Lesbian Films"*
4/17/20
- Assignments for the coming week (due by 12 p.m. on 4/24): watch and respond to presentations on Barbara Hammer and Derek Jarman; watch Derek Jarman's Blue; read articles about Blue*
4/24/20
- Assignments for the coming week (due by 12 p.m. on 5/1): discuss Blue and readings; complete Blog 5; watch Mosquita Y Mari; read Chapter 5 in Film Feminisms
Unit 4: Documentary, Activism, and Social Change
5/1/20
- Participate in live Zoom discussion of Mosquita Y Mari at 1p.m. (extra credit points!)
- Sign up for your conference
- Assignments for the coming week (due by 12 p.m. on 5/8): respond to at least two colleagues' Blog 5; watch José
5/8/20
- Participate in live Zoom discussion of José at 1 p.m. (extra credit points!)
- Post a draft of your final project or a link to your draft on Blackboard at least two days before your conference
- Assignments for the coming week (due by 12 p.m. on 5/15): watch Stop the Church; watch and respond to presentation on ACT UP
5/11/20-5/15/20
- Zoom conferences
- Homework Assignments: post your revised final project on your Film Blog by 12 p.m. on 5/22