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POLI 491M Jerel A. Rosati
Maymester 2004 Nursing 127
11:00 am - 1:45 pm rosati@sc.edu
UNDERSTANDING POLITICS THROUGH FILM
Please read the syllabus carefully for I have given great thought to the development of this course. The Syllabus and other material pertaining to the course can be found on my website at: www.cla.sc.edu/poli/faculty/rosati/index.htm.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
To better understand the society we live in and its implications for the future, the course is designed to increase your information, knowledge, and understanding of the nature and "reality" of the mass media and the communications process, focusing on film and politics; and to help you improve your ability "to learn," to reason, and to communicate.
What is “political” about film? Are films more than just entertainment? How do films produced by the Hollywood film industry differ from those produced by independent filmmakers? What are the political ideas within films? What images do films provide of government, politics, economics, class, gender, race and ethnicity, as well as American society and the world? What are the political implications of film at home and abroad?
The course should broaden your understanding of the role of the mass media and communications. The goal is for you to learn and to grow intellectually. You should be able to see how the media and communications process affects your life and the life of others. It is hoped that by the end of the semester you will find the course to be informative, interesting and enjoyable.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY AND STRATEGY
This is somewhat of a unique course in terms of material and organization. The class is organized around WATCHING A FULL-LENGTH FEATURE FILM and DISCUSSING THE FILMS AND REQUIRED READINGS. It should be noted that your class attendance and participation in class discussion will count for 40 percent of your overall grade.
Discussions will be structured around what I call a class dialogue. The class dialogue emphasizes the importance of student participation and active learning as a means to improve one's skills, interest, information, knowledge, and, ultimately, understanding. In essence, class discussions will consist of an active exchange between the students and professor. When deemed necessary, background will be provided for some of the more difficult material and to provide appropriate context. I expect every student to come to class prepared and participate. Every student should be able to summarize and analyze each assigned film and reading, placing them it in perspective relative to the rest of the course material. Students also are encouraged to offer comments or questions which contribute to class discussions on a regular basis.
Again, please come to class on time and be courteous at all times.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Class Attendance (20%). All films WILL BEGIN AT 11:30 am. DO NOT BE LATE FOR CLASS–class attendance will be marked downward accordingly. Films are meant to be watched from beginning to end. Roll will be taken and attendance affects your participation grade; excessive absences will result in a lower or failing grade.
2. Class Participation/Discussion (20%). In order to get the most out of class, you must be prepared when you come to class. I expect everyone to participate actively in the discussion of the day. There are special days devoted totally to class discussion. PLEASE BRING YOUR READING PACKETS TO CLASS.
3. Journal (60%). You must keep a JOURNAL that records your thoughts about and reactions to the films and the readings. A journal serves as a running record of your views and responses; if thoughtfully written, the journal allows you to realize later how you have grown intellectually and emotionally in relation to the topic of this course. Writing a bunch of pages the night before the journal is due defeats the point of a journal, making it merely pages written to fulfill an assignment--the deadliest of all material to write and to read. You should write in your journal while the material is still fresh in your mind. MORE DETAILS ON WRITING THE JOURNAL ARE AT THE END OF THE SYLLABUS.
4. Extra Credit (10%). This can be achieved by watching a movie at The Nickelodeon on S. Main Street, making a journal entry, and attaching a receipt for the movie. Not only are the movies usually new independents and quite good, but the admission price and popcorn are cheap, and they have beer for sale.
Missing a film or class. It is your responsibility to make-up a missing class as soon as possible. If a film was shown, rent the film and watch it. Contact one of your colleagues in class to find out what was the discussion you missed–this is especially important on days devoted to discussion.
I am treating each of you as a RESPONSIBLE YOUNG ADULT now that you are in college. Therefore, I expect you to act responsibly and with simple courtesy.
GRADES
Your grade will be based, not on how well you do compared to others in the class, but on the quality of substantive knowledge, quality of analysis, and effective communication demonstrated--in other words, the level of understanding demonstrated. That is, an A represents "excellent" understanding, a B+ represent "very good" understanding, a B represents "good" understanding, a C+ represents "satisfactory yet promising" understanding, a C represents "satisfactory" understanding, a D+ represents "poor" understanding; a D represents "very poor" understanding, and an F represents an "appalling" level of understanding.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
The University of South Carolina, like all institutions of higher education, is fundamentally dependent upon the maintenance of proper standards of honesty. Maintenance of those standards is the responsibility of every member of this academic community--students, instructors, and staff alike. I will not spend our time trying to find cheaters, but when confronted with clear evidence of academic dishonesty, I will respond vigorously. Such impropriety in this class will result in an F for the course.
REQUIRED READINGS
1. Universal Copies packed of required readings, available at 1120 College Street (next to Sandy's Hot Dogs on the corner of Main and College Streets; call 254-8931 before to make sure they are available and that you are coming.)
2. Electronic articles and updates. Additional required readings will be emailed to you and/or made available on my website, at www.cla.sc.edu/poli/faculty/rosati/index.htm. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL REGULARLY FOR I WILL BE SENDING YOU ARTICLES, REMINDERS, AND UPDATES FOR THE CLASS.
The readings are intended to be accessible and diverse so as to improve your ability to acquire an understanding of the dynamics of American politics and its real-world relevance. The required readings for each week are specified under Course Topics and Readings below.
NATURE OF THE COURSE
DISCLAIMER: THIS COURSE MAY INCLUDE SOME FILMS CONTAINING LANGUAGE AND OTHER SITUATIONS DEEMED OFFENSIVE BY SOME AS WELL AS AWKWARD SITUATIONS BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE INVOLVED, AS WELL AS THE DESIRE TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS, FILMS WILL NOT BE EDITED AND WILL BE SHOWN IN THEIR ENTIRETY. ANYONE WHO FEELS THAT SUCH FILMS COULD OFFEND THEM SHOULD SEE THE PROFESSOR TO MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS.
One ultimate purpose of higher education and the offering of this course is to broaden your knowledge and understanding about the world around you--to learn about things that you probably don't know much about and to think about things that you haven't given much thought to. At the same time, I recognize that many individuals hold strong beliefs and feelings about the United States, often based more on faith and emotion rather than substantive knowledge. Therefore, much of the material in this course may be controversial and will challenge you to think about many beliefs and assumptions you hold (and have rarely examined). Your role is to act as student, social scientist, or policy analyst, not policymaker, activist, or true believer. Remember, our goal is to better understand reality--in this case the history and contemporary practice of film and politics--regardless of what your feelings and opinions are about that reality. Learning and understanding are to be accomplished through the accumulation of information and knowledge and reliance on an open and critical mind.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
A brief professional biosketch is provided on my website. At a more personal level, he is happily married and the father of three children (and a fourth step-daughter, one cat, and one dog) and enjoys travel, athletics, music, reading, good company, and relaxing. He came of age during the early seventies as an undergraduate at U.C.L.A when the events surrounding the Vietnam War and Watergate reached a crescendo, which had a profound impact on his intellectual and personal development to the present day. Being born and raised in Los Angeles, he has grown up watching and loving movies and has acquired a certain feel for the nature of so-called Hollywood and Tinseltown (see my website for more on born and raised too).
CONTACTING ME AND INTERACTING
Please feel free to come see me during my office hours or any other time I am free. Mornings and afternoons before and after class are the best times this semester. If you have any questions or complications that I should be aware, feel free to contact me.
The best way to contact me is probably through class and email. My email address is: rosati@sc.edu. I am good about checking my email and responding throughout the workweek. I am much less likely to check my email during the weekend.
Please check your emails, for I will send you articles and updates on the class.
* * *
THIS SYLLUBUS REFLECTS THE EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS YOU MUST FULFILL.
COURSE TOPICS, FILMS AND READINGS
[All films WILL BEGIN AT 11:30 am.
DO NOT BE LATE FOR CLASS–class attendance will be marked downward accordingly.
Films are meant to be watched from beginning to end.
There are no breaks just like in a real movie theater.
Go to the bathroom before class.
Feel free to bring you lunch (and food) to class and eat while you are watching the film.]
PART I – THE FILM
INDUSTRY AND HOLLYWOOD AS ENTERTAINMENT
1. Monday, May 10
View Star Wars (1977, 125 min, 2772V)
Read “Our Movies, Ourselves,” Newsweek (special issue, 1998), pp. 10-15, 98-101
Read Jan Bone & Ron Johnson, “The Most Popular Art Form,” in Understanding the Film: An Introduction to Film Appreciation (National Textbook Company, 1991), pp. 1-27
2. Tuesday, May 11
View True Lies (1994, 145 min, 4374V)
Read John Morgan Wilson, “Los Angeles Overview” and “From Yesterday to Today–An Overview” in Inside Hollywood (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 1998), pp. map of Los Angeles, pp. 4-39
Read Louis Menand, “Billion-Dollar Baby: Star Wars Episode I–The Phantom Menace,” New York Review of Books (June 24, 1999), pp. 9-11
3. Wednesday, May 12 [bring your readings packet]
Discussion on films and readings, topics 1-3
Read Clayton R. Koppes and Gregory D. Black, “Hollywood, 1939,” in Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987), pp. 1-16
Read Michael Parenti, "Political Entertainment," in Make-Believe Media: The Politics of Entertainment (New York: St. Martin's, 1997), pp. 1-12
Other Film Recommendations for Part I:
X-Men
Independence Day
Spiderman
PART II -
HOLLYWOOD AT WAR
4. Thursday, May 13
View The Green Berets (1968, 142 min, 3640V)
Read Clayton R. Koppes and Gregory D. Black, Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987), “Preface,” “Hollywood, 1945", pp. vii-ix, 317-328
Read Jeanine Basinger, “Combat,” in American Cinema: One Hundred Years of Filmmaking ((New York: Rizolli, 1994), pp. 166-175
5. Friday, May 14
View Platoon (1988, 120 min, 1566V)
Read Frank Beaver, “Making Sense of the Oliver Stone Prism” and “Platoon,” in Oliver Stone: Wakeup Cinema (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994), pp. xv-xvi, 1-20, 83-98
6. Monday, May 17
View The Quiet American (2002, 101 min)
Read Jerel Rosati, “The Media and the Communications Process,” “The Media Business,” “Culture, Ideology & Politics,” “Media & War,” in The Politics of United States Foreign Policy (Wadsworth, 2004), pp. 481-509 [Even though the Rosati readings focus on foreign policy and the news, what is true for foreign policy and the news also applies to the entertainment media and films as you will read later. This also gives you a good idea of your professor’s overall perspective.]
Other Film Recommendations for Part II:
Apocalypse Now
Deer Hunter
Born on the 4th of July
PART III -
HOLLYWOOD MUCKRAKING
7. Tuesday, May 18
View The Insider (1999, 155 min, RC)
Read “Political Thrillers,” in Gary Crowdus, ed. A Political Companion to American Film (Lakeview Press, 1994), pp. 319-322
Other Film Recommendations for Part III:
A Civil Action
JFK
Norma Rae
Silkwood
The Philadelphia Story
PART IV -
HOLLYWOOD AND AMERICAN CULTURE
8. Wednesday, May 19
View American Beauty (2000, 125 minutes, 4026V)
Read Dan Nimmo and James E. Combs, "The Vision from Sunset Boulevard: The Political Fantasies of Hollywood," in Mediated Political Realities (New York: Longman, 1990), pp. 106-128
Other Film Recommendations for Part IV:
Minority Report
The Truman Show
PART V -
HOLLYWOOD AT HOME AND ABROAD
9. Thursday, May 20 [bring your readings packet]
Discussion of film and readings, topics 4-9
Read John Morgan Wilson, “The Movie Industry,” in Inside Hollywood (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 1998), pp. 40-69
Read Thomas H. Guback, “Hollywood’s International Market,” in Tino Balio, ed., The American Film Industry (University of Wisconsin Press, 1976), pp. 387-409
Read Michael Medved,” That’s Entertainment? Hollywood’s Contribution to Anti-Americanism Abroad,” The National Interest (Summer 2002), pp. 5-14
PART VI – HOLLYWOOD AS EDUCATOR
10. Friday, May 21
View The Candidate (1972, 109 min)
no readings
Other Film Recommendations for Part V:
All the President’s Men
Nixon
PART VII –
INDEPENDENTS AND DOCUMENTARIES
11. Monday, May 24
View Roger & Me (1990, 91 min, 2478V)
Read Emanuel Levy, “The New American Independent Cinema,” Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film (New York: New York University Press, 1999), pp. 13-51, 494-514
12. Tuesday, May 25
View Uprising of ‘34 (1995, 87 min, 2193V)
Read Eric Bates, “Making the News:The Uprising of ‘34 on SC ETV,” pp. 5-8
Read Alexander Stille, “The Betrayal of History,” New York Review of Books (June 11, 1998), pp. 15-20
Other Film Recommendations for Part VI:
Bowling for Columbine
Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election
13. Wednesday, May 26 [bring your readings packet]
Discussion of films and readings, topics 10-12
Read Jerel Rosati, “Information, Ideas, Symbols, and Politics in Mainstream and Alternative Media,” inThe Politics of United States Foreign Policy (Wadsworth, 2004), pp. 509-525, 527-530
PART VIII -
WHAT’S THE MESSAGE OR BACK TO THE FUTURE?
14. Thursday, May 27 [bring your readings packet]
View It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, 132 min, 2663V)
no readings
15. Friday, May 28
Summary, discussion and implications of film and politics (and films and readings).
JOURNAL IS DUE
RECOMMENDED STUDY PROCEDURE (Please read carefully)
Obviously, there is no one perfect study method that is appropriate for all individuals. Therefore, the following is purely suggestive — you ought to refine it to fit your individual needs.
First, before you actually view a film, you should do some of the required reading. In this way you will develop some foundation which will allow you to comprehend and digest the video material more fully.
Second, view the movie. Pay attention not only to the visual action, but also to the narrative. Try to relate what you have read to what you are watching and hearing. Be an active viewer!!!
Finally, complete the required reading. As a result of the initial reading and the viewing, you should now begin to understand more fully see and retain the variety of information and political perspectives that are offered by the films and the readings.
Hopefully, each day you will be able to build on the knowledge and understanding that you have obtained previously.
OTHER RECOMMENDED FILMS
Absolute Power (1997) [120 min.]
Advise & Consent (1962) [139 min.]
Afterburn (1992) [105 min.]
Air Force One (1997) [124 min.]
All the King’s Men (1949) [109 min.]
All The President’s Men (1976) [138 min.]
American President, The (1995) [115 min.]
Andromeda Strain, The (1971) [131 min.]
Arlington Road (1999) [119 min.]
Bedford Incident, The (1965) [102 min.]
Best Man, The (1964) [102 min.]
Blade Runner (1982) [117 min.]
Bob Roberts (1992) [101 min.]
Broadcast News (1987) [127 min.]
Bulworth (1998) [107 min.]
Candidate, The (1972) [109 min.]
Capricorn One (1978) [124 min.]
City Hall (1996) [111 min.]
China Syndrome (1979) [122 min.]
Conspiracy Theory (1997) [135 min.]
Contender, The (2000) [125 min.]
Dave (1993) [105 min.]
Dick (1999) [90 min.]
Distinguished Gentleman, The (1992) [112 min.]
Dr. Strangelove (1964) [93 min.]
Election (1999) [103 min.]
Eraser (1996) [115 min.]
Executive Action (1973) [91 min.]
Executive Decision (1996) [132 min.]
Fail-Safe (1964) [112 min.]
Gabriel Over the White House (1933) [87 min.]
Glass Key, The (1942) [85 min.]
Great McGinty, The (1940) [81 min.]
Hunt For Red October, The (1990) [134 min.]
The Insider (1999) [155 min.]
In the Heat of the Night
JFK (1991) [188 min.]
Last Hurrah, The (1958) [121 min.]
Logan’s Run (1976) [120 min.]
Mad Max (1979) [93 min.]
Meet John Doe (1941) [132 min.]
Mercury Rising (1998) [131 min.]
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) [129 min.]
Murder at 1600 (1997) [107 min.]
Natural Born Killers (1994) [118 min.]
Network (1976) [120 min.]
Nixon (1995) [190 min.]
Parallax View, The (1974) [102 min.]
Passenger 57 (1992) [84 min.]
Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing (1997) [91 min.]
Pelican Brief, The (1993) [141 min.]
Pentagon Wars, The (1998) [105 min.]
Perfect Candidate, A (1996) [105 min.]
Power (1986) [111 min.]
President’s Mystery, The (1936) [80 min.]
Primary Colors (1998) [143 min.]
Rock, The (1996) [136 min.]
Seduction of Joe Tynan, The (1979) [107 min.]
Seven Days in May (1964) [118 min.]
Silkwood (1983) [131 min.]
Star Chamber, The (1983) [109 min.]
State of the Union (1948) [124 min.]
Thirteen Days (2000) [145 min.]
Three Days of the Condor (1975) [117 min.]
Wag The Dog (1997) [97 min.]
War Room, The (1993) [95 min.]
Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932) [79 min.]
Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997) [100 min.]
OTHER RECOMMENDED READINGS
Albert Auster & Leonard Quart, How the War was Remembered: Hollywood & Vietnam (New York: Praeger, 1988)
Tino Balio, ed., The American Film Industry (University of Wisconsin Press, 1976)
Jeanine Basinger, American Cinema: One Hundred Years of Filmmaking ((New York: Rizolli, 1994)
Frank Beaver, Oliver Stone: Wakeup Cinema (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994)
James Combs, ed, Movies and Politics: The Dynamic Relationship (New York: Garland, 1993)
Gary Crowdus, ed. A Political Companion to American Film (Lakeview Press, 1994)
Jerey M. Devine, Vietnam at 24 Frames a Second: A Critical and Thematic Analysis of Over 400 Films About the Vietnam War (McFarland & Co., 1995)
Phillip L. Gianos, Politics and Politicians in American Film (New York: Praeger, 1998)
Robert W. Gregg, International Relations of Film (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998)
Edward S. Hermann and Robert W. McChesney, Global Reach: The Missionaries of Global Capitalism (New York: Continuum International Publishing, 1997)
Emanuel Levy, Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film (New York: New York University Press, 1999)
Greg Merritt, Celluloid Mavericks: The History of American Independent Film (Berkeley: Publishers Group West, 2000)
Michael Parenti, Make-Believe Media: The Politics of Entertainment (New York: St. Martin's, 1997)
David Puttnam, Movies and Money (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998)
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Movies as Politics (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997)
Harold Schechter and Jonna G. Semeiks, “Leatherstocking in ‘Nam: Rambo, Platoon and the American Frontier Myth,” in James Combs, ed, Movies and Politics: The Dynamic Relationship (New York: Garland, 1993), pp. 115-227
Anthony Smith, The Age of Behemoths: The Globalization of Mass Media Firms (New York: Priority Press, 1991)
Robert Brent Toplin Hisotry by Hollywood: The Use and Abuse of the Past (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1996) [includes analyses of Mississippi Burning, JFK, Missing, All the President’s Men, Norma Rae]
Kenneth Turan, Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Made (Berkeley: University of California, 2002)
John Morgan Wilson, Inside Hollywood: A Writer’s Guide to Researching the World of Movies and TV (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 1998), pp. map of Los Angeles, pp. 4-39
THE JOURNAL
The most important requirement is for you to keep a JOURNAL that records your thoughts about and reactions to the films and the readings. Each journal entry must be on a 8 1/2" by 11" paper. The journal format is provided below (just make multiple copies from the syllabus here or from the website). You must have a total of 6 entries from the class (again, if you miss a class you are responsible for finding the film and viewing it on your own). Extra credit requires a 7th entry.
A journal serves as a running record of your views and responses; if thoughtfully written, the journal allows you to realize later how you have grown intellectually and emotionally in relation to the topic of this course. A journal allows you to discover motifs and themes in your reading and to focus your thoughts on the film experience. Writing a bunch of pages the night before the journal is due defeats the point of a journal, making it merely pages written to fulfill an assignment--the deadliest of all material to write and to read. You should write in your journal while and immediately after you read to record your thoughts while the material is still fresh in your mind.
Finally, your journal should record how you honestly feel and what you truly think about what you read. The journal, as the poet William Stafford noted, is a good place to "go fishing" for what is in your heart and on your mind.
I highly recommend that you take advantage of the next section below.
FINDING FILM INFORMATION AND REVIEWS
To better enjoy and appreciate the films, as well as for writing your journal, you will need to know how to track down information film and appropriate reviews about them. The internet and the USC library has a great deal of resources, but it helps to know which databases and indexes are the most appropriate and where to locate them.
Internet Sources for Film Information and Film Reviews:
www.imdb.com
(excellent movie database)
www.mrqe.com (excellent movie review query engine)
http://movies.go.com (more contemporary-oriented)
www.rottentomatoes.com (more contemporary-oriented)
Electronic Sources at Thomas Cooper
Can be found at http://www.sc.edu/library/ei.html (there’s a link on my website homepage) or in Cooper Library.
Infotrack (For reviews in magazines written after 1980): From the start menu, select library resources, then from the drop-down menu select expanded academic. From there, select the General Reference Magazine Index and search things like subject (i.e,. Vietnam), movie title (i.e., “Good Morning Vietnam”), or director (i.e,. Stanley Kubric, Oliver Stone, etc.). While 1980 seems late, there are still many selections. Some of the articles are FULL TEXT, otherwise you must locate it in the library. Do this through USCAN, and/or ask a librarian – (they know everything)
Lexus-Nexus: This is an excellent source. Get this from the same drop down menu as above, only select – lexus-nexus. Searching with the same categories gives you articles from New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post etc etc. Not only do you get the source, but you get the article as well–the FULL TEXT! You can read it, print it, or even e-mail it to your house/dorm. LexisNexis is the single greatest advancement for college students since the computer. You can access just about any major newspaper, magazine, journal article, etc., in the world without having to physically go to the library or leave your computer. If you’ve never heard of it or used it, it is time for that to change. Enjoy.
Print Sources at Thomas Cooper
Film Literature Index: In the reference section (in the short bookshelves, on the far right side of the library as you walk in and walk past the computer terminals). These are big white books organized by year. Just look up the movie title and you will find tons of reviews followed by abbreviated names of the journals. The names of the periodicals and their abbreviations are listed in the front of each book. To locate the actual article – go back to USCAN.
New York Times and Variety Reviews of Films: These two periodicals are known for film reviews. They are located in the taller bookshelves in the PN section near the Film Literature Index shelves. New York Times books are black, Variety is garnet.
Film Facts: It is a shame that this publication stops in 1973, because it is just what you need. Located one row over from the NY Times and Variety indexes, these orange books contain film reviews in full, listed by title. Under each listing, you will find the full reviews from a number of different publications, such as Variety and others, so you can compare what the critics said about a film.
Appropriate Film Reviews: Finding and watching a movie is the easy part. Finding appropriate reviews is a little trickier. Here are some tips. What is an appropriate review? You will encounter a variety of articles on films ranging from fan writing on the internet to popular movie reviews in magazines or newspapers such as Entertainment Weekly or the New York Times. While it is easy to find fluffy reviews (usually quite short), you want the more substantial reviews (usually longer then 500-800 words and in more legitimate outlets). If you’re lucky (or simply tenacious in your search), you may find even more academic, in-depth critiques that analyze social, political, and historic elements of the film. Use the electronic and print sources above to find appropriate film reviews.