Required Texts (Campus Bookstore):
Robert C. Allen, ed., Channels of Discourse Reassembled
Douglas Coupland, Generation X
Required Course Reading Packet (Parts I and II, sold separately):
Available for purchase at Curry Printing and Copy at 165 Southbridge Street in Worcester.
General Course Information:
Due to the nature of this course, weekly videotape viewings are required. All assigned tapes are on reserve at Instructional Materials in the Learning Resource Center, and can be viewed there if you prefer. In addition, weekly assignments will be screened on Wednesday evenings at six (location TBA). If you prefer to rent the tapes on your own, that's fine--but it is YOUR responsibility to have seen them, one way or another.
Also, some are not available on video; you will most definitely have trouble finding those titles with three stars next to them below, and possibly others. Therefore, you should plan accordingly (i.e., be sure to watch these particular tapes either at Instructional Materials or at that Wednesday's screening).
Also, it will be virtually impossible to succeed in this class without regular attendance, since excerpts screened in class will not be available for viewing any other time. In other words, missing more than one class session can seriously endanger your grade. Only documented, reasonably excusable absences will be taken into account in assigning grades.
Evaluation: First Exam 25% Second Exam 25% Final Exam 40% Attendance and Participation 10%
Grading:
There will be three exams. The first two will each consist of a short answer, in-class portion and a longer, take-home essay (for which you may use your notes and your readings). The format of the final will be similar.
It is assumed that all written work presented in fulfillment of course requirements is yours alone. All instances of academic dishonesty will be handled according to College regulations, and with the utmost seriousness.
You must complete all of the assignments listed above to pass this course.
1/14, 1/16 THE SPECTATOR
In class screening: Brady: An American Chronicle (Nickelodeon, 1995, US)
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Fiske, in Channels of Discourse
John Fiske, "Commodities and Culture"
Ien Ang, "Dallas between Reality and Fiction"
Viewing Assignment: Twilight Zone episode ("Time Enough at Last," 1958, US)***
Without You, I'm Nothing (Bernhard/Boskovitch, 1990, US)
1/21, 1/23 THE AUTHOR
Discussion: Without You, I'm Nothing, Twilight Zone
In class viewing: 60 Minutes segment on Martin Scorcese
Jackson Pollack photo (handout)
Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry (Birnbaum, 1979, US)
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Bazin, "The Ontology of the Photographic Image"
Sontag, "Against Interpretation" and "On Style"
Viewing Assignment: Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958, U.S.)
Obedience (Milgram and Associates, 1962-69, US)***
1/28, 1/30 THE TEXT
Discussion: Vertigo, Obedience
In class viewing: Hyundai advertisement/examples
NYC Public Access programming excerpts
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Seiter, in Channels of Discourse
Fiske, "Subjectivity and Address"
Dyer, "Entertainment and Utopia"
Viewing Assignment: Meet Me in St. Louis (Minelli, 1944, US)
Harvest of Shame (US TV, 1959)***
2/4, 2/6 SEMIOTICS AND "STYLE"; REALISM AND FORMALISM
Discussion: Meet Me in St. Louis, Harvest of Shame
In class viewing: Ordinary People clip
Samadhi (Belson, US, 1959)
Hairpiece: A Film for Nappy Headed People (Chenzira, 1985, US)
WPA photography
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Bordwell & Thompson, "Narrative as a Formal System"
Carroll, "Toward a Theory of Point of View Editing"
Garber, "Dog Days"
Viewing Assignment: Snoopy Come Home (Schulz and Associates, US, 1972)
Designing Women episode ("Kendall")***
EXAM #1: IN CLASS AND DISTRIBUTED
2/11, 2/13 NARRATIVE
Discussion: Snoopy Come Home, Designing Women
In class: Thriller (Potter, 1979, UK)
Early Cinema Selections
An American Time Capsule (Braverman, 1969, US)
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Schatz, "The Detective Film and Film Noir"
Warshow, "The Gangster" and "The Westerner"
Viewing Assignment: Possessed (Bernhardt, 1947, US)***
Roseanne episode***
***EXAM #1 TAKE-HOME PORTION DUE***
2/18, 2/20 GENRE
Discussion: Chinatown, Roseanne
In class: Airplane clip
Busby Berkeley clip
Chan is Missing clip
Cop Rock clip
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Barthes, "Objective Literature"
Barthes, "The Death of the Author"
Barthes, "From Work to Text"
Vogel, from Film as a Subversive Art
Viewing Assignment: Voyage in Italy (Rossellini, 1953, Italy)***
Un Chien Andalou (Dali/Bunuel, 1927, France)***
2/25, 2/27 HISTORICISM #1: "MODERNISM" and "STRUCTURALISM"
Discussion: Voyage in Italy, Un Chien Andalou
In class: Night and Fog (Resnais, 1955, France)
Umberto D. clip
Tokyo Story clip
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Jameson, "Postmodernism and Consumer Society"
Eco, "Travels in Hyperreality"
Viewing Assignment: Sympathy for the Devil (Godard, 1970, France/UK)***
The Mod Squad episode ("A Short Course in War")***
3/4, 3/6 HISTORICISM #2: "POST-MODERNISM" and "POST STRUCTURALISM"
Discussion: Sympathy for the Devil, The Mod Squad
In class viewing: Report (Conner, 1968, US)
Aeon Flux clip
The Bionic Woman clip
B-52s music video
Disney Internet History (handout)
For Next Class Session:
Reading Assignment: Baudrillard, "Vanishing Point" and "Desert Forever"
Feuer, "Liveness: Ontology as Ideology"
White, in Channels of Discourse
Viewing Assignment: Zabriskie Point (Antonioni, 1969, US)***
3/11, 3/13 SPRING BREAK
3/18, 3/20 IDEOLOGY AND NATION
Discussion: Zabriskie Point
In class: Assorted Live Television Coverage (1996 TWA explosion)
Disney TV-extravaganza
Olympia (diving segment)
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Graeme Turner, "Film Audiences"
Modlieski, "The Incredible Shrinking He(r)man"
Mellencamp, "Discourses of Gracie and Lucy"
Viewing Assignment: Germany Pale Mother (Sanders-Brahm, 1977, W. Germany)***
No Lies (Block, 1980, US)***
3/25, 3/27 PSYCHOANALYSIS
Discussion: Germany Pale Mother, No Lies
In class: The Bob Newhart Show (final episode)
Pee Wee's Playhouse clip
Kustom Kar Kommandoe (Anger, 1964, US)
Orange (Johnson, 1970, US)
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Sontag, "Notes on Camp"
Hebdige, from Subculture: The Meaning of Style
E. Ann Kaplan, in Channels of Discourse
Viewing Assignment: Silverlake Life (Joslin/Massi, 1992, US)
Warrior Marks (Parmar, 1993, UK)***
4/1, 4/3 GENDER AND SEXUALITY
Discussion: Silverlake Life, Warrior Marks
In class: Possibly in Michigan (Condit, 1980, US)
Assorted Cindy Sherman works ("Film Stills")
Song from an Angel (Price, 1985, US)
Dr. Paglia (Treuet, 1992, Germany/US)
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Hall, "What is the Black in Black Popular Culture?"
Gray, "Television, Black Americans, and the American Dream"
Rose, "Never Trust a Big Butt and a Smile"
Newsweek piece on Bagels
Viewing Assignment: Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (Frears, 1988, UK)
Taxi episode ("Latka the Playboy")****
EXAM #2: IN CLASS AND DISTRIBUTED
4/8, 4/10 RACE AND ETHNICITY
Discussion: Sammy and Rosie, Taxi
In class viewing: The Goldbergs (early television)
Beulah (early television)
"Mail-Order Military Bride" Commercial (Korean Television)
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Generation X
Andrew Holleran, "Dark Disco"
Edmund White, "Fantasia on the Seventies"
Viewing Assignment: Saturday Night Fever (Badham, 1977, US)
Number Our Days (Littman, 1976, US)***
EXAM #2 TAKE-HOME PORTION DUE
4/15, 4/17 AGE AND GENERATION
Discussion: Saturday Night Fever, Generation X, Number Our Days
In class: Little Rascals clip
Gap commercial
Schoolhouse Rock ("Interjections")
Kinks music video ("Come Dancing")
Listen: "The Hustle"
For Next Week:
Reading Assignment: Kinder, "Saturday Morning Television"
Feuer, from Seeing through the Eighties
Viewing Assignment: The Crowd (Vidor, 1927, US)
Max Headroom (premiere episode, 1985, UK)
4/22, 4/24 CLASS, CASTE, AND "CULTURAL CAPITAL"
Discussion: The Crowd, Thirtysomething
In class viewing: Bruce Springstein music video
Love, Women, and Flowers excerpt
American Dream excerpt
Grey Gardens clip
Mondo Elvis
For next week:
Reading Assignment: Penley, "Spaced Out: Remembering Christa McAuliffe"
Vieing Assignment: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, US/UK, 1969)
4/29, 5/1 TECHNOLOGY & SUBJECTIVITY
Discussion: 2001: A Space Odyssey
5/6