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ENGL 303: FILM Theory and Criticism
Spring 2017
T/TH 11:45am-1:00pm; screenings online
Instructor: Dr. Anthony Stagliano // Email: staglian@nmsu.edu
Classroom: CBW 229 Screening Room: online
Office: CBW 105
Office Hours: 1:00-2:00 PM, T/Th
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to the critical and theoretical study of film and related media. In the first
few weeks, we will develop the skills and vocabulary to analyze the formal characteristics of audio-visual
media. Through the rest of the semester, we will apply those skills to work through key concepts relating
media works to one another and to describe what they do to and for audiences, with a special eye to how
media constitute and reflect social and material worlds. To succeed in the course, students will need to
pay keen attention to course viewings, readings, lectures, and discussions.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course students should be able to:
• recognize and describe the formal techniques through which various moving-image media create
meaning (e.g., editing, cinematography, narrative, sound, interfaces, etc.)
• analyze specific examples (e.g., film sequences, web pages) to identify the meanings and/or effects these
techniques produce in them
• synthesize such analysis to construct interpretive arguments
• present analysis and arguments clearly in writing
COURSE MATERIALS
• Timothy Corrigan and Patricia White, The Film Experience: An Introduction, 4th ed. (at campus
bookstores). Listed in the Schedule of Classes as “CW.”
• Additional Required readings available on Canvas as indicated in the Schedule.
• Important audio-visual artworks, as indicated in the Schedule.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND POLICIES
Required Weekly Screenings
Weekly screenings are a requirement of the course. Nearly all of the films we watch will be available in
streaming format, through the library (through a Netflix-like service they subscribe to, called Kanopy). To
do well on major assignments for the course you will need to watch some materials several times. The
screening program aims to expand your horizons. I have chosen media works not only for their historical
and aesthetic significance, but for their likely unfamiliarity to this class, and their challenging nature. You
will watch material that will sometimes frustrate, sometimes baffle, sometimes offend, and frequently
amaze you, often all at once. Please be aware that some may find part of this material objectionable due to
representations of violence, nudity, sexuality, and other controversial subjects. If you have any concerns
about such matters, please talk to me immediately.
Canvas
All assigned written work for the course must be submitted through the course website using
Canvas. You must submit editable documents that can be opened in MS Word (if in doubt, save as a Rich
Text File). Please identify all your submissions, in their title, with your last name and the assignment.
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ASSIGNMENTS:
Screening Journal (20%)
To develop your ability to analyze audio-visual works, you must take thorough notes on each required
screening or lab. A journal derived from these notes will sharpen your perception, hone your analytical
skills, and provide a foundation for other written assignments in the course. Write a response about 500
words long in which you precisely and concretely describe elements of the film/media object that are
relevant to the topic under consideration that week and that strike your interest. Journals are due by 5
PM on Mondays, for the screenings associated with that week.
It is your responsibility to watch the films assigned for their respective weeks. I will make all of them
available to you in a streaming format, with most of them available through the library’s subscription to
Kanopy. A few of them I will provide through Canvas, or provide a YouTube link. You must watch the
films/videos attentively, and be prepared to discuss them in class. If you begin missing the screening
journals, or if it appears that you are writing them without having watched the films attentively, in
consideration of the week’s readings, or, worse, at all, I will alert you that you are risking your grade.
Argument Summaries (10%)
Much of the critical and theoretical writing about film and media we will read in this class is conceptually
and argumentatively complex, and we will discuss in class many of the specific argumentative moves and
nuances of these texts, as well as how they use media objects to further their arguments, or as objects of
criticism or analysis. To hone your own argumentative skills, you are required to produce 3 short
summaries of our readings (the Canvas readings, not the Corrigan/White textbook), in which you
identify the main claim(s), at least two of the supporting moves, and how media objects are figured in the
text (if they are). These will be about a page long (200-250 or so words). These entries will be due by 5
PM on Mondays in the week in which the reading is assigned.
NB: The difficult readings are assigned evenly throughout the semester, so you’re better off, time-
management-wise, attending to this requirement earlier, rather than later.
Midterm Sequence Analysis (25% paper; 5% proposal)
In 5-7 pages, you write an analysis of a sequence you choose from one of the films screened in the first
seven weeks of class. In addition to your prose analysis, you will include a chart outlining the sequence
shot-by-shot. Complete instructions will be distributed and discussed in class, a couple weeks before the
assignment is due. A brief proposal of your analysis, identifying the chosen sequence, will be due before
the paper.
Final Essay (20% paper; 5% proposal)
In 5-7 pages, you will make an analytical argument about one of the films screened during the course (not
the same film you used for your sequence analysis), deploying the concepts and arguments we have
encountered in our readings. Before the paper is due, you will submit a proposal and outline that will
count for 5% of your final course grade. Papers will be evaluated on the clarity and persuasiveness of
their arguments. Complete instructions will be distributed and discussed in class, a couple weeks before
the assignment is due.
Participation (15%)
Your participation and readiness to discuss the assigned readings and screenings is essential to your
success in this course. Much of the material and many of the concepts we will cover are difficult and
counterintuitive, and our understanding of these things, together, will be improved through robust,
thoughtful, and respectful discussion in class. 15% of your final grade is based on the quality and quantity
of your participation in class. About midway through the semester, I will post on Canvas your
participations grade to date.
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Grading Scale: A (94-100%) B+ (88-93%) B (84-87%) C+ (78-83%) C (74-77%) D+ (68-73%) D (64-
67%) F (0- 63%)
Late Work and Incompletes
I do not accept late work or allow incompletes, excepting genuine emergencies. Should you be
experiencing such an emergency, be in touch with me as soon as possible.
Attendance
You are allowed three absences (excused and unexcused) without consequence. Further absences will
lower your “Participation” grade, and you will automatically fail the course with 6 absences or more. If
you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed.
Sleeping in class is not attending class. You will be marked absent if you sleep in class.
Late is better than absent, but frequent lateness is disruptive to the class discussion and costs you much of
your participation. Three late arrivals will be counted as one absence. Additionally, if you are late, it is
also your responsibility to make sure that I’ve recorded your attendance when class is dismissed.
Plagiarism
Your submitted and presented assignments will follow normal academic standards of reference and
citation. Passing off others’ ideas as your own work will be grounds for failing the course.
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Class Syllabus Notices
Academic Misconduct
Academic and non-academic misconduct: The Student Code of Conduct defines academic misconduct,
non-academic misconduct and the consequences or penalties for each. The Student Code of Conduct is
available in the NMSU Student Handbook online:
http://studenthandbook.nmsu.edu/
Academic misconduct is explained here:
http://studenthandbook.nmsu.edu/student-code-of-conduct/academic-misconduct/
Discrimination and Disability Accommodation
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act
(ADAAA) covers issues relating to disability and accommodations. If a student has questions or needs an
accommodation in the classroom (all medical information is treated confidentially), contact:
Trudy Luken, Director
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) - Corbett Center, Rm. 208
Phone: (575) 646-6840 E-mail: sas@nmsu.edu
Website: http://sas.nmsu.edu/
NMSU policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity,
genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex, sexual
orientation, spousal affiliation and protected veterans status.
Furthermore, Title IX prohibits sex discrimination to include sexual misconduct: sexual violence (sexual
assault, rape), sexual harassment and retaliation.
For more information on discrimination issues, Title IX, Campus SaVE Act, NMSU Policy Chapter 3.25,
NMSU's complaint process, or to file a complaint contact:
Lauri Millot, Title IX Coordinator
Agustin Diaz, Title IX Deputy Coordinator
Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) - O'Loughlin House, 1130 University Avenue
Phone: (575) 646-3635 E-mail: equity@nmsu.edu // Website: http://www.nmsu.edu/~eeo/
Other NMSU Resources:
NMSU Police Department: (575) 646-3311 www.nmsupolice.com
NMSU Police Victim Services: (575) 646-3424
NMSU Counseling Center: (575) 646-2731
NMSU Dean of Students: (575) 646-1722
For Any On-campus Emergencies: 911
Syllabus Change Policy
This syllabus is a guideline for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.
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SCHEDULE—SPRING 2017
UNIT I: Introduction
WEEK 1: WHAT IS AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA? WHAT IS FILM/MEDIA THEORY?
Thurs 1/19 Course Introduction
WEEK 2: “SCREENING” IMAGE AND WORD
Tues 1/24 Words and Images
Read: FLUSSER; CW 5-16
SCREEN: A Trip to the Moon (Melies, 1902), Great Train Robbery (Porter, 1903), Maxwell's Demon
(Frampton, 1968), Bridges Go Round (Clarke, 1958)
Thurs 1/26 Media and Culture
Read: BENJAMIN; CW 19-28
UNIT II: THEORIZING AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA: FROM SHOT TO SEQUENCE
WEEK 3: MISE-EN-SCENE
Tues 1/31 Inside the Frame
Read: FASSBINDER, CW 66-85
SCREEN: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Fassbinder, 1971); La Chambre (Akerman, 1975); Wavelength
(Snow, 1967)
Thurs 2/2 Transforming the Frame
Read: MARTIN; CW 86-95
WEEK 4: CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tues 2/7 Image and Index
Read: DOANE, CW 97-104
SCREEN: Weekend (Godard, 1968); Inextinguishable Fire (Farocki, 1968)
Thurs 2/9 Significance and the Image
Read: BAZIN, CW 105-32
WEEK 5: SOUND
Tues 2/14 Sound and Image
Read: CHION, CW 181-205
SCREEN: Soundings (Hill, 1979);
Thurs 2/16 Acoustic Art
Read: SHINGLER & WIERNGA, LASTRA
WEEK 6: EDITING
Tues 2/21 Relating Images and Sounds
Read: EISENSTEIN, VERTOV, CW 140-61
SCREEN: Sans Soleil (Marker, 1983); Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929)
Thurs 2/23 Continuity/Discontinuity
Read: WOLLEN, CW 162-75
WEEK 7: NARRATIVE
SEQUENCE ANALYSIS PROPOSAL DUE: 10/2 5:00 PM
Tues 2/28 Telling an Audio-Visual Story
Read: MULVEY, CW 214-30
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SCREEN: Phoenix (Petzold, 2015)**This film is on Netflix; Killer of Sheep (Burnett, 1977)**I will make
this film available
Thurs 3/2 Narrative and Spectacle
Read: GUNNING, CW 243-52
UNIT III: CRITIQUE: MEDIA AND CULTURE
WEEK 8: AUTHORSHIP
Tues 3/7 The Function of the Author
Read: FOUCAULT, CW 355-65
SCREEN: F for Fake (Welles, 1973); Close-Up (Kiarostami, 1990)
Thurs 3/9
WEEK 9: GENRE and INDEPENDENCE
Tues 3/14 Genre
Read: ALTMAN, DERRIDA, CW 317-46
SCREEN: Omega Shell (Soto, 2000); Breaking Bad, Season 1, ep. 1;
Thurs 3/16 “Independent” cinema
Read: ________, CW 366-96
SPRING BREAK 3/20-3/24
WEEK 10: SCREENING RACE
Tues 3/28 Race and the Screen Image
Read: DYER, STEWART
SCREEN: Lumumba: Death of a Prophet (Peck, 1990)
Thurs 3/30 Race and New Media
Read: NAKAMURA, CHUN
WEEK 11: POLITICS, AESTHETICS, TERCER CINE (THIRD CINEMA)
Tues 4/4 The Politics of Representation
Read: MINH-HA, SOLANAS, CW 392-99
SCREEN: Reassemblage (Minh-ha, 1982); De Cierta Manera (Gómez, 1974)
Thurs 4/6 Aesthetics of Politics/Politics of Aesthetics
Read: RANCIERE, DEBORD, CW 297-314
WEEK 12: EXPERIMENTAL SCREENS: PUSHING AGAINST THE APPARATUS
Tues 4/11 Experimental Film/Video
Read: ZRYD, BRAKHAGE
SCREEN: Meshes of the Afternoon (Deren, 1941); The Dead Weight of a Quarrel Hangs (Ra’ad, 1996-
99); Turbulent (Neshat, 1998); Outer Space (Tcherkassky, 1999), Selections from Ryan Trecartin, Rist
Thurs 4/13 The Apparatus and Its Limits
Read: BAUDRY, AGAMBEN
UNIT IV: MEDIA MATTER / SYSTEM / INFRASTRUCTURE
WEEK 13: NEW MEDIA / PRINT MEDIA
Tues 4/18 Media Old and New
Read: McLUHAN, HAYLES, MANOVICH
SCREEN: Video games lab/workshop
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Thurs 4/20 Video Games and Procedure
Read: BOGOST, CW 429-37
WEEK 14: THE POLITICS and MATERIALITY OF MEDIA SYSTEMS
FINAL PAPER PROPOSAL DUE: 11/27 5:00 PM
Tues 4/25 Control and Protocol
Read: CHUN, GALLOWAY, CW 438-48
SCREEN: Hacking/Coding workshop
Thurs 4/27 Media Matters
Read: LATOUR, PARIKKA
WEEK 15: WEARABLE TECHNOLOGIES AND BIOMEDIA
Tues 5/2 Biomedia and Bioart
Read: PARIKKA, THACKER
SCREEN: Eduardo Kac
Thurs 5/4 Wearable Media and Surveillance
Read: PETERSON, KAC
FINAL PAPER DUE: TUESDAY 5/9 BY 5:00 PM, VIA CANVAS.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY OF COURSE READINGS
Agamben, Giorgio. “What Is an Apparatus?”
Altman, Rick. “Where Do Genres Come From?” In Film/Genre. London: BFI, 1999.
Baudry, Jean-Luc. “Ideological Effects of Basic Cinematic Apparatus.” In Narrative, Apparatus,
Ideology: A Film Theory Reader, edited by Philip Rosen. New York: Columbia UP,
1986. 286-298.
Bazin, Andre. “Ontology of the Photographic Image.” In What is Cinema?
Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Its Mechanical Reproducibility.”
Bogost, Ian. Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. Cambridge: MIT Press,
2007.
Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Cambridge, Mass:
Harvard University Press, 1984.
Chion, Michel. “Projections of Sound on Image.” in Audio-Vision, edited and translated by
Claudia Gorbman. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994. 3-24.
Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone Books, 1994.
Derrida, Jacques. “The Law of Genre.” Critical Inquiry 7.1, Autumn (1980).
Doane, Mary Ann. 2007. "Indexicality: Trace and Sign: Introduction." Differences 18, no. 1: 1-6.
Eisenstein, Sergei. “A Dialectical Approach to Film Form.” In Film Form, edited by Jay Leyda.
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977. 45-63.
Fassbinder, Rainer Werner. “Six Films by Douglas Sirk.” New Left Review 91, May-June (1975).
Foucault, Michel. “What Is an Author?” Language, Counter-memory, Practice: selected essays
and interviews. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1977.
Gunning, Tom. “The Cinema of Attractions: Early Film, Its Spectator, and the Avant-Garde.” In
Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative, edited by Thomas, Elsaesser and Adam Barker.
London: BFI Pub, 1990.
Hayles, N. Katherine. How We Think: Digital Media and Contemporary Technogenesis.
Cambridge: MIT Press, 2012.
Marks, Laura U. The Skin of the Film: Intercultural Cinema, Embodiment, and the Senses.
Durham: Duke University Press, 2000.
McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media.
Minh-Ha, Trinh, T. "Documentary is/not a Name." October no. 52 (April 15, 1990): 76-98.
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Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and the Narrative Cinema.” In Visual and Other Pleasures.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989.
Rancière, Jacques. The Politics of Aesthetics: the Distribution of the Sensible. London:
Continuum, 2004.
Shingler, Martin, and Cindy Wieringa. On Air: Methods and Meanings of Radio. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1998.
Solanas, Fernando, and Octavio Getino. “Towards a Third Cinema: Notes and Experiences for
the Development of a Cinema of Liberation in the Third Word.” Film Theory 3 (2004).
Wollen, Peter. “Godard and Counter-Cinema: Vent d'Est,” Afterimage 4 (1972): 6-17.
Zedd, Nick. “The Cinema of Transgression Manifesto.”
