1. Special Topics: U.S. Film History: Silent Cinema & Beyond
MFJS 3900, Winter 2013
(Weekly, hybrid)
Instructor: Thomas Delapa
Thomas.Delapa@du.edu
Class Meetings
Primarily on-line with at least one classroom session, including Sunday, Jan. 13, 8:30 am—
Noon, TWC Rm. 150. The on-line weekly due dates will be according to the following schedule:
Jan. 27; Feb. 3, 17, 24; March 10, 17. Other Sunday classroom sessions tba.
Prerequisites
WRIT 1122 & 1133
Course Description
This upper-division film studies course examines the origins and growth of U.S. motion pictures
from their invention and growth in the 1890s, through the end of the classical studio era in the
1960s, and on to the 1990s, focusing on key developments, major films and filmmakers, and the
evolving social and production contexts. This course serves as complement to MFJS 3900
European Film History offered in summer 2012.
Course Objectives
• Learn a broad overview of the artistic, cultural, and historical evolution of U.S. cinema,
primarily Hollywood, from the silent era to the 1990s.
• Identify major trends, films, and filmmakers from this era.
• Demonstrate an understanding of aesthetic, social, philosophical, and cultural issues
engaged by these directors and films.
• Compare, contrast, and evaluate these films and filmmakers from the era, the artistic and
stylistic connections between them--and their connections to contemporary film.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the political, social, cultural, and economic contexts in
which these films were produced.
• Identify and discuss basic cinematic techniques that these filmmakers use to put their
own styles and themes forward.

2. 2
• Increase one’s analytical skill in regards to texts and films; develop writing and
communication skills which indicate originality of thought and expression.
Class Format
THIS COURSE WILL TAKE PLACE PRIMARILY ON-LINE: Components of the course
include: Film Viewing and Written Response Assignments, Discussion Forum Postings, on-line
Quiz, and Final Paper.
Generally, each week I will post lecture notes relating to the assigned reading/viewing for the
week. Discussion board entries relevant to the week’s material and film should also be posted
each week, as well as follow-up posts to other members of the class. You can post and complete
your work anytime within the windows of opportunity (throughout the week, that is) AS LONG
AS THE WORK IS COMPLETED BY THE CLASS DUE DATE. Due dates will be made clear
as assignments are posted via the Blackboard Announcements page. Work generally will be due
on Saturdays and Sundays (by midnight). The following week’s assignments will be posted on
Sundays (by midnight).
Class Etiquette
Students rarely come into on-line or live classroom environments who aren’t aware of basic
communication skills and etiquette. You’ll do best in this class if you are polite to your fellow
classmates (and instructor), avoid inflammatory statements, or superior airs, etc. Please be civil.
Again, this usually needn’t be mentioned, as most students are very collaborative and skilled at
building community both in the classroom and on-line. But rude, careless, condescending, etc.
posts will be deleted. This kind of participation will not receive credit or recognition and repeat
offenders will fail the course and/or be asked to drop.
Please turn off all cell phones during classroom session(s). Work done on laptops and other
devices that is not relevant to the class hinders the process of communication and shared
discussion of ideas that require full engagement by all participants. Therefore, use of laptops
during class is discouraged and any use of laptops for purposes other than note-taking will result
in a ban of all such devices in the classroom.
Class Homepage
Our course module will open by 1/7/13 on DU Blackboard (http://blackboard.du.edu/), including
syllabus, assignments, and website links. Student support links are available on homepage.
Excepting the first classroom session (and possibly more), the class will “meet” on weekends on-line.
This does not mean we will have virtual classes in real time. It means that we will have
weekend assignment or class-related activity due dates. Your schedule will remain quite flexible
within these weekend due date parameters. You can post anytime within the window of
opportunity (one week prior to deadline), complete quiz anytime within that window, etc. Due
dates will also be made clear as assignments are posted. Always check the weekly Blackboard
“Announcements” for recaps of class due dates, updates, or modifications to our syllabus
schedule. I will also e-mail you directly for important communications.
Late work will lose points. If you are not a self-motivated student, please do not take this
on-line class. I do not send individual reminders, etc. about late or missing work. Use the
syllabus and weekly announcements to plan your quarter and stay on target with
deadlines, etc. You must attend to class every week, starting with week one in the classroom, to
pass this course. Since you don’t have to physically be anywhere at any specific time, excepting

3. 3
Week 1, there’s almost no acceptable reason for late work. Moreover, you will not be able to
participate in class discussions if you haven’t kept up with the readings, screenings, and postings.
Discussion Forum points only apply during the week that that particular discussion (or class
“meeting”) is taking place. After the deadline passes, the Discussion Forum for that week will be
closed for comments, though it will remain open for review.
Required Texts
· Virginia Wright Wexman, A History of Film. 6th or 7th edition is OK. Used/for rent copies
available at bookstore.
· Select chapters from Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing About Film (any recent
edition). Available on Ares (https://ares.cair.du.edu/ares) E-reserve and at Penrose
Library under our class.
Film Screenings
It is important to attend carefully to these films, taking brief notes on them: The films play a
similar role in a film studies class that novels do in a literature class. That is, you must study the
films to understand most of the other material of the course. We will be looking at one feature
film per week, plus at least one clip. PLAN AHEAD BY CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE
SYLLABUS. It will be important for you to keep up with the weekly screenings as there will be
lectures, assignments, and discussions assigned for each weekly film(s).
Required films and clips can be accessed through DU CourseMedia
(https://coursemedia.du.edu/) by 1/7/13 or earlier, which also will be linked through
Blackboard; the log-in page contains a student user guide. You may also view feature films
through DVDs or a delivery service (Netflix, etc.). Please, when at all possible, view these
films on as large a format as you can, and with fast speeds if on a computer. Do not view
these films on a cell-phone or tablet device.
Lectures
In our Blackboard module (under “Content”), I will be posting weekly “lectures” consisting of
notes and highlights of textual material as well as additional contextual material, occasional
images, and other aesthetic information to enhance your understanding of a film and a film
movement represented by it. You will be responsible for understanding the lecture material as
well as material in textbook and films studied for the quiz we’ll take in the class. Mostly,
however, the “lectures” will be study outlines from the text. Read the text carefully or the
lectures and films won’t make sense.
Course Activities and Requirements
· Screening Responses (five) 50% of grade
· Attendance/On-line Discussions 20% of grade (Introduction paper included here)
· Quiz 10% of grade
· Final paper 20% of grade
Screening Responses: Posted in Content, these will be weekly response exercises on the film(s)
we study for the week, due Sundays by midnight. They will take a variety of forms: A series of
short, observational and interpretive questions for the film or a longer essay question (1-2 pages)
for the film and/or film movement for the week. Your viewing of the film should be attentive and
careful. The weekly screening questions will help guide you through this process and collate
your ideas.

4. 4
First Class Introductions: Due first class, please write a 2-3 page paper (handwritten is OK)
briefly introducing yourself to me and the class, describing your academic and professional
background, interest in film, expectations for this course, and some of your favorite films.
On-Line Discussion Forums will be a means for you to share your ideas about the film(s) being
studied and topics in our text material.
· To be “in attendance” and receive credit for attendance you must post thoughtful,
engaged comments in response to the discussion question posted at least twice per week:
at least once with your own observations or comments and at least one post per week
which responds to a post from another member of the class for that week. All posts due
weekly by midnight Saturdays, with an initial post due by midnight Friday.
· Please refrain from automatic responses like “good comment” or “I agree”—support and
clarify your comments. This way, you will generate discussion items as well as
participate/respond to another’s discussion. Consider these posts as equivalent to a
comment you might offer in a live classroom. Try to be substantive by demonstrating you
are interacting with the details of the post, lecture notes, readings, and the film(s) being
discussed. Personal discussions such as conversations about careers, the weekend, etc.
will not contribute to your attendance/ participation grade.
· The discussion boards are not so much an opportunity to indicate whether you “liked” or
“disliked” the film, but rather a means to analyze the film in the context of the textbook
material studied for the week and/or to begin to develop some sense of your own
aesthetic criteria. More guidance will be forthcoming on this, as each weekly discussion
will be in response to a “prompt” posted at the beginning of each week.
Quiz (posted in Content by 2/3, due by 2/17) will cover the major film vocabulary in the
readings, lecture material, and the filmmakers and films assigned. Questions will be a
combination of short answer, true-false, identification, and short essay.
Final Paper (e-mailed to me by 3/17, midnight): One critical essay (5-6 pages, double-spaced,
regular fonts, on Word) on a course feature film, integrating your personal opinion with readings
and other course material. These are your substantiated, unified opinions and reflections; do not
use online sources. Make sure you cite any quotes or paraphrases in the body of your paper, with
a bibliography. Additional guidelines will be discussed in first class. For information on
Women’s College writing seminars and tutoring, contact Meghan Colombin,
(meghan.colombin@du.edu; 303.871.6841).
Attendance and Participation Policy
The material presented in this course is chronological and cumulative. Hand your work in on
time, as late work will be down-graded. Please contact me promptly (or beforehand) should you
not meet any due dates. Discussion Forums, however, will only be available for the week they
are due. Since these are class “attendance” points, you cannot get credit for posting after the
class has left the “room.”
A grade of incomplete will be granted only under special circumstances as determined by the
instructor. http://www.du.edu/registrar/records/incompletepolicy.html
Doing Well in this Class
Take brief notes on every facet of the class (screenings, lectures, readings). This will prove
invaluable in preparing for the on-line discussions, screening responses, and quiz. Do the

5. 5
reading. Many students fall behind, and then complain that they're having trouble in the class.
Take advantage of my notes posted on each week’s screenings to help you organize and
summarize so you can retain and apply the material. You may contact me directly via e-mail
should you have specific questions about the class; I will answer your e-mail generally within 24
hours.
Class Writing Guidelines
All written homework (outside of Discussion Board posts) must be submitted as MS Word
document attachments (not PDFs), double-spaced using a regular 12-point font and 1” margins,
acknowledging any sources in the text. Make sure to check grammar and spelling before sending
a final copy. Use complete sentences and compose thoughtful paragraphs whenever possible. E-mail
final papers to Thomas.Delapa@du.edu.
Academic Integrity
The Women’s College fully endorses the University of Denver’s Honor Code and the procedures
put forth by the Office of Citizenship and Community Standards. Academic dishonesty—
including plagiarism, cheating, and falsification of data and research—is in violation of the code
and will result in a failing grade for the assignment or for the course.
As student members of a community committed to academic integrity and honesty, it is your
responsibility to become familiar with the DU Honor Code and its procedures
(www.du.edu/honorcode).
Syllabus Disclaimer
Class schedule and assignments, especially films, may be altered during the course of the term as
needed. Revisions will be noted in Blackboard announcements and/or CourseMedia.
Class Schedule:
Class Topics Required Reading/Films Assignments Due
Week
1 –
1/13
(Room
150)
Course Introduction;
Cinema’s Beginnings in the
U.S. and Europe
Class introductions -Why
study film history? - Early
films & filmmakers - Text
and context - Formalism &
realism - Basic film terms
READING: Wexman,
Chapter 1
Corrigan, Ch. 1-2 (pp 1-37)
available on Ares e-reserve
and Penrose reserve; also
review on-line syllabus
SCREENINGS (in-class):
Lumiere brothers, Melies,
The Great Train Robbery,
D.W. Griffith and Buster
Keaton shorts
2-3 page Class
Introduction (see above)

6. 6
Week
2 -
(1/27)
The Rise of Hollywood
Hollywood as industry and
idea – Stars - Silent drama &
slapstick comedy – Early
sound
READING: Wexman, Ch.
2 & 5;
Corrigan, Ch. 3 (optional)
SCREENINGS:
The Gold Rush
The Birth of a Nation (clip)
Nanook of the North (clip)
Screening Responses
due by 1/27
Discussion Posts
due by 1/25 &1/26
Week
3 -
(2/3)
The Classic Studio Era
The studios rule - Depression
genres and directors – The
new censorship code - Sound
and stars – Orson Welles and
Citizen Kane
READING: Wexman,
Ch. 7
SCREENINGS:
Citizen Kane
Double Indemnity (clip)
Scarface (clip)
Screening Responses
due by 2/3
Discussion Posts
due by 2/1 & 2/2
QUIZ, posted by 2/3
Week
4 -
(2/17)
Hollywood in Postwar
Transition
Box-office challenges - New
auteurs and genres - Method
and madness - The big
picture
READING: Wexman,
Ch. 10
SCREENINGS:
On the Waterfront (clip)
Singin’ in the Rain (clip)
Psycho
QUIZ, due 2/17
midnight
Screening Responses
due by 2/17
Discussion Posts
due by 2/15 & 2/16
Week
5 -
(2/24)
New Hollywood in the ‘60s
And ‘70s
Hollywood renaissance - The
European influence – the
director as superstar –
Censorship fade-out –
READING: Wexman,
Ch. 17
SCREENINGS:
Bonnie and Clyde
The Godfather (clip)
Jules and Jim (clip),
optional
Screening Responses
due by 2/24
Discussion Posts
due by 2/22 & 2/23
Week
6 -
(3/10)
Jaws, Star Wars and the
New Blockbuster
READING: Wexman,
Ch. 20
SCREENINGS:
Jaws
Star Wars (clip)
Annie Hall (clip)
Screening Responses
due by 3/10
Discussion Posts
due by 3/8 & 3/9
Week
7 -
(3/17)
The End of Film?
Show me the money - Rise of
the indies – Video and
READING: Wexman,
Ch. 24
Discussion Posts
due by 3/14 & 3/15

7. 7
Digital revolutions SCREENINGS:
Jurassic Park (clip)
Do the Right Thing (clip)
Clueless (clip)
Roger and Me (clip)
Pulp Fiction (clip),
optional
FINAL PAPER due,
e-mailed to me by
midnight Sunday, 3/17
“The cinema is an invention without a future”
--Louis Lumiere
Grading Policy
The information I'll be presenting and films we’ll be discussing are often theoretical, difficult,
and challenging. Use our discussions forums to work through this new material. Such possible
confusion is invigorating and is the fuel that will drive your education. I've attempted to structure
the course so that it will be challenging, yet accessible.
Percentage Grade
93-100 A
90-92 A-
88-90 B+
83-87 B
80-82 B-
78-79 C+
73-77 C
70-72 C-
68-69 D+
63-67 D
60-62 D-
0-59 F
Grading Rubrics
Grade Performance on Written Assignments
A The writer completes the task set by the assignment, and the paper is excellent in nearly all
respects. It exhibits the following characteristics:
· well argued;
· well organized;
· clear thesis;
· contains well-developed content that is specific, accurate, interesting, and appropriate;
· demonstrates the author’s ability to produce and synthesize complex ideas;
· contains logical connectors and transitions which contribute to a fluent style.
The paper is virtually free of errors in sentence structure, usage, mechanics, and documentation
style and shows evidence of excellent control of language, creativity, and originality.
B Shares most of the characteristics of the "A" paper. The reasoning is logical, and the content is
effectively organized into coherent units. Areas of weakness may be:
· less careful reasoning than found in the "A" paper;

8. 8
· minor problems in paragraphing and / or organization.
The paper has few errors in sentence structure, usage, mechanics, and documentation style.
Those few errors do not interfere with comprehension and are not distracting to the reader.
C The writer has come to terms with the basic task of the assignment, and the paper is generally
competent. The organization is sufficiently clear that the reader can move with relative ease
through the discourse. The paper, however, has problems in one or more of the following areas:
· it may have a weak thesis;
· the development of minor points may be weak, but the writer provides evidence of the
ability to support key ideas;
· connectors and transitions may be lacking or illogical.
The paper may contain some awkward or ineffective sentences and may show some problems
with mechanics, usage, or documentation style. These errors, however, are not serious or
frequent enough to consistently distract the reader from the content or to interfere significantly
with comprehension.
D The writer shows difficulty managing the task of the assignment in some significant way. For
example:
· the thesis may be vague, too broad, or too obvious to be effectively developed;
· the thesis may lack adequate support;
· paragraphing and organization may be weak, but the reader is never completely lost in
terms of following the train of thought;
· the writer fails to come to terms with the assignment.
· The primary task is ignored, misconstrued, badly mishandled, or redefined to
accommodate what the writer wants to say or is able to say.
This category may also be used for the paper that is obviously off topic, regardless of the quality
of the writing.
The paper contains errors in grammar, sentence construction, mechanics, usage and/or
documentation style that often interfere with comprehension or prove distracting to the reader.
The paper has a number of ungrammatical or poorly constructed sentences and serious, frequent
errors in mechanics and usage that impede understanding. The difference between a "D" paper
and an "F" paper lies primarily in the pervasiveness of errors.
Online and Classroom Participation
Performance Levels Exemplary (A) Satisfactory (B) Marginal (C) Poor (D)
Critical Engagement
Online
&
Classroom
The post or class
participation
demonstrates mastery of
the ideas discussed in the
readings and lectures,
and those ideas were
appropriately drawn
upon for support and
practical application.
The post or class participation
demonstrates some confusion
with respect to the assigned
readings or failed to
incorporate theory in support
of the author’s viewpoint and
practical applications.
The post or class
participation
demonstrates both
confusion with respect
to ideas in the assigned
readings and a failure to
apply theory to the
author’s viewpoint.
The student failed to
post to the forum or to
participate in class, or
posted in an unhelpful,
intimidating, or
disruptive manner.
Grammar & Rhetoric
Online
The post met word count
requirements and was
grammatically correct
with virtually no spelling
or mechanical errors. Its
construction facilitated
dialogue with colleagues.
The post met word count
requirements and was
generally grammatically and
technically correct, but
contained some errors. The
structure of the post was
acceptable but argumentation
could have been better
constructed.
The post failed to meet
word count
requirements and had
considerable
grammatical and
mechanical errors, which
rendered it difficult to
comprehend.
The student failed to
post to the forum, or
posted in an unhelpful,
intimidating or disruptive
manner.

9. 9
Classroom
Discussion reflects a
theoretical and practical
clarity and fluency
combined with good
interpersonal skills.
Discussion reflects some
theoretical and practical clarity
with satisfactory interpersonal
skills.
Discussion reflects little
theoretical and practical
clarity with minimal
interpersonal skills.
Student failed to
participate in class or
communicated in an
unhelpful, intimidating
or disruptive manner.
Paper Citations Sources were
appropriately and
properly cited using
either APA or MLA
format.
Sources were generally cited
using either APA or MLA .
Some sources were not
appropriately cited, nor
properly cited using APA
or MLA.
The student failed to cite
sources.
TRD 11/28/12-Rev.

10. 9
Classroom
Discussion reflects a
theoretical and practical
clarity and fluency
combined with good
interpersonal skills.
Discussion reflects some
theoretical and practical clarity
with satisfactory interpersonal
skills.
Discussion reflects little
theoretical and practical
clarity with minimal
interpersonal skills.
Student failed to
participate in class or
communicated in an
unhelpful, intimidating
or disruptive manner.
Paper Citations Sources were
appropriately and
properly cited using
either APA or MLA
format.
Sources were generally cited
using either APA or MLA .
Some sources were not
appropriately cited, nor
properly cited using APA
or MLA.
The student failed to cite
sources.
TRD 11/28/12-Rev.