Regent University Mission Statement: Our mission is to serve as a leading center of Christian thought and action providing an excellent education from a Biblical perspective and global context in pivotal professions to equip Christian leaders to change the world. School of Communication & the Arts Mission Statement: To prepare emerging and established Christian leaders to inspire, enrich and transform the media, the arts, and the academy through excellence and innovation in scholarship and practice.
COURSE SYLLABUS
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION & THE ARTS
DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA-TELEVISION
CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CINEMA-TV
SPRING 2013 COURSE TYPE: CAMPUS
MEETING LOCATION: COM 146
MEETING TIME: TUESDAYS 1:30 – 4:30 PM
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: DR. J. DENNIS BOUNDS
All students are required to read and have a thorough understanding of the syllabus. Any questions or concerns need to be addressed to the instructor.
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
SECTION 1 – COURSE OVERVIEW
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Instructor: Dr. J. Dennis Bounds
Telephone: 757-352-4134
Fax: 757-352-4275
E-mail: [email protected]
In the subject line of your email, please include the course number (e.g. CTV 600) and
have your full name in your email signature. Note: All students are required to keep their
mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone numbers up to date in GENISYS to
facilitate communication between instructors and students.
Office Hours: Mondays & Thursdays 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Office Location: COM 260
Best time to contact me: During Office Hours.
I look forward to working with you in this course. The best ways to get in touch with me is by
email, rather than by phone. Or you may come by my office hours to have a chat. If these hours
do not work for you, we can usually work out an alternate day or time. I’m also available by
Skype at jdennbou. Follow me on Twitter: @jdennbou
SHORT BIO
J. Dennis Bounds, Associate Professor of Cinema-TV, was born and raised in Louisiana. He
earned his BA in Communications at Baylor University, Waco, TX, and his MA in
Screenwriting and PhD in Critical-Cultural Studies of Cinema-TV at the University of Texas at
Austin.
Bounds has worked as a videographer, cinematographer, reporter, producer, and director at two
television stations in Texas. At his current post at Regent University, Bounds helped create and
currently directs the Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting.
Bounds has published articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries. His non-fiction book
Perry Mason: The Authorship and Reproduction of a Popular Hero (Greenwood Press), serves
as a key text on the character “Perry Mason” in literature, broadcasting and film. Bounds
currently teaches in the areas of cinema and TV writing, history, theory and criticism. He lives in
Chesapeake, VA, with his wife, Margaret, and dog, Marley.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
CTV 600 Theory & Criticism of Cinema-Television (3) Analysis of cinema and television;
from the early realists-formalist to auteur, genre, reception, semiotic, feminist, psycho-analytic,
Marxist and deconstructive theories as they apply to both film and television research. Students
will complete the course with the understanding of how to apply these theories to all types of
television and cinematic texts.
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
If you want to direct, you study the directors. If you want to write, you study the writers. If you
want to produce, you study the producers. But to know these things without grounding in the
theoretical underpinnings of how film form "works" on both the production and receptive levels,
is to disregard decades of media study and analysis. You need to consider the various theoretical
schools that influenced and continue to influence what is being created and how an audience
interprets it. Whether your field is film or television, you still can benefit from study of theory
& criticism. Contemporary media criticism draws from film criticism and theory. Go to the
source.
In this course we will explore the ways film and television are studied. We will proceed, topic
by topic, to identify and examine the film theories of Eisenstein and Kracauer through the tide of
auteur, genre, and semiotic movements. We will consider the work of feminist, Marxist, and
psychoanalytic theorists, considering their draws and drawbacks.
We will further compare and contrast film and television critical approaches. We will examine
the ways film theory has impacted television criticism through the works of such writers as
Newcomb, Thorburn and Hartley.
We will end with what can be termed a "critique of criticism." The student will be expected to
understand these theories and be able to discuss them cogently with the professor and the class.
The aim of this course will be to examine each of these theories in comparison or contrast within
the Christian worldview that demands of us that we come to Him and reason. Throughout this
course we will progress toward the concept of Christian film theory.
Theme Scripture:
“The Spiritual Man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s
judgment: ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ But we have the
mind of Christ’.” 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
INTEGRATION OF FAITH
This as all courses in the School of Communication and the Arts is ultimately concerned with
how the committed Christian can blend his/her faith with what they learn here. Especially of
concern is how the issues raised by this course are to be considered in comparison to your own a
priori world view. You will be urged to consider all readings, screenings and discussions in light
of your own Christian faith.
SECTION 2 – COURSE EXPECTATIONS
COURSE THEORY & CRITICISM OF CINEMA-TV OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
To examine the various theories and trends in film and television criticism dating
from their inception to the current trends at work today
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
o This will be done through reading the original texts of the most important
theorists in the field and passing two written essay exams on those writers.
To become well versed in these theories and their practical application.
o This will be demonstrated through a comprehensive presentation to the
instructor and the class of a theory and its importance and impact.
To demonstrate the ability to master and apply a theory to a film or filmmaker.
o This is demonstrated through the writing of a journal-quality final research
paper that applies one or more of the theories we examine.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Students are responsible for acquiring the following books and materials for this course before
the first class meeting:
Braudy, Leo, and Marshall Cohen, eds. Film Theory and Criticism. 7th
ed.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780195365627.
Newcomb, Horace. Television: A Critical View. 7th
ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780195301168
Stam, Robert. Film Theory: An Introduction. New York: Blackwell Press,
2000. ISBN: 9780631206545
Recommended Resources:
For those of you to whom reading a great deal of material and comprehending it really fast is a
problem or at least a challenge, I urge you to take advantage of the Speed Reading workshop
available through the CTL. Here's the link:
http://www.regent.edu/admin/stusrv/student_dev/online_workshops/speedreading/
Also, you can go to our Blackboard course website and view a little video that gives a very
tutorial on how to increase your reading AND comprehension of articles and essays.
Note: The School has partnered with the Regent Bookstore to have textbooks available
for purchase for all students, including distance students. Items may be ordered using the
secured online catalog found at www.regentbookstore.net.
Daily access to the Internet and email
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) version 2007 or later.
The latest version of a web browser compatible with Blackboard and media players. For
assistance, visit the links provided in the Helpful Resources section of the course in
Blackboard or contact IT Helpdesk via their website, phone at 757-352-4076, or email
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
Additional materials (e.g., PowerPoint files, quizzes, media, and the like) may be
provided via Blackboard. Students are responsible for the information and materials
distributed in class and on Blackboard (see “Use of Blackboard” below for more
information).
Understand and adhere to the Regent Honor Code found in the Student Handbook. A
persistent link can also be found in Blackboard’s “RU Resources” tab.
Recommended Course Materials:
Other resources such as writing style guides, Blackboard tutorials, University
policies, IT Helpdesk, and information may be accessed via the “RU” and “Helpful
Resources” tabs in Blackboard as well as in the Helpful Resources section of this
course.
USE OF BLACKBOARD
Blackboard will be used to aid communication and delivery of extemporaneous and other content
as the semester progresses. We may also utilize the Discussion Board to extend our in-class
discussions. Participation in Blackboard does not supplant course requirements for attendance or
class participation. Therefore, while access to and use of Blackboard is required for this course, it
should not be seen as a surrogate for class attendance or other course requirements. Also, please
keep the following in mind:
All discussion posts should be scholarly in nature and respectful of colleagues.
Students are expected to check the Announcements section of Blackboard each week
beginning one week before the start of the course.
Students must keep their e-mail address current in Genisys in order to receive
communications from Blackboard and the instructor. Students are expected to check their
Regent e-mail daily to ensure timely receipt of messages from the professor.
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Attendance is required in order to complete this course. Students failing to attend a minimum
number of campus class meetings will automatically fail the course unless arrangement is made
with the professor to take an “Incomplete” grade in order to complete the course at a later date in
accordance with University policy (see student handbook for more information about
withdrawing from a course or the University or for incomplete grades). To prevent automatic
failure of a course, the minimum class attendance is as follows:
For a 16 week course: Must attend at least 9 weeks of campus class meetings. (This is
our course type!)
For a 10 week course: Must attend at least 6 weeks of campus class meetings.
For a 5 day Modular (Intensive) course: Must attend all 5 days of campus class
meetings.
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
Note: International students should consult the Office of International Student Services for
how immigration status may be impacted if you fail to meet attendance requirements for this
course. All students should consult the Financial Aid office for information on how their
funding may be impacted as well. International students should consult the Office of
International Student Services before registering for a Distance or Modular course.
In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for Regent University to suspend normal
operations. During this time, Regent University may opt to continue delivery of traditional
classroom instruction using the Blackboard Course Management System. It is the responsibility
of the student to monitor the course Blackboard site in the event of campus closure.
SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Unless otherwise instructed, all assignments for this course must be submitted via the
“Assignment Link” found in Blackboard. All files should be submitted using the following
naming convention:
YourName_AssignmentName (e.g. John Smith_Essay 1)
Papers should be in MS Word format (.docx) compliant with the MLA writing style
guide.
Scripts should be in Final Draft or Movie Magic software format.
Plus, any assignment will be returned in like kind (that is, I will return an attached Word file that
is marked up with the Word Comment function and files in .pdf will be returned with notes
added. Be sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for this course if you
choose to submit your assignments in this form. And make sure you can access and read my
comments.
And tragic it may be on many levels, losing computer access, a crashed computer or hard drive
or anything of this sort will not excuse lack of participation in the course. Also, all monetary
burdens for computer access are borne by the student.
Screenings:
We are all adults in this school. Any film or video I encourage you to study is purely for
educational and instructive purposes to develop critical abilities -- rather than for entertainment.
In the case that the film or video recommended is at the R rated level, I will offer a substitute at
the PG-13 or lighter rating. All screenings that occur during class will be made available under
MEDIA in the week it is assigned on Blackboard.
Unless otherwise stated in Blackboard, no assignment will be accepted if submitted via any
method other than Blackboard. Assignments are due no later than 11:59 pm on Monday. It is
recommended that students give themselves a buffer of time before the deadline to allow for
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trouble-shooting should your upload attempt fail. Students should look at the assignment
submission page to verify that the submission was successful.
Late Assignments
Unless stated by the me in class, all assignments are due on the date stated in the syllabus at the
beginning of that class period. Late assignments will be graded down one letter grade for
each day they are late without an approved extension. Except in cases of emergency,
requests for extensions must be made to me at least twenty-four hours before the assignment is
due. Be prepared to defend your reason why you need the extension. Remember, deadlines in
the film business are taken very seriously. This class, in preparing students to work
professionally will take the same attitude.
NOTE: Technical difficulties when submitting to Blackboard will not be accepted unless
documented by the IT Help Desk. The IT Help Desk is your first point of contact for problems
with Blackboard. Deadline extensions will be allowed only when a system issue occurring on
Blackboard’s side is documented by Regent University IT department.
METHOD OF EVALUATION
The final grade for the course will reflect mastery of course content and quality of thought as
expressed in:
Assignments:
A. Participation: (10%) Each student will be graded on how well they participate in
the class discussions. This will be a way of gauging how well a student is grasping
the material. This will be determined by my evaluation of your discussion with me on
Skype and your participation on the Discussion Board (required).
B. Mid-Term Exam: (20%) At about midpoint in the semester, the class will be given
an essay exam that will cover the readings and class discussions-to-date.
C. Presentation: (20%) At some time during the course each student will give a
presentation to be posted on the Discussion Board on any theoretical position.
Ideally, this would be the position the student will take for his/her term paper.
D. Term Paper: (25%) Each person will write a journal-quality Term Paper (20-25
pages) that applies a theory (or theories) to an artifact (or actor, studio, director,
producer, etc.). The topic and theory will need to be approved in advance after
conversation with me.
E. Final Exam: (20%) On the last day of class, the class will get a second essay exam
that will cover the readings and discussions since the first exam.
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
F. Regent/Hollywood Speaker Series: (5%) At times during the semester we will have
guest speakers coming to the Virginia Beach campus representing the film and
television industries. Those who live in the area are expected to attend these
presentations and write a one-page reaction paper to turn in one week after each
presentation. Those distance students who are unable to come to the campus may
instead write a one-page reaction paper based on viewing any “Making of”
documentary on filmmaking. Note: before you submit the paper, make sure you clear
the artifact with me.
EVALUATION AND GRADING
Assignments will be graded as follows:
Assignment Weight
Participation 10%
Mid-Term Exam 20%
Presentation 20%
Final Exam 20%
Term Paper 25%
Regent/Hollywood Speaker Series 5%
TOTAL: 100%
Grading Rubric for Critical Studies Courses:
A level (A or A-) = your writing quality, scholarship, and argument of your thesis meet or
exceed my intent for the assignment.
B level (B+, B, or B-) = your writing quality, scholarship, and argument of your thesis meet the
average level of what is expected for this assignment.
C level (C+, C, or C-) = your writing quality, scholarship, and argument of your thesis are barely
meeting what is expected for this assignment.
D level (D+, D, or D-) = your writing quality, scholarship, and argument of your thesis barely
meet part of what is expected for this assignment.
F = your writing quality, scholarship, and argument of your thesis don’t not meet any part of
what is expected for this assignment.
Note: Within each grade level, “+” or “-“ or just the letter grade are given based upon my feeling
of the potential of the writer’s chances to improve from this point on.
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
The following grading scale will be used:
Grade Percentage
Score Quality Points
A 96-100 4.00
A- 93-95 3.67
B+ 90-92 3.33
B 85-89 3.00
B- 81-84 2.67
C+ 78-80 2.33
C 75-77 2.00
C- 71-75 1.67
D+ 68-70 1.33
D 65-68 1.00
D- 60-65 0.07
F 0-59 0.00
SECTION 3 – SCHEDULE AND EVALUATION
COURSE SCHEDULE
The schedule below includes the due dates for all assignments in this course. It is recommended
that you place this Course Schedule in a convenient place and refer to it each week of the course.
You need to follow it closely, as late assignments may be subject to a grade reduction.
Tuesday marks the beginning of the week for this course. Therefore, unless otherwise stated in
Blackboard, assignments for each week must be submitted no later than Monday, 11:59 pm
(Eastern time) of each week.
Week 1: January 8 to January 14
Introduction to the Course: Theory and Criticism of Cinema-TV
o Read the Syllabus –Introduction to Theory and Criticism:
o Why study this in the first place?
o Christian Film and Television Theory:
o Is there or, better yet, should there be such a thing?
o comment on your background and interest in Film or TV
READINGS
o None
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
o Episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents-- “Dip in the Pool”
Week 2: January 15 to January 21
Expressionist vs. Realist; Expressionist Approach to Film and Television
READINGS
o FTAI: viii-47
o FTC: Kracaur, “Basic Concepts” 147
Arnheim, “The Complete Film" 167
“Film and Reality” 282
“The Making of a Film” 286
Eisenstein, “Beyond the Shot” 13
“The Dramaturgy of Film Form” 24
Panofsky, “Style and Medium in the Motion Pictures” 247
Mast, “Projection”
Balasz, “The Close-Up” 273
“The Face of Man” 275
Cavell, “Photograph and Screen” 304
“Audience, Actor, and Star” 305
“Types, Cycles as Genres” 307
“Ideas of Origin” 312
o TCV: Newcomb, “Television and the Present Climate of Criticism” 1
“Part 1: History” 11
“Part 2: The Production Context” 129
Levine, “Toward a Paradigm for Media Production Research: Behind the
Scenes at General Hospital.” 133
Bodroghkozy, “Negotiating Civil Rights in Prime Time: A Production and
Reception History of CBS’s East Side/West Side.” 37
Lotz, “Textual (Im)Possibilites in the U.S. Post-Network Era: Negotiating
Production and Promotion Processes on Lifetime’s Any Day Now.” 273
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o Weapon of Choice (music video)
o Clips from Waking Life (2002 - Richard Linklater)
Week 3: January 22 to January 28
Realist Film & Television
READINGS
o FTC: Bazin, “The Evolution of the Language of Cinema” 41
“The Ontology of the Photographic Image” 159
“The Myth of Total Cinema” 163
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
“Theatre and Cinema” 345
Kracaur, “The Establishment of Physical Existence” 262
Perez, [On Keaton and Chaplin] 474
o TCV: Rivero, “Erasing Blackness: The Media Construction of ‘Race’ in Mi
Familia, the First Puerto Rican Situation Comedy with a Black Family” 207
Corner, “Sounds Real: Music and Documentary” 397
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o Clip from Rashomon (1950 by Kurosawa)
o Documentary Short on J.J.Abrams’s work on Star Trek
o Clip from The Circus (by Charlie Chaplin)
o Cops (1922 short by Buster Keaton)
o And if you want to see an entire film of his, I recommend: Sherlock, Jr. (1924 by
Buster Keaton)
Week 4: January 29 to February 4
The Rise of the Film Auteur; The Television Auteur
Presentation: _________________________
READINGS
o FTAI: 83-92
o FTC: Wood, “Ideology, Genre, Auteur” 592
Sarris, “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962” 451
Wollen, “The Auteur Theory” 455
o TCV: “Part 3: The Programming Context”
Newcomb, “’This is Not Al Dente’: The Sopranos and the New Meaning
of Television” 561
Jaramillo, “The Family Racket: AOL, Time Warner, HBO, The Sopranos,
and the Construction of a Quality Brand” 579
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o An episode of The Sopranos
Week 5: February 5 to February 11
Narrative Studies in Film; Narrative Studies in Television
Presentation: _________________________
READINGS
o FTAI: 92-153
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
o FTC: Braudy, “Acting: Stage vs. Screen 356
Andrew, “Adaptation” 372
McFarlane, “Backgrounds” 381
Gunning, “Narrative Discourse and the Narrator System” 390
Bordwell, “Cognition and Comprehension: Viewing and Forgetting in
Mildred Pierce.” 427
o TCV: Alvey, “’Too Many Kids and Old Ladies’: Quality Demographics and
1960s U.S. Television” 15
Parry-Giles & Parry-Giles, “The West Wing’s Presidency: Mimesis and
Catharsis in a Postmodern Romance” 292
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o House, M.D. “Three Stories”
Week 6: February 12 to February 18
Genre Theory vs. the concept of Auteur; Genre Theory in Film; Narrative and Genre;
Genre Theory in Television
Presentation: _________________________
Readings:
o FTC: Film Genres
Braudy, “Genre: The Conventions of Connection” 535
Schatz, “Film Genre and the Genre Film” 564
Altman, “A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre” 552
Bordwell, “The Art of Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice” 649
Carroll, “The Specificity Thesis” 292
Warshow, “the Gangster as Tragic Hero” 576
Schrader, “Notes on Film Noir,” 581
o FTAI: 47- 55
o TCV: Mittell, “Cartoon Realism: Genre Mixing and the Cultural Life of The
Simpsons” 272
Waisbord, “McTV: Understanding the Global Popularity of Television
Formats” 375
Thorburn, “Television Melodrama” 438
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o An episode of The Simpsons
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
Week 7: February 19 to February 25
EXAM #1 – Essay – Covering the readings, lectures, screenings so far.
Week 8: February 26 to March 3
The Saussurian Impulse: Semiotics in Film; Signs and Meaning in Film and Television;
Semiotics in Ideology
Presentation: _________________________
READINGS
o FTAI: 185-229
o FTC: Metz, “Some Points in the Semiotics of the Cinema” 65
“Problems of Denotation in the Fiction Film” 71
Harman, “Semiotics and the Cinema: Metz and Wollen” 78
Dayan, “The Tutor-Code of Classical Cinema” 106
Rothman, “Against “The System of the Suture.” 118
Barthes, “The Face of Garbo” 471
Dyer, from Stars. 480
Browne, “The Spectator-In-The-Text: The Rhetoric of Stagecoach” 125
o TCV: Spigel, “Entertainment Wars: Television Culture after 9/11” 625
Silverstone, “Regulation, Media Literacy, and Media Civics” 654
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o Stagecoach (1939, John Ford, director)
Week 9: March 4 to March 10
Modular Week
Week 10: March 11 to March 18
Reception Studies
Presentation: _________________________
READINGS
o FTAI: 229-262
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
o FTC: L. Williams, “Film Bodies: Gender, Genre and Excess” 602
Gunning, “An Aesthetic of Astonishment: Early Film and the
(In)Credulous Spectator” 736
Deleuze, “Preface to the English Edition,” 216
“The Origin of the Crisis: Italian Neo-Realism and the French New
Wave,” 218
“Beyond the Movement-Image,” 227
o TVC: “Part 4: Audiences, Viewers, Users” 451
Caron, “Translating Trek: Rewriting an American Icon in a Francophone
Context” 150
Siegel, “Double Vision: Large Screen Video Display and Live Sports
Spectacle” 185
Lembo, "Components of a Viewing Culture" 455
Hill, "Big Brother: The Real Audience" 471
La Pastina, "Telanovela Reception in Rural Brazil: Gendered Readings
and Sexual Mores" 486
Bjarkman, "To Have and to Hold: A Video Collector's Relationship with
and Etherial Medium" 530
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o Mystery Science Theatre 3000 - “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die”
Week 11: March 19 to March 25
Marxist Film & Television Theories
Presentation: _________________________
ABSTRACTS DUE TODAY
READINGS
o Film Theory: An Introduction: 55-83
o Film Theory & Criticism: Henderson, “Towards a Non-Bourgeois Camera Style”
54
Comolli & Narboni, “Cinema/Ideology/ Criticism” 686
Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” 665
o Television: the Critical View: Godfried, “Identity, Power, and Local Television:
African Americans, Organized Labor, and UHF-TV in Chicago” 106
Jones, "From Insiders to Outsiders: The Advent of New Political
Television" 408
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
Jacka, " 'Democracy as Defeat': The Importance of Arguments for Public
Service Broadcasting" 605
Garnham, "A Response to Elizabeth Jacka's 'Democracy as Defeat' " 618
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o Street of Crocodiles
Week 12: March 26 to April 1
Psychoanalytic Film & Television Theory
Presentation: _________________________
READINGS
o FTAI: 153-169
o FTC: Baudry, “The Apparatus: Metapsychological Approaches to the Impression
of Reality in Cinema” 171
Carroll, “Jean-Louis Baudry and ‘The Apparatus’” 189
Metz, “Identification, Mirror” 694
“The Passion for Perceiving” 701
“Disavowel, Fetishism” 705
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o Spellbound (1945, Alfred Hitchcock, director)
Week 13: April 2 to April 8
Feminist Theories of Film & Television
Presentation: _________________________
READINS
o FTAI: 169-185
o FTC: Haskell, “Female Stars of the 1940s”
Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” 711
Diawara, “Black Spectatorship: Problems of Identification and
Resistance” 767
Doane, “The Voice in Cinema: The Articulation of Body and Space” 318
Modleski, “The Master’s Dollhouse: Rear Window” 723
Freeland, “Feminist Frameworks for Horror Films” 627
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
o TCV: Cassidy & White, “Innovating Women’s Television in Local and National
Networks: Ruth Lyons and Arlene Francis” 60
Murray, “Ethnic, Masculinity and Early Television’s Vaudeo Star” 85
Arthurs, "Sex and the City and Consumer Culture: Remediating
Postfeminist Drama" 315
Banet-Weiser, "Girls Rule! Gender, Feminism, and Nickelodeon" 332
Lu, "Soap Opera in China: The Transnational Politics of Visuality,
Sexuality, and Masculinity" 353
Cullity & Younger, "Sex Appeal and Cultural Liberty: A Feminist Inquiry
into MTV India" 507
o Handout: Studlar, “Masochism and the Perverse Pleasures of the Cinema”
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o The Women (1939, George Cukor, dir.)
o I Dream of Jeanie (pilot)
Week 14: April 9 to April 15
The Postmodern theories; The cultural approach
Presentation: ____________________________
READINGS
o FTAI: 262-330
o FTC: Modleski, “The Terror of Pleasure: The Contemporary Horror Film and
Postmodern Theory,” 617
Stam & Spence, “Colonialism, Racism, and Representation: An
Introduction,” 751
Allen, “The Impact of Digital Technologies on Film Aesthetics,” 824
Yoshimoto, “The Difficulty of Being Radical: The Discipline of Film
Studies and the Postcolonial World Order,” 865
o TCV: Castiglia & Reed, “’Ah, Yes, I Remember It Well’: Memory and Queer
Culture in Will and Grace ” 249
Newcomb, “Part 5: Considering Television” 557
Hartley, "Television as Transmodern Teaching" 595
SCREEN [COURSE VIDEOS]
o Episode of Will & Grace
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
Week 15: April 16 to April 22
Wrap-Up to the Course Part 1: discussion of the possibility of a Christian film and
television theory
TERM PAPER DUE
No Readings
No Screenings
Week 16: April 23 to April 27
EXAM #2 – Essay – Covering the readings, lectures, screenings since Exam #1
SECTION 4 – PROGRAM GOALS
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND THE ARTS MISSION STATEMENT
To prepare emerging and established Christian leaders to inspire, enrich and transform the
media, the arts, and the academy through excellence and innovation in scholarship and practice.
PROGRAM GOALS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA-TELEVISION.
MFA in Cinema-Television:
1. Christian Worldview Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate & apply the
Christian faith & biblical principles to the study & practices of mediated
communication.
2. Professional Artistry Students will articulate their personal artistic “voice” and
mastery of the production process as evidenced by excellence in their creative works.
3. Techniques (within majors):
o Producing: Students will demonstrate mastery of cinema and television
producing, which includes the development of leadership and stewardship skills within a spiritual, social, cultural, and global framework.
o Directing: Students will demonstrate mastery of cinema and television
directing, in storytelling, pre-visualization, production design, casting &
performance, cinematography, audio, post-production, and the application of
Christian leadership skills to the directing process.
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
MA in Communication:
1. Christian World-View Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate & apply the
Christian faith & biblical principles to the study & practices of mediated communication.
2. Academics Students will demonstrate knowledge of relevant communication theories
related to the study of film & television.
3. Artistic Practice (within concentrations) Students will demonstrate proficiency and
excellence in the rigorous exploration and application within their chosen artistic
concentration:
o Producing: In the logistics of a film/TV production, including story and
production development, pre-production, scheduling & budgeting, legal issues &
business development, post-production, distribution, and the application of
Christian leadership to the producing process.
o Directing: In storytelling, pre-visualization, production design, casting &
performance, cinematography, audio, post-production, and the application of
Christian leadership skills to the directing process.
o Editing: In post-production – including non-linear, story structure, workflow,
acquisition, sound design, compositing, media formats & technology, graphics,
mastering, production process, and the application of Christian leadership in the
post-production process.
o Critical Studies: In the historical-critical analysis of film and television. This will
include mastery of classical, contemporary, and international research methods,
critical writing, understanding and application of relevant theory and histories
(national and international) – all combined with an understanding of the Christian
world-view.
SECTION 5 – UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Students should become familiar with all university policies as outlined in the Student Handbook
including:
Disability services (Note: Requests for accommodation must first be submitted through
Disability Services).
Regent Honor Code (as an academic and Christian community, Regent University takes
seriously the call for integrity and penalizes breaches of academic integrity.)
Withdrawing from a course or the University
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Regent University, CTV 600-01 THEORY & CRITICISM OF CTV Course Syllabus
Discipline policies
A link to the Student Handbook can also be found in Blackboard’s “RU Resources” tab along
with links to University Library, Student Services, University Bookstore, academic writing
assistance resources, and more.
Blackboard’s “Help” tab provides additional resources including:
Blackboard tutorials
IT Help Desk contact information
STUDENT COURSE EVALUATION
Students have the opportunity to provide feedback throughout the course through e-mail,
telephone, and on-campus appointments. Near the end of the course, students will complete an
anonymous online course evaluation form. Since the results contribute to improving course
design and presentation, it is important that students be honest and constructive in their
evaluations. Students will receive an e-mail reminder from the University when it is time to
complete these evaluations. Please take time to provide this input. Students can access the
online evaluation system at:
http://eval.regent.edu/regent/survey/students.cfm
If you have questions about the online evaluation please contact [email protected].
This syllabus is subject to change without notice.
Last updated: 11/8/2012
Regent University
1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach, VA, 23464
Phone (888) 718-1222
©2012 Regent University, All Rights Reserved.