ENG/FST 317: Writing About Film
Course Schedule, Fall 07

Week One
R 8.23 : Introduction

Week Two
T 8.28: Chapter 1 in Corrigan
Journal 1-Exercise #1 on pg. 17
R 8.30: Chapter 2 in Corrigan; look over film terms, pg 177
Journal 2--Exercise #2 on pg. 34

Week Three
Film: Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
T 9.4: Review (Lawrence Russell), Filmsite Entry, Script
R 9.6: Film Threat Review, NYTimes review, Wikipedia entry on Intenrment Camps
Journal 3 -- Compare Reviews (subject and style)

Week Four
T 9.11: Norden, "Politics, Movies, and Physical Disability", Slant DVD review
R 9.13: Review #1 due

Week Five
Film: Straw Dogs (1971)
T 9.18: Ebert Review, Miller, "In Defense of Sam Peckinpah,"
R 9.20: Salon Review, NYTimes Review, Dukore, "I Would Give You Some Violence"
Journal 4

Week Six
T 9.25: Prince, "Aestheticizing Violence"
R 9.27: Close Reading Due, Peer Review

Week Seven
Film: Lolita (1962)
T 10.2: Corliss, Lolita (1-39), Hatch "Fille Fatale", Guest Lecture
R 10.4: Finish Corliss, Chapter 5 in Corrigan, NYTimes Review
Journal 5-Film Response
Essay Thesis Due

Week Eight
T 10.9: No Class, Fall Break
R 10.11: Chapter 6 in Corrigan
Page One Due

Week Nine
T 10.16: Four Page Draft Due in class.
R 10.18: Essay #1 Due (with ALL journals)

Week Ten
Film: Water (2005)
T 10.23: Variety Review, Ebert Review, "A Conversation with Deepa Mehta", "Water: The Trilogy Ends"
R 10.25: "The Politics of Melodrama in Deepa Mehta's Water", EW Review, Reel Views

Week Eleven
T 10.30: Goldberg's "Where are the Female Directors?"
Journal 6--What do we think of when we think of "foreign" films? Why?
Bring in a list of films made by women (with some commentary) as well as a response to Goldberg's article.
R 11.1: In-class exercise

Week Twelve
Film: Primer (2003)
T 11.6: David Lewis "The Paradoxes of Time Travel", NYTimes Review, Wikipedia Entry on Primer
R 11.8: Telotte, "The World of the Science Fiction Film", "Time Travel" from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Journal 7 -- What is Science Fiction? What is its cinematic history/legacy?

Week Thirteen
T 11.13: Sontag, "Imagination of Disaster"
Journal 8 -- Review Evaluations
R 11.15: filmsite.org's History of SF Film
Review #2 Due

Week Fourteen
Film: The Thin Blue Line (1988)
T 11.20: Ebert Review, "Errol Morris' Construction of Innocence", Errol Morris interview, Harris Info
Journal 9 -- Open Letter to the Film Industry (What do you want to say to Hollywood?)
R 11.22: No Class, Thanksgiving

Week Fifteen
T 11.27: "Mirrors Without Memories"
Final Thesis Due
R 11.29: In-Class Discussion of Final Paper, Film as a thing, etc.
Journal 10--Can film really change the world? Why? How does writing about it help?

Week Sixteen
T 12.5: Last Class.
Final Paper Due (with ALL Journals)