FMST 369: Connections in Film: (The Horror Film) Spring 2013 M/W: 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Welles 119 Tues (film lab) 5-7 p.m. Welles 216 Professor Okada Office: Welles 224C Office Hours: WF 2-3:30 p.m. and by appointment Office Phone: (585) 245-5241 Email: okada@geneseo.edu Course Description This is a 300-level course on the Horror Film. Horror films have introduced and popularized many of the cinema's most unique stylistic and formal innovations, in such areas as camerawork, lighting, sound, point of view, and narrative structure. The structure of the course will take into account the development of the horror film from its earliest beginnings in silent cinema to Hollywood monster films, slasher films, and psychological and global horror. The horror genre can also help us to understand how filmmakers construct surprise and suspense to maximize our emotional involvement in film narratives. This course introduces and applies the language of film analysis by studying a number of representative films in the horror genre. We will also examine the social and cultural dimensions of the "fear" response that horror films exploit so strategically. In other words, why do we love horror films even as they paradoxically frighten and repel? Learning Outcomes: Students will demonstrate: basic understanding of the horror film genre and the unique industrial, technological, and historical circumstances that have shaped it. the ability to evaluate the role and impact of popular media or information technology on society. the ability to think, speak and write critically about the moving image, using medium specific terminology. the ability to interpret works of art and relate them to one's own experience. the ability to clearly analyze the functions of form, narrative, and style in cinema. Accommodations: SUNY-Geneseo will make reasonable accommodations for persons of documented physical, emotional or learning disabilities. Students should notify the Director of the Office of Disability Services (Tabitha Buggie -Hunt, 105D Erwin, tbuggieh@geneseo.edu) and their faculty of any needed accommodations as
early as possible in the semester. Information on services and campus polices can be found at: http://www.geneseo.edu/~doc/otherareas/disability.shtml The Learning Experience Each week, we will watch a full-length horror film in the film lab. (In class discussion, each of these films will help us become comfortable with and proficient in the language of cinematic analysis. We will see how the emotional effects of narrative film are the result of conscious and active choices that each filmmaker must make--choices involving matters of style and form. For example, we will come to see how stylistic devices such as "offscreen sound," the "point-of-view" shot, and "split-screen" imagery direct our attention and maintain our involvement in a film's plot. We will spend even more time learning about elements of film form--the arrangement and pattern of shots, scenes, sequences, acts that screenwriters and directors use to help us follow the logic of a narrative (and in many cases, to throw us off balance). While the course doesn't focus entirely on the history of film horror, film history is essential to understanding context and we will be attentive to both cultural and technological changes important to the genre's development. The amount of class time devoted to lecture will be minimal. I will introduce new terms and concepts each week, but we will spend much more time discussing these terms and concepts in relation to examples from the films we see. Each student will also have the opportunity to lead one class discussion. The required readings for the course comprise a very readable textbook on film form, and a series of essays and book chapters on the historical, political, and cultural aspects of film horror. Attendance and Participation A substantial portion of the final grade is based upon class attendance and participation. You need to attend class regularly to make this course a meaningful and engaging experience for you. If you anticipate having to miss any more than one class session, I advise you not to enroll in this course. Students who miss more than two class sessions will be asked to drop the course. I also expect students to come to class prepared to participate in class discussion and learning activities. Weekly Work Load You should anticipate devoting approximately 3-5 hours per week to required readings and other assignments.
EVALUATION: Informed thoughtful class participation 10% Formal Analysis Paper (5-6 pages) 20 % In class pop quizzes 20 % Research Paper (6-8) 25 % Final Exam 25 % ASSIGNMENTS: 1. Participation: Informed, thoughtful participation in class discussion is critical to the success of the course, and therefore will figure into the final grade. I will keep track of both the quantity and the quality of each student s contributions; this factor can raise-- or lower -- the final grade significantly. NOTE: Regular attendance is essential to participation and is required to pass this course. More than three absences in class will result in a grade of E for your participation grade. 2. Formal analysis paper. A short paper analyzing stylistic and narrative form by closely analyzing scenes of a film from a list of approved films. 3. Pop quizzes. Based on films, discussions, readings, and lectures. Short answer. 4. Research Paper. A longer paper based on library research on in-depth historical and aesthetics aspects of horror film. 5. Final Exam. Comprehensive short answer, multiple choice, and essay exam. CLASS POLICIES: Required Work: To pass this course, students must attempt all assignments. Incompletes will be granted ONLY if the following three conditions are met: documented extenuating circumstances (e.g. severe illness or family crisis); a specific request from the student; AND a plan of action to make up the missing work, including due dates. Attendance Policy: Any more than three unexcused absences will result in an E for the participation portion of your final grade in the course. It is an excused absence if you physically are unable to attend class due to illness or injury. In this case, you must supply a doctor s note, but ultimately, I will determine what is an excusable/inexcusable absence. If you miss class, do not email me to ask what happened or for notes. If you want to visit office hours to discuss the material, you are welcome.
Late Paper Policy: No late papers unless you have specifically arranged with me an alternate due date IN WRITING AT LEAST A FULL WEEK IN ADVANCE OF DUE DATE. I will not accept email submissions of any assignment unless you have been given explicit permission to do so. If you turn in a paper late, penalties begin to accrue at 5 p.m. the paper is due; up to one day (24 hours) late, penalty is 1/3 letter grade (e.g. A becomes an A-); up to two days late, 2/3; three days, 1 full grade; four days, 1 1/3; five days, 1 2/3; six days, 2 full grades; seven days, 2 2/3; more than seven days late, not accepted for credit without excuse certified by the Dean of Students office (this includes Counseling center). Weekends count in calculating lateness if you need to hand in a paper late, either have a secretary in Welles 226 initial, on the paper, the date/time it was finally handed in or send a duplicate copy to me by email (hard copy still should be handed in to my box in the English office in Welles) to get credit for the time you turned it in. Documenting the time a paper was handed in is YOUR responsibility; given a lack of documentation, the penalty will be calculated based on when I receive the paper. Please note that I will not accept verbal explanations of illness or other problem as an excuse for lateness. Without documentation from a doctor or other official documentation that excuses your late work, your work will be penalized for lateness. Plagiarism Policy: The penalty for academic misconduct and/or plagiarism is an automatic fail (F) for the assignment and notification of the offense being sent to the Dean, which will remain on your record for the rest of your college career. Course Schedule: Notes: Subject to change as class needs change. Course Reading Material: Grant, Barry Keith, ed. The Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film. Texas: University of Texas Press, Austin, 2000. Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts 3rd ed. London and New York: Routledge, 2006. NB: This syllabus is subject to change. Turn off your cell phone and other electronic devices. Plagiarism is grounds for automatic failure in the course. Citation Method Modern Language Association. For assistance with citations see the SUNY Geneseo Writing Guide online: http://writingguide.geneseo.edu/.
COURSE SCHEDULE: Session 1: Introduction to the course Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) Session 2: Origins: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1927) Session 3: Hollywood Monsters: Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931) Session 4: Hollywood Monsters II: Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935) Session 5: Sci-Fi Horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956) Session 6: The monstrous feminine: Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960) Session 7: The dread of racial difference: Night of the Living Dead, (George Romero, 1968) 1. Kevin Heffernan, "Inner-City Exhibition and the Genre Film: Distributing Night of the Living Dead," Cinema Journal vol. 41, no. 3 (Spring 2002): 59-77. Available through the Project Muse Database. Session 8: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1969) Session 9 The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973) 1. Creed, "Woman as Possessed Monster: The Exorcist," 31-42. Session 10 Vampires Redux: The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1982)
1. Creed, "Woman as Vampire: The Hunger," 59-72. Session 11 Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976) 1. Creed, "Woman as Witch: Carrie," 73-83. Session 12 Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) Session 13 Friday the 13 th, Sean Cunningham, 1980 1. Carol Clover, "Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film," Representations, 20 (Autumn 1987): 187-228. Available through the JSTOR Database. Session 14 Blacula, William Crane, 1972 1. Harry Benshoff, "Blaxplotation Horror Films: Generic Reappropriation or Reinscription?" Cinema Journal, vol. 39, no. 2 (Winter 2000): 31-50. Available through the Project Muse Database. Session 15 Ring (Nakata Hideo, 1998)