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PROFESSOR: Dr. Kelli Marshall
OFFICE: JO 5.426; 972-883-2063
E-MAIL: kmarshal@utdallas.edu
WEB: www.utdallas.edu/~kmarshal/courses/film/2332
OFFICE HOURS: Tues. and Thurs. 1:30-3:15 PM, or by appt.
eOFFICE HOURS: Mon. 10:00-11:00 AM
AOL IM, kmarshal; Yahoo, KelliRMarshall; MSN, kmarshal@utdallas.edu

TEACHING ASSISTANT: Kristi Humphreys

OFFICE: JO 5.410A; 972-883-2062
E-MAIL: rowan@utdallas.edu
OFFICE HOURS: Tues. 1:30-3:15 PM, or by appt.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

An introduction to the critical study of film, this course familiarizes students with canonical films (i.e., critically
acclaimed and historically influential works), various methods of filmmaking, and several ways to interpret and
evaluate films. Specifically, we will consider the following: conventions and techniques of film art (mise-en-scene,
cinematography, editing, sound); specific types of films (genre films, documentaries, experimental films);
significant film movements (Italian Neorealism, French New Wave); and various critical methods and theories
(race/representation, authorship, gender/sexuality). Classes will consist of lecture, some discussion, and brief film
screenings. Because of time constraints, we will not screen entire films in class; so students will be required to
watch full-length films, which may be rented from a local video store or viewed in McDermott Library, on their own.
(Some students have found companies like Netflix helpful for this course; be sure, however, that you request the
films in the order listed on the syllabus.) NOTE: Understanding Film is not designed to teach students how to make
their own films or to provide students with an opportunity to watch contemporary “movies” and then chat casually
about why they are “boring” or “cool.” Please keep the above goals in mind throughout the semester.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

FILM 2332 has been designed with the following set of assumptions in mind. If you fit the profile below and are
willing to make the commitment, you should find the course challenging but manageable. If not, you might think
carefully about how you will work this course (along with its expectations and requirements) into your existing
schedule.
1. Students attend class regularly and participate in class. (Students whose personal schedules prevent on-
time arrivals and early departures are encouraged to find a more appropriately scheduled course.)
2. Students have access to a computer with Internet access, email access, and a printer.
3. Students do NOT wait until the last minute to screen films.
4. Students will be patient with, open-minded about,
and respectful of the written and visual texts they
encounter this semester (all films are shown for
specific reasons).
Attend and participate in every class.
Sit near the front of the room (acoustics are better,
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS and YOU can be heard).
Visit the professor (and/or the TA) during office
• The Film Experience: An Introduction, Timothy hours.
Corrigan and Patricia White (2004). If you have a question, ask it--in class, before or
after class, via email, or during the professor’s
• All films are considered required texts as well. (and/or TA’s) office hours.
• Roughly 15 index cards (5 x 7 with lines). Prepare for exams and assignments; don’t cram.
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COURSE POLICIES

• Arrive on time for lectures. If you arrive after class has begun, please sit on the back row.
• No talking during lectures or screenings. If students continually engage in conversation while the professor
is talking, they will be asked to move. Unnecessary talking and discourteous behavior are not tolerated in the
classroom.
• No laptops.
• No beepers, PDAs, text-messaging, and/or cell phones. If you are expecting an emergency call during
class (e.g., birth, babysitter'
s call, death), notify Dr. Marshall before class begins.
• Use email etiquette. Your email messages say as much about you (and your intellect!) as your speech and
your written assignments: address the person to whom you are speaking (e.g., “Dr. Marshall, I have a
question…“); type with proper punctuation and capitalization (no all-lowercase emails!); always sign your
name, even if it is just a quick reply; and finally, proofread your emails before you hit “send.” NOTE: All
electronic correspondence between UTD students and faculty should be transmitted from UTD email
accounts: To activate or maintain your free computer account and/or to set email forwarding options, go to
http://netid.utdallas.edu.
• FILM 2332 students are not graded on attendance; however, if students do not attend lectures, screen
films, and participate in class, it is unlikely that they will receive a high grade. Additionally, students should
keep in mind that many in-class films--on which exam questions will be based--are not always readily available
for screening.

GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS

All undergraduate grades will be given on a 10-point scale, with pluses and minuses: A = 100-90, B = 89-80, C=
79-70, D = 69-60, F = 59-below.

Class Web Site: Once or twice per week students should access the Student Updates section on the course Web
site; it offers writing and viewing tips, reminders, helpful links, potential syllabus changes, and (occasionally)
participation opportunities.

Exams: Exam material comes from the lectures, readings, and screenings. All exams are in-class exams. When
you arrive on exam-day, please deposit all of your belongings--including food, drinks, caps, hats, jackets,
backpacks, purses, and all silenced technological devices--onto the stage. Also, you will not be allowed to leave
the Performance Hall until you have completed your exam, so please take care of all “restroom matters” before the
exam begins.

• Exam 1 (Feb-21) is a closed-book, closed-notes exam that consist of clip questions, multiple-choice questions,
short-answer questions, and identification/application questions (see examples on class Web site). This exam,
worth 25% of the course grade, covers Weeks 1-6. The only item you will need for this exam is a pen or a
pencil.
• Exam 2: Scene Analysis (Feb-28) is an open-book, open-notes analysis of one scene from a film (more than
likely Citizen Kane). Students will analyze a scene’s formal elements--mise-en-scene, cinematography,
editing, and sound--as well as its significance to the entire narrative. For this exam, worth 30% of the course
grade, you will need a pen or pencil and (if you choose) the textbook and/or any lecture notes.
• Exam 3 (Apr-25) is a closed-book, closed-notes exam like Exam 1 (see above description). This exam, worth
25% of the course grade, covers Weeks 10-15. The only item you will need for this exam is a pen or a pencil.

There are extra-credit opportunities on two exams. As the last portion of your syllabus illustrates, we will be
watching numerous film clips in the classroom. Even though we are not watching these films in their entirety, many
of them are still extremely important to film history as well as to the field of film studies. So for those of you who
want to screen these entire films--Sunset Boulevard (Exam 1) and The Bicycle Thieves (Exam 3)--there will be
extra-credit opportunities for you on the exams. WARNING: Do not wait until the last minute to rent/reserve
these; with 150 students in this course, you may be out of luck!

Make-up exams will only be given to students with documented emergencies that I am made aware of before the
exam is handed out (e.g., bereavement, serious illness, scheduled medical procedure, court hearing). Letters from
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parents are not acceptable. One time for make-up exams will be scheduled, and a more difficult (usually all-essay)
exam will be administered. If a student misses an exam and does not have the required information, he/she will
earn a zero on the exam.

Participation (20%): Even though FILM 2332 is a large class, there are ways to participate and share your
thoughts. You will need your index cards (see “Required Texts and Materials”) for some of these assignments, so
please bring them to class regularly. NOTE: None of these exercises may be made-up. Participation points may be
earned via any or all of the following:

• Reading/Screening Quizzes: answer five questions about the assigned readings and/or out-of-class
screenings.
• Daily Reports: respond to the following about the day’s reading or lecture: “What points are most clear to
you?” and “What do you still not understand?”
• Three-Minute Theories: respond to a question or a statement based on the day’s reading, screenings, or
lecture.
• Q&As: submit an exam question (and answer!) based on the day’s reading, screenings, or lecture.
• Online Finds: respond to an online exercise (check the course site often!)
• Group Work: varied exercises for groups of roughly 6 students.

Participation assignments will be graded as follows: 5 points, superior; 4 points, good; 3 points, adequate; 2 points,
deficient; 1 point, failing.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, facilitating academic dishonesty,
fabrication, failure to contribute to a collaborative project and sabotage. More specific examples and explanations
may be found on UTD’s Judicial Affairs Web site: http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-
Basicexamples.html. If a student disobeys these University (and classroom) policies, he/she will receive
disciplinary actions with the Dean of Students.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS

Disability Services provides for the special needs of students with disabilities. Students are urged to make their
needs known to Disability Services and their professors as soon as the semester begins. The Office of Disability
Services is located in the Student Union, (972) 883-2070.

IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY DATES

Jan-25 Last Day to drop without a "W"

Jan-16 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Mar-16 Last day to withdraw with a WP/WF
Mar-6-11 Spring Break
Apr-24 Last Day of classes
Apr-25 Final Exams begin
May-5 Grades available online

*The class calendar is subject to change: if a change occurs, it will be announced in class and posted on the
course Web site. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of such changes.
**If you lose this syllabus, an extra copy may be printed from the course Web site.
CLASS CALENDAR

All readings and screenings are due on the day they are assigned. All screenings are out-of-class screenings.

Week 1 Jan-10 What Films Do, and the Economics of Film (Distribution, Promotion, Exhibition)
READING: Chapter 1.

Week 2 Jan-17 Narrative Cinema

READING: Chapter 6.
SCREENING: Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941; 119 m).

Week 3 Jan-24 Mise-en-Scene

READING: Chapter 2.
SCREENING: Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989; 120 m).

Week 4 Jan-31 Cinematography

READING: Chapter 3.
SCREENING: Grand Illusion (Jean Renoir, 1937; 111 m) or Rules of the Game (Jean
Renoir, 1939; 106 m).

Week 5 Feb-7 Relating Images: Editing

READING: Chapter 4.
SCREENING: Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954; 113 m) or The Birds (Alfred
Hitchcock, 1963; 119 m).

Week 6 Feb-14 Sound and Sound Design

READING: Chapter 5.
SCREENING: The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974; 113 m).

Week 7 Feb-21 Exam 1

Week 8 Feb-28 Exam 2: Scene Analysis

Week 9 Mar-7 Spring Break--no classes.

Week 10 Mar-14 Cinematic Shapes: Genre (The Film Musical)

READING: Chapter 8.
SCREENING: Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952; 103 m).

Week 11 Mar-21 Cinematic Shapes: Documentary Films

READING: Chapter 7.
SCREENING: Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002; 120 m).

Week 12 Mar-28 Cinematic Shapes: Experimental (Avant-Garde) Films

Film Focus: Authorship
READING: Chapter 11 (424-31, 438-440 only).

Week 13 Apr-4 Postwar Movements and The New Hollywood

READING: Chapter 9 (342-64 only), Chapter 10 (365-83 only).
SCREENING: Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967; 105 m).

Week 14 Apr-11 Film Focus: Gender and Sexuality

READING: Chapter 10 (383-87) and Chapter 11 (457-60).
SCREENING: Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1990; 118 m) or American Gigolo
(Paul Schrader, 1980; 117 m).

Week 15 Apr-18 Film Focus: Race and Representation

READING: Chapter 10 (388-91 only) and Chapter 11 (460-67).
SCREENING: Boyz N the Hood (John Singleton, 1991; 107 m).

Week 16 Apr-25 Exam 3

POSSIBLE IN-CLASS SCREENINGS

This is a tentative list of films from which we may or may not screen clips. The films we do screen, however,
students will be responsible for on the exams.

Week 1 Jan-10 What Films Do, and the Economics of Film (Distribution, Promotion, Exhibition)
Declining by Degrees (John Merrow, 2005)
The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola,1972)
Lumière films (1895-1897)
The Player (Robert Altman, 1992)
Week 2 Jan-17 Narrative Cinema
The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter, 1903)
Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)
The Lady in the Lake (Robert Montgomery, 1947)
Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1983)
Week 3 Jan-24 Mise-en-Scene
Henry V (Laurence Olivier, 1944)
A Trip to the Moon (Georges Méliès, 1902)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1919)
City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
Summer Stock (Charles Walters, 1950)
The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)
Week 4 Jan-31 Cinematography
The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir, 1939)
Grand Illusion (Jean Renoir, 1937)
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1959)
The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon, 1933)
The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
Week 5 Feb-7 Relating Images: Editing
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann, 1996)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966)
Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
The Untouchables (Brian De Palma, 1987)
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
Week 6 Feb-14 Sound and Sound Design
Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
Hamlet (Laurence Olivier, 1948)
Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
Contact (Robert Zemeckis, 1997)
Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940)
Top Hat (Mark Sandrich, 1935)

Week 7 Feb-21 Exam 1

Week 8 Feb-28 Exam 2: Scene Analysis

Week 9 Mar-7 Spring Break--no classes.

Week 10 Mar-14 Cinematic Shapes: Genre (The Film Musical)
The Gay Divorcee (Mark Sandrich, 1934)
On the Town (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1949)
Meet Me in St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
It’s Always Fair Weather (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1955)
The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)
Austin Powers in Goldmember (Jay Roach, 2002)
Chicago (Rob Marshall, 2002)
Week 11 Mar-21 Cinematic Shapes: Documentary Films
Hoop Dreams (Steve James, 1994)
Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty, 1922)
Titanic (James Cameron, 1997)
Looking for Richard (Al Pacino, 1996)
The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, 1988)
Best in Show (Christopher Guest, 2000)

Week 12 Mar-28 Experimental Films

Ballet Mécanique (Fernand Léger, 1924)
Un Chien Andalou (Luis Bu uel/Salvador Dali, 1928)
Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren, 1943)
Film Focus: Authorship
Henry V (Kenneth Branagh, 1991)
Henry V (Laurence Olivier, 1944)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Gilliam and Jones, 1975)
Beetlejuice (Tim Burton, 1988)
Much Ado about Nothing (Kenneth Branagh, 1993)

Week 13 Apr-4 Postwar Movements and The New Hollywood

The Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948)
Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960)
Umberto D (Vittorio De Sica, 1952)
The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965)
Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969)
Week 14 Apr-11 Film Focus: Gender and Sexuality
Gentleman Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawkes, 1953)
Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1990)
True Lies (James Cameron, 1994)
American Gigolo (Paul Schrader, 1980)

Week 15 Apr-18 Film Focus: Race and Representation

Birth of a Nation (D. W. Griffith, 1915)
Swing Time (George Stevens, 1936)
Bamboozled (Spike Lee, 2000)
The Chappelle Show, Season 2 (Dave Chappelle, 2003-04).

Week 16 Apr-25 Exam 3