Writing and Analysis of Media and Film Syllabus
I. Course Description
College-Prep This is a college-prep course, so the assumption is that all or most of you will be going to college. Thus, the course is more characteristic of a college course than a high school course. Many of the reading and writing assignments are of a higher level than your previous college prep classes. All or most of the reading will be done outside of class. You will also be required to synthesize a wide variety of visual and written information. INTERNET: Instead of putting the warning in fine print at the bottom of the page, we are putting it up front so you know what is expected of you. It will be difficult to complete this course without a reliable Internet connection at home. Many of the assignments require research to be conducted outside of class time. It will be difficult also for students to pass the class if they are frequently absent, whether it is due to illness or school-related activities. Since viewing films and other videos are central to the course, missed viewings must be made up. When viewings are not made up, points will be deducted for work related to the film or video.
De-constructing the title of this course Writing The name of this course is Writing and Analysis of Media and Film, not Knitting or Napping and Analysis. As you might expect, this is a writing intensive course. In addition to several formal essays, there are numerous in-class writing assignments and written homework assignments of varying lengths. There is also one writing assignment that stretches throughout the first quarter, as well as a journaling assignment paired with reading a major novel. All formal essays will be written in MLA format with sources appropriately cited in-text and in a works cited paged. Many of the larger writing assignments are worth 100 or more points. Analysis We will be examining a wide variety of visual and written texts. We will examine the subtleties of language and how it used to create meaning independently or as a companion to a visual image. Many of the visual images and written texts make reference to other images or events or texts. Questions we’ll ask might be: How does the use of the word “vow” change the meaning of a particular headline and why does the writer use it? Why does the automobile advertisement feature a song by a 60s folk band? What does the columnist mean when he uses “swift-boating” in relation to negative campaigning? Why is the politician making a speech on national security in front of the New York City skyline? Why did the film director choose to photograph this shot using a wide angle lens? To successfully interpret these texts, you will be asked to apply background knowledge or in some instances, research the meaning behind these words and images to discover a deeper meaning.
Media We interpret “media” in an expansive way, not restricting it to television or newspaper reporting, but including all visual and written messages encountered in the home and the world, everything from a bumper sticker about the Second Amendment to a pundit’s analysis of a political party’s convention to an advertisement for a Volkswagen Jetta. The use of the word “consumer” when referring to media is deliberate given the ubiquity of media in America related to purchasing goods and services. Consequently, a portion of the media half of the course is dedicated to analyzing and deconstructing print and electronic advertising. One of the ancillary benefits of media analysis is that the successful student will approach future media interactions (and by extension consumer transactions) with a healthy measure of skepticism and critical distance. Film The overall objective of this introductory course is to provide the background knowledge and activities necessary for students to become active and informed viewers of film. By “active,” we mean that viewers are engaged in the visual text, drawing on knowledge and experience to interpret meanings created by the specialized visual and aural language of film. To accomplish this, students will be exposed to a variety of films outside of their experience that illustrate both the technical and narrative aspects of film. For example, students will learn not only how films are edited, but also how editing (the juxtaposing of individual shots) creates new meanings by their relation to one another. We will not simply watch films and discuss them. Primary text (supplemented by films and outside texts): Giannetti, Louis. Understanding Movies. 9th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. Secondary text: Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1949. II. Structure of the Course
Most of the first quarter is devoted to the study of media. Students will analyze the impact media has on themselves and on society as a whole, through the study of newspapers, magazines, television, websites, blogs, and other sources. Media’s pervasiveness makes understanding its effects a necessity for all people who live and work in the 21st century. The second quarter will focus entirely on film. We will watch short and feature-length films in an attempt to grasp the technical and narrative techniques used by film artists to convey theme, setting, character, and other elements of story. We will have a midterm over media toward the end of the first quarter and a cumulative final exam at the end of the semester. There will be projects, worksheets, collaborative assignments, quizzes, and other assessments throughout the semester. III. Expectations and Goals/Rewards
All students will complete every assignment and make up any missed work in a timely fashion. Beyond that, we expect students to come to class prepared, with questions and comments, and with the imagination necessary to reap the greatest benefit from the course material. Students who do not participate fully in the course will not enjoy it, so we encourage your active involvement every day. IV. Contact Information
I can be reached by phone (540-4703), email (Jennifer.gira@lz95.org), in the classroom (D217), or in my office (E209). Please do not hesitate to discuss any questions or concerns.
V.
Calendar: Subject to Change (actual units may change based on classroom activity)
Week 1:
Course Methods and Goals Introduction to Media Distribution of 1984 Assessment: Media Autobiography: Preparation (1 day) Media Autobiography: Presentation, Discussion (1 day) Assign News Outlets, Stories Assign first Formal Essay. Week 2: Bias/Propaganda Assessment: Story Tracking Assignment Analysis of Merchants of Cool Analysis of 1984 Week 3: Bias and Advertising Assessment: Story Tracking Assignment (progress) Analysis of Shopping Center Trip Data Week 4: Bias and Advertising Assessment: Story Tracking Assignment (progress) Analysis of 1984 Analysis of Political Cartoons Week 5: Censorship/Corporate Control Assessment: Story Tracking Assignment (progress) Research into Ownership of News Outlets/Story Tracking Assignment Focus: Music Industry Week 6: Censorship/Corporate Contral Assessment: Discussion of Control Room Week 7: Information in a Free Society Assessment: Story Tracking Assignment (progress) Analysis of The Truman Show Week 8: Review Assessment: Story Tracking Assignment Midterm
Film (feature-length films TBD) Week 1: Unit 1-Photography/Cinematography/Lighting Assessment: Viewing exercises Week 2: Unit 1 continued Assessment: Film packet, quiz over relevant terms Week 3: Unit 2-Editing Assessment: Viewing exercises Week 4: Unit 2 continued Assessment: Film packet, quiz over relevant terms Week 5: Unit 3-Sound Assessment: Viewing exercises Week 6: Unit 3 continued
Assessment: Film packet, quiz over relevant terms Week 7: Unit 4-Formalism/Realism Narrative Theory/Writing/Story Assessment: Film packet, quiz over relevant terms Week 8: Unit 4 continued Assessment: Film packet, essay analyzing a particular director or film’s use of concepts studied in each unit Week 9/10: Review Assessment: Final Exam End of Semester
A note about making up missed work: The structure of this class includes several ongoing projects, as well as many in-class viewing days for films. If you miss class it is extremely important that you see me right away to create a make-up schedule. Any missed viewing days must be made up in the library and a viewing slip must be signed by the library faculty.