Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
F/TV D078X
Course Title (CB02)
Special Topics in Film Studies
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
Concentrated investigation of an influential film artist, studio, national cinema, genre, movement or historical period. The topic studied is different for each section of this course and may include Bay Area film festivals or events (see course note in quarterly schedule of classes).
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course contributes to the fulfillment of the A.A. degree and certificates in Film/TV: Production and serves as a CSU transferable undergraduate course. Students examine a significant, concentrated area of film studies, with the flexibility of focusing on unique and timely subject areas, current trends, and visiting guests in a short-course format.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to CSU only

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
2.0
Maximum Credit Units
2.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours2.04.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
24.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
24.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
48.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

(Not open to students with credit in F/TV D078W.)

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

In-class essays

In-class exploration of Internet sites

Homework and extended projects

Field observation and field trips

Guest speakers

Collaborative projects

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Other: Film screenings and facilitated group discussions

Assignments

  1. View films and/or interact with film, television and digital media artists as they discuss their work
  2. Assigned readings, including those from required and secondary sources such as screenplays, print and online articles
  3. Written evaluation of films, screenplays and/or guest presentations in a the form of a 3-5 page journal, analytical or research paper; or writing/evaluating screenplay exercises

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Active participation in class discussions will be evaluated along with written, in-class responses that should demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic of focus. Writing should reflect both an identification of demonstrated techniques as well as an ability to interpret their importance within the larger context of the media industry.
  2. Final exam essay will test for recognition and identification of key topics along with demonstrated synthesis and analysis of larger industry issues that are considered.
  3. Written assignment varies according to the topic and reflects a synthesis of previous knowledge with a greater understanding of the topic of focus. Critical analysis should be applied to both the content viewed and the broader scope of the industry that created it.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • Lecture room with 16mm film projection equipment, 1/2-inch VHS tape deck, and Bluray player

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Varied, depending upon the films and experiences to be analyzed. Photocopied handouts and Internet articles are more feasible than full texts in the one- or two-weekend format.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
A list of recommended reading will be distributed at each section of this course. As above, the exact titles of the texts will depend on the specific focus.
Ackerman, Hal. "Write Screenplays that Sell: The Ackerman Way." Tallfellow Press, 2003.
Corrigan, Timothy. "A Short Guide to Writing About Film." 9th ed. New York: Longman, 2014.
Hale, Heather. "How to Work the Film & TV Markets: A Guide for Content Creators" Focal Press, 2017.
Moscowitz, John E. "Critical Approaches to Writing About Film." Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
Nikolic, Vladan. "Independent Filmmaking and Digital Convergence: Transmedia and Beyond," Focal Press, 2017.
Squire, Jason E. ed. "The Movie Business Book," 4th edition. Routledge, 2017.
Walter, Richard. "Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing." Plume, 2010.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Analyze important works created by a major film artist or studio, or key films within a specific national cinema, genre, movement or historical period.
  • Analyze screenplays and motion pictures using practical, critical and theoretical approaches such as story structure analysis, neoformalism, genre study, authorship/auteurism, spectator/reception and ideological criticism (Marxism, feminism, queer and cultural studies), applying one or more methodologies to assess the narrative and stylistic elements of the screenplays or films studied.
  • Examine the art and scope of film through direct contact with creative and technical film artists, screenings of various film forms and first-hand involvement with film study, production and exhibition facilities.
  • Appraise the extent to which films reflect the social attitudes and political issues of the filmmakers, cultures and time periods in which they are produced.
  • Analyze the representation of class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality and ability in the films screened.
  • Discuss the film artist's contribution to the evolution of narrative form and cinematic vocabulary, placing that contribution within the context of film history.
  • Examine extrafilmic elements such as marketing, mass media and spectator-reception issues.

CSLOs

  • Analyze the various creative, craft and business aspects of the current film, television and digital media industry through screenings, events, and visits from working professionals.

  • Apply an analytical approach learned in class to examine a screenplay and/or the narrative, visual and aural elements of a motion picture.

Outline

  1. Analyze important works created by a major film artist or studio, or key films within a specific national cinema, genre, movement or historical period.
    1. Film artist: directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, Jane Campion, Abbas Kiarostami and emerging talents; screenwriters such as Nunnally Johnson, Ernest Lehman, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Diablo Cody; cinematographers such as Karl Freund, James Wong Howe, Gregg Toland, Gabriel Figueroa, Ernest Dickerson and Lisa Rinzler
    2. Explore the impact of Studios (UFA, RKO); Movements (German Expression, Dogme95); Period (Silent era, Hollywood blacklist); or National Cinema (Japan, China, Mexico)
    3. Genre: Western, gangster, musical, horror, science fiction, comedy, among others
  2. Analyze screenplays and motion pictures using practical, critical and theoretical approaches such as story structure analysis, neoformalism, genre study, authorship/auteurism, spectator/reception and ideological criticism (Marxism, feminism, queer and cultural studies), applying one or more methodologies to assess the narrative and stylistic elements of the screenplays or films studied.
    1. Story structure analysis, appraising the 3-act dramatic structure and such elements as character, point of view, dialogue, story beats and suspense
    2. Analysis through: Neoformalism; Genre Study; Authorship/auteur theory; Spectator/Reception theories; or Ideological criticism such as Marxist, feminist, queer and cultural studies
  3. Examine the art and scope of film through direct contact with creative and technical film artists, screenings of various film forms and first-hand involvement with film study, production and exhibition facilities.
    1. Listen to film historians, film critics, film artists and those involved in the business of film production, distribution and exhibition; read or view their representative works; and interact with them in discussion sessions. Research institutions, such as the Pacific Film Archives, to study film history-criticism, production, distribution, exhibition and research.
    2. Screen various types of films (classics, foreign, underground, documentary, contemporary) or explore Bay Area venues hosting film festivals, such as the San Jose Cinequest Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, or in theaters offering specialized programming, such as the non-profit Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto or the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley. Professional production facilities may also be examined.
  4. Appraise the extent to which films reflect the social attitudes and political issues of the filmmakers, cultures and time periods in which they are produced.
    1. Examine how films, especially newsreels and documentaries, preserve audiovisual information gathered through the lens.
    2. Analyze how fiction films, especially popular ones, comprise a record of the aspirations, obsessions and frustrations of those spending time and money making or viewing them.
    3. Appraise how cinema mirrors and shapes a society.
      1. Record the frequency with which various social types emerge in the movies of a particular time and place.
      2. Interpret the way groups are depicted and, therefore, valued.
      3. Question how domestic and export cinema become the mechanism for massive dissemination of significant cultural values.
    4. Recognize how government policies, including funding and censorship, affect popular expression.
    5. Debate issues of objectivity and interpretation.
  5. Analyze the representation of class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality and ability in the films screened.
    1. Examine the filmic representations and cinematic histories of specific groups.
    2. Identify and analyze stereotypical images, tracing the emergence of important issues about representation and difference, the power structure and labor practices of the industry, spectatorship and identification, and the relationship between film and culture.
  6. Discuss the film artist's contribution to the evolution of narrative form and cinematic vocabulary, placing that contribution within the context of film history.
    1. Identify how the film artist uses the language and tools of film for expression.
    2. Compare the film artist's themes, style, and modes of production to the work of other film artists within the independent and mainstream film industry, within the respective national and international cinema, and within an aesthetic, economic, technological and historical context.
  7. Examine extrafilmic elements such as marketing, mass media and spectator-reception issues.
    1. Examine press reviews, journal articles, television, radio, websites, podcasts and blogs on cinema.
    2. Compare distribution in domestic and foreign markets.
    3. Discuss viewer expectations and the consideration of gender, class, race/ethnicity, sexual identity and cultural issues.
    4. Analyze the impact of online distribution for content creators.
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