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FILM & TV GENRES: The Western [June B Term, 2020]
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FILM 3300-011B
Additional articles on Canvas.
Course Description: The genre film is inextricably linked with the Hollywood style of production. Yet our assumption will be that popular movie genres are not simply entertainment; they also present, challenge, and negotiate particular cultural values, assumptions, and conflicts. The Western has probably been the most studied genre since it is closely tied, in complex ways, to American history itself. Until the mid 1970s, the Western was also the most perennially popular American movie genre; at this point it virtually disappeared. Why? The objectives of the class are: to describe some of the major conventions and concerns of the Western genre and its history; provide tools of film criticism and analysis applicable to a variety of films and genres; and understand how and why the Western evolved in relation to particular industry, stylistic, and historical forces over the years. Overall, we will study the movies with reference to American culture.
Learning Objectives under the University Curriculum 2012 and 2016 revision:
2012 Creativity and Aesthetics Level I:
- Students will be able to identify methods, techniques, or languages of a particular art form, creative endeavor or craft(s) and explain how those inform the creation, performance or analysis of creative work.
2. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of concepts fundamental to the creative impulse through analysis, performance, or creation.
2016 Creativity and Aesthetics:
- Students will identify and/or employ methods, techniques, or languages of a particular art form and describe how these inform the creation, performance or analysis of that form.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of concepts fundamental to creativity through explanation and analysis
GRADING. There will be one Quiz (30 pts.); two 2-page Reaction Papers on an assigned article (20 pts. each); and a 6-7 page Final Paper (80 pts.) The quiz will consist of short answer/essay questions drawn from the lectures, readings, and films screened in class. The final paper will analyze a Western of your choice. Class attendance and participation: (30 pts). The assignments appears on the last pages of the syllabus. Your final grade will be computed as a percentage of the total points. You are strongly advised to stay current with the reading and attend class regularly. *You miss lectures and skip film screenings at your own risk.
**MAKE-UP EXAMS: Make-ups for the mid-term and final will be arranged for medical emergencies only. A verifiable letter from a doctor will be required for non-penalty make-ups. Under certain circumstances a make-up will be given for non-medical reasons. The results of such an exam will be marked down one letter grade. “Early” exams cannot be given for any reason.
Disability Accommodations: Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first register with Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies (DASS). Students can call 214-768-1470 or visithttp://www.smu.edu/Provost/ALEC/DASS to begin the process. Once registered, students should then schedule an appointment with the professor as early in the semester as possible, present a DASS Accommodation Letter, and make appropriate arrangements. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and require advance notice to implement.
Religious Observance: Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence. (See “Religious Holidays” under University Policy No. 7.22)
Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities: Students participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled University extracurricular activity should be given the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of their participation. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making up the work. (See 2018-2019 University Undergraduate Catalogue)
**ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: This course is operated in accordance with the SMU HONOR CODE, violations of which may be punished with a failing grade or expulsion from the university. Academic dishonesty may be defined as a student’s misrepresentation of his or her academic work or of the circumstances under which the work is done. This includes plagiarism in all papers, projects, take-home exams, or any other assignment in which the student represents work as being his or her own. Academic dishonesty also includes cheating on examinations, unauthorized access to test materials, and aiding another student to cheat or participate in an act of academic dishonesty. Failure to prevent cheating by another may be considered as participation in the dishonest act. See the 2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalogue for further details.
*REMOTE COURSE POLICIES: i) Since this course will be conducted remotely via Zoom and will include some in-class screening of short clips and scenes from movies, you are strongly encouraged to use a laptop or a tablet to participate rather than your phone. (If you can attach your laptop to a larger TV screen via a HDMI cable, that would be ideal, but may not be possible.) ii) When you join each class meeting, you are required to have your video turned on, but please keep your mic muted until we open up for discussions. I will need to see you “live”, not just your name or a profile picture. If you want to use a virtual background, which Zoom allows, please do so. (I’ll be using one.) iii) Due to the technical limits of Zoom, which does not allow me to stream films over this platform, you are required to screen a feature length film every afternoon on your own, just after lecture, but during the scheduled course period. (We would do screenings in-person in a regular course.) I have selected films that can be viewed during this period. All the films required for the course are available via the SMU Library system. After we finish lecture, you will be able to log onto a couple of different library sites or links to see the films. At the end of the screening time, we will have a short preliminary discussion of the film (5-10 min.), which will vary a little each day based on the length of the movie.
READING ASSIGNMENTS and SCREENING SCHEDULE. Please note that the screening list is tentative and subject to change based on any number of unforeseeable factors. Lectures are designed to both reinforce and supplement the reading.
Tues. June 16– Introduction to the Course. The Frontier Myth in the 19th Century.
Read: “Intro”, p. 1-8; chapt. 1, p, 9-20.
History Summarized: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” (2018) Career summary [9]
Authentic Films of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West (c. 1910) [11]
Stream: The Last of the Mohicans (1992) Michael Mann [114]
Wed. June 17– The Frontier Myth, cont.
Read: Chapt. 4 (pdf) Richard Slotkin, “The Significance of the Frontier Myth in American History”, p. 1-21.
Blue Steel (Mascot, 1934) star, John Wayne [excerpts]
Stream: Stagecoach (1939) John Ford [100]
Thurs. June 18– The Classical Western model.
Read: chapt. 5, p. 101-04; chapt. 7, p. 156-65.
Stream: My Darling Clementine (1946) John Ford [97]
**Fri. June 19– The Post-World War II Western. Response Paper #1 Due: R. Washshow, “The Westerner”
Read: chapt. 6, p. 128-46; (pdf) Robt. Washow, “Movie Chronicle: The Westerner” (1954)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) John Ford [excerpts]
Stream: The Naked Spur (1953) Anthony Mann [91]
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*Mon. June 22- The Post-World War II ‘Psychological’ Western.
Read: chapt. 7, p. 179-84.
*QUIZ (remote; 30 min. time limit)
Stream: High Noon (1952) Fred Zinnemann [85]
Tues. June 23. The Late Western, 1960-1976.
Read: chapt. 10, p. 238-43.
Excerpts: One-Eyed Jacks (1961) Marlon Brando; Ride The High Country (1962) Sam Peckinpah;
The Shootist (1976) Don Siegel
Stream: A Fistful of Dollars (Italy, 1964/67) Sergio Leone [99]
Wed. June 24– Breaking the Classical Pattern.
Read: (pdf) P. Bondanella, “A Fistful of Pasta: Sergio Leone & the Spaghetti Western”
Django (Italy, 1966) Sergio Corbucci [excerpts]
Stream: Buck and the Preacher (1972) dir. and star, Sidney Poitier [102]
Thurs. June 25– Reviving the Western?
Read: Read: (pdf) R. Worland & E. Countryman, “The New Western Historiography & The New Westerns”
Take a Hard Ride (1975) Antonio Margheriti [trailer]
“Disguised” Westerns excerpts: Easy Rider (1969); Star Wars (1977); Rambo: First Blood Part 2 (1985).
Stream: The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) Maggie Greenwald [120]
*Fri. June 26– 1990s Westerns, cont. Response Paper #2 DUE: Modleski, “Interview with Maggie Greenwald”
Read: (pdf) T. Modleski, “Our Heroes Have Sometimes Been Cowgirls: Interview w/Maggie Greenwald”
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) Walter Hill [excerpts]
Stream: Posse (1993) Mario Van Peebles [108]
Mon. June 29– Conclusion to the Course.
Read: (optional), chapt. 11, “Coda”, p. 269-80.
Stream: The Warrior’s Way (2010) Sngmoo Lee [110]
**Tues. June 30: Final Paper due by 11:59pm.
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PAPER ASSIGNMENTS.
**You must submit your papers through Canvas (in either Word .docx or PDF formats only).
If you experience any problems uploading your papers to Canvas, don’t call me—call the campus IT Help line at once: 214-768-HELP.
**“The dog/computer/internet ate my homework” will never be an acceptable excuse. Papers not submitted to Canvas will receive a grade of Zero.
GRADING RUBRIC: Each paper should be Double-spaced, with one-inch margins. Your writing will be evaluated on i) How well you state and introduce your THESIS or central point, stated with relevant and specific aspects of your analysis; ii) The clarity and organization of your argument with regard to specific examples and evidence cited from the film/TV show; and iii) The technical quality of your writing, paying attention to the mechanics of good writing: sentence structure, spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. [See “Additional Stylistic Tips” below.]
**Your thesis, or the main point of your argument/analysis, should be clear by the end of the first paragraph.
Response Papers. (2 pages.) Present an overview of the topic, main points of the argument, and evidence cited by the author of the assigned article, discussing it in relation to aspects of genre history and analysis we have discussed so far. Present your own response and commentary on the subject, and/or counter-arguments if relevant.
FINAL PAPER: (6-7 pages)
Do not critique a film shown in class, or one extensively discussed in assigned readings. However, you can refer to those films if relevant. The purpose of the paper is to analyze a Western film of your choice (from any period) thematically (in relation to its major ideas or attitudes, as typical of the genre); and formally (i.e., in relation to elements of visual/cinematic style: editing, shot composition, lighting, music, costume, actors’ performances, etc.) Remember, form is content: HOW something is being said or presented is WHAT is being said. You should also situate the chosen film historically, and address how it might fit into the period in which it was produced.
Choose at least three scenes from the film that you regard as the most important, memorable, powerful, etc. that reflect the major narrative and/or thematic aspects of the film; and in relation to concerns or meanings in the Western genre that we have discussed. However, do not neglect the film as a whole. There should be discussion of how these scenes figure into the entire work. As we have emphasized, take note of the opening and closing scenes of the movie and what final impressions it leaves with the audience/viewer. Do not spend a lot of time summarizing the plot; a few sentences should cover it. Then address more detailed plot points through your discussion of particular examples.
**This is NOT a research paper. I neither want nor expect you to conduct additional research and report what others have said. I want your opinions and analysis in relation to course concepts we have addressed.
Additional stylistic tips for writing your papers:
It’s acceptable occasionally to say “I think”, etc. in a formal critique. However, this should be used sparingly.
Film and book titles should be italicized. Every time. Do not footnote dialog quotes from the movie.
Avoid this phrasing: “In the movie The Wizard of Oz...” We know it’s a movie.
Avoid tedious “here I go” statements that just waste space: e.g., “I have chosen to analyze for this assignment the film X”; or “I will now do this”, “I have just done that”, etc. Just get to it.
Avoid awkward uses of common words that have particular meanings in film production and analysis, e.g.,
–“zooms in on” when you really mean “cuts to a close up” or simply “emphasizes”. The automatic variable focus lens (“zoom” lens) did not come into general use until the mid 1950s, btw.
–“focuses on” when you really mean “emphasizes” or “concentrates our attention on”. Virtually every shot of every film “focuses on” something.
–a “dramatic change” when writing about…drama. You really mean “significant” or “sudden” change in the story development.
These simple things will improve the style of your analysis.
