Requirements

All assigned work for the course must be completed and be of passing quality to pass the course. We will learn collaboratively. I will not lecture at you while you try to stay awake. Therefore, you and your fellow students must all participate in class discussion. This is a new and somewhat experimental course. I have designed it myself. It is not a course where you can do 70 percent of the work and expect to get a C in the course. To get a C in the course, you need to do 100 percent of the work at a C level. Because of the number of the large number of students in the class, I may not notice that you have not been completing the work until the end of the term. In that case, you will receive an E. To get above a C, you must participate in class discussion.

Required work: Quiz on basic terms of film analysis; co-lead class discussion twice, once on a Tuesday and once on a Thursday; discussion questions for each class; film clip analysis exercise on sound (revisions t.b.a); one in class report on a blu-ray or DVD edition of a film relevant to the course; and two 2,000 word papers.

If you need to learn about film history quickly, I recommend this DVD (UF doesn't have a copy, but you can Interlibrary loan [ill] it):

Required Readings (you'll need to order the books on Amazon.com or a similar online vendor):

Paolo Cherchi Usai, Francis, David, Horwath, Alexander, Loebenstein, Michael, ed. Film Curatorship: Museums, Curatorship and the Moving Image

Paolo Cherchi Usai, Silent Cinema, an Introduction (British Film Institute)

Theodor Adorno and Hans Eisler, Composing for Films

Theodor Adorno, In Search of Wagner

Michel Chion, Film, A Sound Art ( 2009)

Recommended Readings: Paolo Cherchi Usai, The Death of Cinema: History, Cultural Memory, and the Digital Dark Age.

Mark Betz, Beyond the Subtitle: Remapping European Art Cinema

Subtitles: On the Foreigness of Film

James Buhler, David Neumeyer, and Rob Deemer, Hearing the Movies: Music and Sound in Film History (2009)

Martin Miller Marks, Music and the Silent Film: Contexts and Case Studies, 1895-1924 (1997)

Richard Abel and Rick R. Altman, The Sounds of Early Cinema (2001)

Donald Crafton,The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound, 1926-1931 (1999)

David Sonnenschein, Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema (2002)

Michel Chion, The Voice in Cinema (1999)

Michel Chion, Audio-Vision (1994)

Rick Altman, Silent Film Sound

Coninues below the photo:

If you need to learn film history quickly, I recommend this DVD (UF has a copy):

Required DVDs: Please make sure you have access (by borrowing, renting, or purchasing) DVDs of the films on which you will do your film clip analysis, two papers and lead class discussion. In the two papers you'll write you'll need to disuss different films; and in both papers, you'll need to discuss films you did not chose for your film analysis exercise. URGENT: Please make sure you have access to the readings and DVDs you'll well ahead of time. (If you watch the film streamed, planning ahead is unncessary.) To do the film clip assignment you will need the DVD of the film you are discussing or access to it streaming. (Blu-rays are preferable as the audio is uncompressed and the image quality the best possible.) Ditto for your report, the day you lead class on a film, and when you write your papers.

NB: When you lead class on a given film, you will need to see that film at least twice. When watching it the second time, you can take notes, pausing the DVD to do so as you will. I usually end up with about forty pages of handwritten notes on a two hour film when I take notes.

Class attendance and participation are crucial to the success of this course. You will not receive better than a "C" in the course if you do not participate in class. (By participate, I mean attend class, do the discussion questions, and speak up usefully in class so that a given conversation moves forward. You can bring up a topic, add to someone else's point, or disagree. Just making random comments that lead us nowhere does not count as participation. If, in addition to not participating, you don't turn in written work either, you will not pass the course. I take attendance, and late arrivals will be counted as absent. If you don't bring the reading with you, I count you as absent.

LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Required Readings: In addition to the required books, I have also put a number of required readings on UF's electronic course reserve or linked them on the scedule webpage of this course to the UF library electronic databases. I have done so rather than put them in a course packet because they are far less exepnsive when put on course reserve. Print out copies of all assigned online readings and bring them to class. If you don't have copies of these readings with you in class, I will mark you as absent. Ditto for assigned books. Please download all online readings now at the UF e-course reserve webpage. Create a folder on your computer and put them in it. If you are unable to access the readings, I don't consider that a valid excuse for not reading them, turning in discussion questions on them, printing them out, and and bringing them to class.Bring print outs of all articles--you’ll need to underline and take notes on them. And bring the required books to class the days we discuss them. (If you don’t have the readings with you, I count you as absent. If you miss more than allowed absences, I will lower you grade or possibly fail you in the course, at my discretion.)

Ground rules for class:

Please email me only to send me your assignments. Otherwise, contact me in person after class or during office hours.

No breaks during class (plan ahead).

Turn off your lap-top computers, ipads, and cell phones during class.

Come to class on time. If you enter after the door to the classroom has closed, I will consider you late; and I will count you as absent.

Please turn off your cell phones during class. Do not leave during class. If you do, I will you count you absent.

Please put your last name first in the subject header of all microsoft word documents you send me. Example: Bush.doc

Please put your first and last name at the bottom of your discussion questions.

Please put your last name in the title of all word documents you email me. Here's an example: Burt.doc Be sure to put your name in the word document and title your paper descriptively (not "Paper #1") too!

Please email me only to send me class assignments. Otherwise, please talk to me after class or during office hours.

ALL WRITTEN WORK YOU SEND ME BY EMAIL MUST BE MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENTS.

If you have any questions about the course, please ask them of me in class or during office hours. Contact me by email only to send me your assignments. Also, put your last name first in the title of any attached document you send me and put you name in the word documents.

NB: When doing your papers, I expect you to be able to "quote" images from the film. By "quote" I mean capture images and insert them into you word documents. In other words, you must be able to capture a image from the DVD of each shot and insert it into your text. I require screen captures because they actually help you "read" the film as well as give your reader more information. It's like writing about a poem from memory without being able to quote any lines versus having the poem in front of you and being able to quote lines from it.

Here is all the technical help I can offer on how to capture DVD images and insert them into word documents:

To capture images from DVDs for your film clip and research papers, you may download a VLC player that does this for free at

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
If you want to fork out the cash (around 40 dollars), you can get windvd. There's a free trial at

http://www.intervideo.com/WinDVD/

If you don't think you can do learn how to capture DVD images on your own, I recommend you seek technical support froma fellow student or on campus.

SCREENINGS: Some of the films we will see are not available for rent or at the UF library. Attendance at screenings of these films is required. All films must be seen either at the screening (all screenings are free) or on your own. All screenings will be on Tuesdays E1-E3 (7:20-10:10) in TUR 2332.

PLEASE NOTE that the schedule webpage for this course is tentative and may be frequently revised during the semester. You may wish to print out a copy, but do check the website before each class to double check for any changes. The current version of this website is the binding one.

Please download all online readings now at the UF e-course reserve webpage. Create a folder on your computer and put them in it. If you are unable to access the readings, I don't consider that a valid excuse for not reading them, turning in discussion questions on them, printing them out, and and bringing them to class.

All documents should be formatted using Ariel 12 point font.

All assigned work for the course must be completed and be of passing quality to pass the course. This is not a course where you can do 70 percent of the work and expect to get a C in the course. To get a C in the course, you need to do 100 percent of the work at C level. Because of the number of students in the class, I may not notice that you have not been completing the work until the end of the term. In that case, you will receive an E.

1. Co-leading class with one or two other students on a Thursday. Though this class is relatively large, I will not run it as a lecture. Instead, I will ask 2-3 of you, in consultation with me, to lead class once during the term. You will lead class discussions. I will talk with you in advance about how to prepare and I will of course also participate in discussion. I will ask each one of you to prepare a close analysis of one scene from the film of your choice. You need to let each other know which scene you want to do so that you don't duplicate each other's efforts. Also, please cc me in your email correspondence. Thanks. To get credit for this part of the course, you must email me and the other students leading discussion your notes and questions (at least two pages) 24 hours before the class you'll lead.

2. Report in class on a Thursday (on a film or text I will discuss with you).

2. Discussion Questions. Two discussion questions on each reading on Tuesdays and two discussion questions eon each film discussed on Thursdays are due by 5 p.m. the day before the readings or film are discussed in class. Please put your name after the questions you email me (at [email protected] --that is a deliberate misplelling of my first name) at the bottom of your email. Please print out the questions after I post them either online or by email, read them over, and then bring the print out with you to class.This format can work extremely well, but it can only work and work well if all of you are equally prepared for discussion and only if you in fact do participate in class. You should be just as prepared to discuss on days you are not leading discussion as on days you are. The point of the questions is (a) that you do the readings and watch the films carefully (analytically); (b) that you come prepared to class to talk about the reading or film concretely; and (c) that you get practice for writing your papers and flim clip exercise (your papers will depend on your noticing the kinds of things in the readings and film that draw you to formulate questions about them. To this end, I will ask all of you email me two discussion topics (3-4 sentences) and discussion questions (at least one) about each reading and each film assigned for each class. I will then post these questions with your names on the course website or email them to you via the class email listerv before class. The day you lead class, you need not do the discussion questions. Please put the name of the class in your email title, and please put your name in your emailed topic / discussion questions after your questions. (That just makes it easier for me to copy them on to this page.) Please make sure the questions are your own (taking them from imdb, wikipedia, or any other uncredited source is plagiarism), and please make them as concrete as possible (addressed to a specific aspect of the reading or film). Please limit your question to the film itself (don't bother with production or reception histories). Your questions should arise from a close reading of the film or reading. Your questions may or may not come up in class, but all students should read all of them.

Be sure to bring the assigned book or a print copy of all assigned eletronic readings and bring it with you to class. If you don't bring the reading(s) with you, I count you as absent.

3. No unexcused late work will be accepted.

5. All assignments (double spaced, and that includes indented quotations) in Ariel 12 point font must be electronically delivered to me via email in a Microsoft Word document at [email protected].

6. Attendance. You may miss two classes for whatever reason without offering an explanation to me. Attendance includes completing the assigned work for each class and being to class on time. (If you don't do the discussion questions, for example, you are counted as absent.) Your physical presence in class is not enough for you to be counted as present. If you come to class late or if you come to class without having completed the assignment for that class, I will count you as absent. After the first few classes, when I have learned your name, I will take roll silently in class. You may miss one class for whatever reason without offering an explanation to me. Funerals, colds, weddings, etc., are all covered by the two absences. Be sure to bring the assigned book or print copies of all assigned electronic readings and bring it with you to class. If you don't bring the reading(s) with you, I count you as absent. You will not receive better than a "C" in the course if you do not participate.

7. Please arrive to class on time. It's just a common courtesy to me and to your fellow students. In addition to being irritating, lateness is not excused, and late arrivals will be counted as absent. Please turn off your cell phone.

8. Please be sure to bring the assigned reading(s) to class the day we are discussing it or them. We'll be reading a lot of often difficult material very closely, and it will be essential that you have the text open in front of you.

9. All films will be screened Tuesday evenings, periods E1-E3 (7:00-10:00) in Rolfs 115.

10. Please put your last name in the title of all word documents you email me. Be sure to put your name in the word document too!

11. It is your responsibility to check the schedule webpage before each class and complete all assignments on time. If you miss work and do not contact me to ask about an excuse, you will not receive credit, nor will I notify you. It is your responsibility to be aware of any assignments and either complete them or notify me and explain why you could not complete them should you have a valid excuse.

12. UF policy mandates that all students have access to a computer. You will need to access a computer and your email daily, and if you have a problem doing so on a particular day, it is responsibility to let me know in class and turn in any assigned work due on paper at the beginning of the class it is due.

13. Extra credit work is not an option, nor is make up work for unexcused classes.

14. If you miss a conference or other appointment to see me in person and then miss it without having cancelled at least 24 hours in advance, I won't reschedule the appointment.

15. To receive a "C" or above on your written work, your written prose must be free of grammatical errors, spelling errors, and typos.

16. There will be a number of unannounced pop quizzes in class. If you fail a pop quiz, I will count you as absent that day.

17. Final Grades:

Your final grade for the course will be based on the how you meet the following criteria:

i. Participation, including in class pop quizzes, and film analysis quizzes: 30 percent. You must participate in class disussion to get better than a "C" grade in this course. In addition to talking in class (5 percent), participation breaks down into three other components. (A) Leading classes: 10 percent . (The days you lead class, you need not do the discussion questions.) To get credit for this part of the course, you must email me and the other students leading discussion your notes and questions (at least two pages) 24 hours before the class you'll lead or give a report.; (B) discussion questions for each class: 10 percent (pass / fail). and (C) pass pop quizzes in class (5 percent). If you fail a quiz, I will count you as absent that day. Passing this part of the course requires that you complete all of the discussion questions; moreover, each set of discussion questions must be thoughtful contributions, not perfunctory exercises, in order to receive passing credit. Please remember to put your name at the bottom of the email, after the three (or more, depending on the number of readings) questions. (The day you lead class, you need not do the discussion questions.) Print out copies of all assigned online readings and bring them to class. If you don't have copies of these readings with you in class, I will mark you as absent.

ii. A film clip analysis exercise and two persuasive (analytical) essays of 1,500-2000 words (approximately 5-6 pages) each, twelve point font microsoft word document. Going under or over the word count means a failing grade. Focus your papers on a theoretical problem raised by the readings in relation to two films, one a Western and one film noir. on one or two scenes from each film. Read the texts and films closely to make both a point about specific passages and specific scenes, and, by extension, about the films from which the scenes are taken. I strongly recommend making use of relevant image captures (with eight as the maxmimum). Your papers not opinion pieces (like newspaper movie reviews), but analytical, persuasive essays. See the paper guidelines webpage. For due dates, please see the scehdule webpage. (Email each paper to me at [email protected]). If your document is too large to send as an email attachment, send it to me through pando. Please put your last name first in the microsoft word documents you email or pando me. Example: Burt.doc

iii. Pass film analysis quiz on film analysis in class.

All parts of the course (i-iii above) must be completed and turned in on time to pass the course.

Class attendance and participation are crucial to the success of this course. You will not receive better than a "C" in the course if you do not participate. (By participate, I mean attend class, do the discussion questions, and speak up usefully in class so that a conversation moves forward. Just making random comments that lead us nowehere does not count as participartion. If, in addition to not partiicpating, you don't turn in written work either, you will not pass the course.)

Plagiarism. I expect that all written work turned in by you will be your own. Be sure to cite all outside sources, if you use any, and to attribute any quotations you use to their source(s). To learn how to reference source material properly, go to Diana Hacker's online Research and Documentation guide (Bedford Books/St. Martin's Press), which includes a section on citing electronic sources. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, a violation of the University's policies on academic honesty, and will result in an "F" for the course. If you have any questions about how to cite or quote secondary works or about what is or is not plagiarism, please ask me for clarification BEFORE you turn in your written work. You will not be penalized for asking, and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Email Ettiquette: All assigned work for the course must be completed and be of passing quality to pass the course. This is not a course where you can do 70 percent of the work and expect to get a C in the course. To get a C in the course, you need to do 100 percent of the work at C level. Because of the number of students in the class, I may not notice that you have not been completing the work until the end of the term. In that case, you will receive an E.

Please put your last name first in the subject header of all microsoft word documents you send me. Example: Bush.doc

Please put your first and last name at the bottom of your discussion questions.

Please email me only to send me class assignments. Otherwise, please talk to me after class or during office hours.

ALL WRITTEN WORK YOU SEND ME BY EMAIL MUST BE MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENTS.

Many students use email addresses that give no indication of their names. If your email address does not indicate your name, please be sure to give your name in the subject heading of all your email messages to me, and please also indicate that you are taking English 4133 (unless the subject heading of your message makes this clear). (I teach other courses as well.)

Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, please be aware that this class will make extensive use of the course website and email. The current version of the website is the binding one. Please make sure that if you have you do not currently access your gatorlink email account that you have all email from that account forwarded to your current email acount. I will be emailing you all through a class listserv, and this listserv uses your "@ufl.edu" gatorlink email address. Typically, I will be sending you several emails a week, so make sure that you are able to get them.