University of North Texas Fall 2014
RTVF 4415.001: Women in Film
Wednesdays 9.00 – 1.20pm, RTVF Room 264.
Instructor: Dr. G.S. Larke-Walsh, Office RTFP: 272a
email:
Tues 12-1pm & Weds 1.30-2.30pm by appointment.
Teaching Assistant: Stephanie Oliver
Course Outline
This course is designed to provide a critical introduction to women in film and directing film. I have chosen films from around the world produced within the last 20 yrs or so. Many of these do not have much critical work attached to them and so I have chosen a general theoretical text to accompany our study. I will make other readings available as and when I can.
NOTE:
Feminist Film theory will be used as the foundation to our study. It is important to note that theories tend to be called feminist, whenever they focus on women. To that end Feminism (like womanhood) is not a singular, or simplistic entity that can be identified, applauded, or derided in a generalized way. I ask that all students approach this course with that in mind.
We will be viewing and discussing a wide range of topics including gender, sexuality, violence, spirituality and social politics. If you feel you do not want to engage in any of these topics then I suggest you do not enroll in this course.
Course Objectives:
To encourage student understanding of constructions of gender roles as presented in film
To expand student knowledge of film theories related to gender
To promote a critical understanding of how theories relate to film.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Butler, Alison (2002) Women’s Cinema: The Contested Screen London, Wallflower Press [Most of the book]
McCabe, Janet (2004) Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema
London, Wallflower Press [Most of the book]
Redding, Judith M. & Brownworth, Victoria A. (1997) Film Fatales: Independent Women Filmmakers. Seattle, Seal Press [A few articles]
Erens, Patricia (Ed) (1990) Issues in Feminist Film Criticism Bloomington, Indiana University Press. [A few articles]
Additional books/photocopies are available on reserve in the library.
Additional Reading
Carson, D; Dittmar, L & Welsch, J.R. (eds.) (1994) Multiple Voices in Feminist Film Criticism Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press (PN 1995.9.W6 M82 1994)
Hollows, Joanne “Film Studies and the Woman’s Film” in Feminism, Femininity
and Popular Culture Manchester University Press (2000) (photocopy).
Hollinger, Karen In the Company of Women: Contemporary Female Friendship
Films Minneapolis University of Minneapolis Press (1998) (PN 1995.9.W6 H66 1998)
Kaplan, E. Ann Women and Film: Both Sides of the Camera NY Methuen Press (1983)
(PN1995.9.W6 K3 1983)
Kaplan, E. Ann (ed) Feminism and Film Oxford University Press (2000) p159-180
(PN 1995.9.W6 F448 2000)
Tasker, Yvonne Working Girls: Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema London,
Routledge (1998) (PN 1995.9.W6 T36 1998)
Thornham, Sue (ed) Feminist Film Theory: A Reader Edinburgh, Edinburgh
University Press (1999) (PN 1995.9.W6 F465 1999)
Collins, J, Radner, H & Preacher Collins, A (eds) Film theory Goes to the Movies NY, Routledge (1993), p182-195 (PN 1994. F43915 1993)
Your required work for this class includes:
Two midterm examination (in class) 40%
One final examination (in class) 20%
Three 1,000 word written assignments 40%
Students expecting to do well in this class should read the assigned materials, attend and take notes on all components of the class, including discussions and screenings. You do not need to notify me if you miss class, but it is up to you to get the lecture notes from another student, and/or view the assigned film(s), (most of which will be available at the Chilton Media Center within a day or so after the class meeting). I can almost guarantee you will fail this class if you skip the assigned readings and/or continue to miss lectures and screenings.
In line with other classes in the Department, we will now be taking attendance at the beginning of class and at the end. The attendance sheet will not be available for you to sign if you arrive after I begin class. More than 3 unexcused absences, or late arrivals in the semester will incur a 3 point penalty on your overall grade.
Exams will be based on lectures, screenings, readings, and discussions. The final will not be cumulative. The Written Assignments will be mini research papers. Details will follow in a separate hand-out. Late papers will be penalized 1 letter grade (-10%) per class session. See class schedule for turn in and grading deadlines.
Your Final Grade will thus be based upon two in-class examinations, three written assignment and your response papers. You must complete each of these components in order to pass the class. Any form of academic dishonesty will result in an F for this course.
The Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (SETE) is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. This short survey will be made available to you at the end of the semester, providing you a chance to comment on how this class is taught. I am very interested in the feedback I get from students, as I work to continually improve my teaching. I consider the SETE to be an important part of your participation in this class.
The SETE will remain open through the week of finals.
NOTE: “The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.”
BREAKDOWN BY WEEKS AND CLASS MEETINGS
FEMINIST FILMMAKING
27th August. Introduction to the Course & Screening: I Was a Teenage Feminist (2005) Dir. Therese Schechter (USA)
Req’d Reading:
Redding, Judith M. & Brownworth, Victoria A. (1997) “Introduction” in Film Fatales: Independent Women Filmmakers. Seattle, Seal Press, pp.6-14 & 19-22.
Tasker, Y & Negra, D (eds.) (2007) “Introduction: Feminist Politics and postfeminist culture” in Interrogating Postfeminism: Gender and the politics of Popular Culture, London, Duke University Press, pp.1-25.
McCabe, J “Introduction” in Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema, London, Wallflower Press, 2004, pp.1-13.
3rd September. Seminar: Where to Start? Cinema History and Experimental. Screening: Maya Deren/Sadie Benning/Yvonne Rainer/Su Friedrich/Lizzie Borden/Chantal Ackerman
Meshes in the Afternoon (1943, dir. Maya Deren) Sink or Swim (1990, dir. Su Friedrich)
Req’d Reading:
Butler, Alison (2002) “Chapter 2” in Women’s Cinema: The Contested Screen London, Wallflower, pp.57-69 (Deren) and pp.77-86 (Rainer & Ackerman)
Secondary Reading:
Redding, Judith M. & Brownworth, Victoria A. (1997) “Sadie Benning” in Film Fatales: Independent Women Filmmakers. Seattle, Seal Press, pp.123-128.
Redding, Judith M. & Brownworth, Victoria A. (1997) “Su Friedrich” in Film Fatales: Independent Women Filmmakers. Seattle, Seal Press, pp.88-93.
Redding, Judith M. & Brownworth, Victoria A. (1997) “Lizzie Borden” in Film Fatales: Independent Women Filmmakers. Seattle, Seal Press, pp.129-144.
Kuhn, Annette “Textual politics” in Erens, P (ed) (1990) Issues in Feminist Film Criticism Bloomington, Indiana University Press, pp.250-267.
10th September. Seminar: Antonia’s Line (1995) Dir. Marleen Gorris (Holland)
REQUIRED READING:
Butler, Alison (2002) “Introduction” in Women’s Cinema: The Contested Screen London, Wallflower Press, pp.25-30
Secondary Reading:
Redding, Judith M. & Brownworth, Victoria A. (1997) “Marleen Gorris” in Film Fatales: Independent Women Filmmakers. Seattle, Seal Press, pp.173-178.
Gentile, Mary C. “Feminist or Tendentious? Marleen Gorris’ A Question of Silence” in Erens, P (ed) (1990) Issues in Feminist Film Criticism Bloomington, Indiana University Press, pp.395-404.
SECONDARY VIEWING:
A Question of Silence (1982, dir. Marleen Gorris)
Fat Girl (2005, dir. Catherine Breillat)
Sequins (2004, dir. Eleonore Faucher)
Attenberg (2010, dir. Athina R. Tsangari)
17th September. Seminar Screening: Red Road (2006, dir. Andrea Arnold)
Req’d Reading:
Butler, Alison (2002) “Afterword” in Women’s Cinema: The Contested Screen London, Wallflower Press pp.119-123.
McCabe, J “Structuring a Language of Theory” in Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema, London, Wallflower Press, 2004, pp.14-36.
Secondary Reading:
Fuller, G “Red Road” in Film Comment Mar/Apr 2007, v.43, Iss.2 PP.71-72
Secondary Viewing:
Orlando (1992, dir. Sally Potter (UK)
The 24hr Woman (1999, dir. Nancy Savoca, USA)
Morvern Callar (2002, Lynne Ramsay, UK)
24th September. EXAM I
26th September. Assignment #1 DUE
GLOBAL/RACIAL TOPICS
1st October. Seminar: At Five in the Afternoon (2003) Dir. Samira Makhmalbaf OR Persepolis (2007, dir. Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi)
Req’d Reading:
Butler, Alison (2002), “Iranian cinema” in Women’s Cinema: The Contested Screen London, Wallflower Press pp.89-93 and 96-100
Bresheeth, Haim "Two Theses on the Afghan Woman.." in Third Text, Jan 2010, v.24 Iss.1, pp. 25-38.
Secondary Reading:
Chaudhuri, S & Finn, H “The Open Image: Poetic Realism and the New Iranian Cinema” in Codell, J (ed) Genre, Gender, Race and World Cinema: An Anthology Malden, MA, Blackwell Pub. (2007) pp.388-407.
McCabe, J. “Race, ethnicity and post-colonialisim modernism” in Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema, London, Wallflower Press, 2004, pp.65-87
Quigley, M “Drawing on Experience: Animation as History in Persepolis” in Screen Education Spr.2008, Iss 51 pp.62-66.
Secondary Viewing:
Joy of Madness (2003) Dir. Hana Makhmalbaf (documentary)
Daughters of the Sun (2000) dir. Maryam Shahriar (Iran)
Baran (2001, dir. Majid Majidi)
Offside (2006, dir. Jafar Panahi)
8th October. Seminar: Water (2005) Dir. Deepa Mehta, or White Rainbow (2005) Dir. Dharan Mandrayar
Req’d reading:
Chaudhuri, Sohini "Snake charmers and child brides...." in Journal of South Asian Popular Culture v.7, n.1 April 2009, pp. 7-20 (available on blackboard)
Verma, Priya "Women Filmmakers in India" in Off Our Backs Mar/Apr (2005) v.35 Iss. 3/4 pp.53-55 (review only, available on blackboard)
Secondary Viewing:
Fire () Dir. Deepa Mehta
Earth () Dir. Deepa Mehta
15th October. Seminar: Nobody Knows My Name (1999) Dir. Rachel Raimist (USA) & Dreamworlds 3: desire/sex/power in music video (2007, written, edited and narrated by Sut Jhally)
Req’d reading:
Shelton, Maria “Can’t Touch This! Representations of the African American Female Body in Urban Rap Videos” in Popular Music and Society 1997, Fall: 21 (3), pp.107-116
Keyes, Cheryl “Empowering Self making Choices, Creating Spaces: Black Female Identity via Rap Music Performance” in Ethnomusicology: A Contemporary reader, NY, Routledge, 2006, pp.97-108 (ML3799.E825 2006)
Secondary Reading:
Lesage, Julia “The Political Aesthetics of the Feminist Documentary Film” in Erens, P (ed) (1990) Issues in Feminist Film Criticism Bloomington, Indiana University Press, pp.222-237.
Secondary Viewing:
Anne B. Real (2003, dir. Lisa France)
Daughters of the Dust (1991, dir. Julie Dash)
Just Another Girl on the IRT (1992, dir. Leslie Harris)
Watermelon Woman (1996, dir. Cheryl Dunye)
There may be an extra documentary study week here using Kim Longinotto’s documentary films, including Salma (2012).
This will fill each week up to the review week after thanksgiving. Consequently, the following dates are all tentative.
22nd October Seminar: Female childhood roles: Screening: Whale Rider (2002) Dir. Niki Caro
Required Reading:
Damer Sean, "Inside the Whale: A Closer Look at Whale Rider" in Screen Education (2006), Iss.41, pp. 74-78.
Hardy, Ann "Return of the Taniwha..." in British Review of New Zealand Studies 2003/4 v.14 pp. 84-104 (available on blackboard)
Secondary Viewing:
The Little Mermaid
Piano (1995) Dir. Jane Campion
29th October. EXAM II
31st October. Assignment #2 DUE
FEMINISM BY MEN?
5th November. Seminar: Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir. Jonathan Demme)
Req’d reading:
Staiger, Janet “Taboos and Totems: Cultural Meanings of the Silence of the Lambs” in Collins, J; Radner, H & Preacher Collins, A (eds.) Film Theory Goes to the Movies NY, Routledge, 1993, pp.142-154
Garrett, G “Objecting to Objectification: Re-Viewing the Feminine in The Silence of the Lambs” in Journal of Popular Culture 1994 Spring 27(4): pp.1-12.
Secondary Viewing:
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996, dir. Renny Harlin)
G.I. Jane (1997, dir. Ridley Scott)
12th November. Seminar: Muriel’s Wedding (1994) Dir. P.J. Hogan (Australia)
Req’d Reading:
McCabe, J “Textual Negotiations: Female Spectatorship and Cultural Studies” in Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema, London, Wallflower Press, 2004, pp.37-64
Medhurst, A “But I’m Beautiful; with what the papers said” in Sight and Sound v12:7 July 2002, pp32-34
Secondary Reading:
Mackey, J “Subtext and Countertext in Muriel’s Wedding” in National Women’s Studies Association Journal 2001 Spring 13(11) pp.86-104.
Secondary Viewing:
Real Women Have Curves (2002, dir. Patricia Cardoso)
The Final Film: Continuing the Enigma
19th November. Seminar: We Need to Talk About Kevin (2010) Dir. Lynne Ramsay
Req’d reading:
McCabe, J “Conceiving Subjectivity, Sexual Difference and fantasy Differently: Psychoanalysis Revisited and Queering Theory” in Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema, London, Wallflower Press, 2004, pp.88-111.
Coulthard, Lisa “Killing Bill: Rethinking Feminism and Film Violence” in Tasker & Negra (2007) Interrogating Postfeminism: Gender and the Politics of Popular Culture London, Duke University, pp.153-175.
Secondary Viewing:
La Cérémonie (1995, dir. Claude Chabrol)
Monster (2003 dir. Patty Jenkins)
26th November: floating day to accommodate for the extra documentary screening
3rd December: review day
5th December. Assignment #3 DUE
FINAL EXAM: WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10th @ 8am in RTFP 264
SCREENING NOTES: I have provided some informal notes to help with your viewing.
PLEASE DON’T FORGET THE OBVIOUS - that the place of Production (USA, UK, etc) and the date of production (80s, 90s, 2000s etc) is crucial information to help you attend screenings as an informed viewer: i.e. it should give you some clues as to the form and style of the film texts.
SECTION ONE: FEMINIST FILMMAKING
I Was a Teenage feminist (2005) Dir. Therese Schechter (USA)
I chose this documentary for many reasons. While the structure is less than perfect, it does raise some important basic questions that will help to introduce the purpose and principles of this course. It is a participatory/journey documentary wherein the filmmaker asks herself and many others what is feminism, where is it and how does it function in cultural discourses of the 21st century? As an introductory film I hope that it will cover many of the current ideological confusions and mis-readings of feminism. There is no written assignment option for this film, but you can ask yourselves the following questions about the structure and themes at play.
· How does the structure of the documentary inform its themes? Whose voice are we hearing? How does this affect your understanding of the topics?