AS362.125 Race and Power in American Cinema

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Delibero/Robbins Black Cinema Syllabus

AS362.125 Race and Power in American Cinema

Syllabus

Linda DeLibero

Gilman 84

Hours: By appointment

I. Course Objectives:

This course will begin by examining how white Hollywood has traditionally portrayed African Americans on film, as well as the way African American directors from the silent cinema to the 1990s turned those traditions on their head (or not). The majority of our time, however, will be spent examining the recent flowering of African American cinema over the past five years. Throughout, we will address questions of race and power in American film that hold particular relevance today: Can African American filmmakers successfully challenge Hollywood stereotypes about race and color? How do white and black filmmakers portray history differently? Can film make a difference in changing national discourses on race? Do the politics of these films—whether overt or not—upend traditional notions of race and power? Students should expect to consider cultural and economic questions of black filmmaking against the larger backdrop of Hollywood’s representation of African Americans, as well as current issues that define racial politics today.

The films are organized roughly chronologically, and with each film we will consider individual artists and artistic influences, genre, entertainment trends, and various historical and economic pressures on the filmmakers.

Films:

1. Birth of a Nation (1915) (selected clips)
2. Within Our Gates (1920) (selected clips)
3. Gone with the Wind (1939) Victor Fleming
4. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) Stanley Kramer
5. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadaassssss Song (1971) Melvin Van Peebles
6. Killer of Sheep (1977) Charles Burnett
7. Do the Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee
8. Boyz n the Hood (1991) John Singleton
9. Precious (2009) Lee Daniels
10. Django Unchained (2012) Quentin Tarantino
11. Fruitvale Station (2013)
12. The Butler (2013) Lee Daniels
13. 12 Years a Slave (2013) Steve McQueen
14. Selma (2014)

III. Course Requirements:

• Attendance at all sessions
• 1 Oral Presentation (10 minutes)
• 1 analytical paper (5 pages)
• Response Journal (weekly entries on each film)

You will be required to watch closely and be prepared to discuss all of the films. In-class quizzes will test your knowledge of that week’s films. All films are also on DVD and are on reserve in the A/V room, but keep in mind that the DVDs will not be available for individual screening if they are being used for the scheduled class screening time.

NOTE: NO MAKEUP QUIZZES. NO EXTENSIONS ON PAPERS. NO INCOMPLETES. NO EXCEPTIONS. ALL RESPONSE PAPERS MUST BE TURNED IN AS HARD COPIES ON THE DAY THEY ARE DUE.

Grade: Your grade will be calculated as follows:

Class Participation and quizzes: 25% (Your two lowest quiz grades will be dropped.)

Presentation: 25%.

Paper: 25%

Journal: 25%

Writing Policy:

All papers should be double-spaced and numbered, with your name on every page. Neatness and excellence in punctuation, spelling, and grammar should always be a goal.

A note about our grading on papers and essays:

A grade of A means you have produced a paper exemplary in almost every way. You have presented your thesis coherently, you have organized your thoughts effectively, and you have supported your argument meticulously. An A paper is also one that is excellent in style and voice or tone. And in an A paper, attention to form (spelling, punctuation, grammar, documentation) is as rigorous as it is to the content. Your work on the paper is superior.

A grade of B means you have gone beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment and have successfully balanced description with analysis. You express yourself more clearly, meaningfully, and imaginatively than in a C paper. Your work on the paper is good.

A grade of C means you have successfully completed the minimum requirements of an assignment. Your paper has no major problems of any kind, but there is still much for you to do to better your grade. Your work on the paper is fair.

A grade of D means your work is seriously deficient in some way.

A grade of F means your work has failed to meet the minimum requirements.

PLEASE NOTE: NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES MAY BE USED IN CLASS EXCEPT FOR NOTE TAKING. NO EXCEPTIONS.

IV. JHU POLICIES

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

In compliance with Johns Hopkins University policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that you may require for your work. Request for academic accommodations should be made during the first week of the semester, so appropriate arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged to register with Office of Student Disability Services to determine appropriate academic accommodations. For more information, please contact Dr. Richard Sanders in Student Disability Services, 385 Garland, (410) 516-4720 or at .

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

The strength of the university depends on academic and personal integrity. In this course, you must be honest and truthful. Ethical violations include cheating on exams, plagiarism, reuse of assignments, improper use of the Internet and electronic devices, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of graded assignments, forgery and falsification, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, and unfair competition. These violations will lead to failure in the course and possible expulsion from the university. Plagiarism is defined by the MLA Handbook as “[giving] the impression that you have written or thought something that you have in fact borrowed from someone else.” Students suspected of plagiarism will be referred to the university for disciplinary procedures and fail the course.

A breach of academic integrity includes using someone else’s language without citation, quoting a written text without citing your source, and of course, quoting Wikipedia. Do not do any of these things. They are foolish to attempt, and embarrassing to be caught doing. They are also incredibly easy to catch.