HUM110 – Introduction to American Film
Instructor: Jim JewellClassroom: LB 1231
Email: (best)Office Hrs: by appointment
Phone: 206-934-4569 x3 (terrible)Office: IB 2423 Cubicle #4
Class blog: people.northseattle.edu/blogs/jjewell
Welcome to HUM110! This is my first time teaching this class, and I am really looking forward to it. I have (with her permission) adapted this class from the course taught by another instructor; please be patient as I find my way and make slight adjustments to the schedule. I always find that I learn a lot about a class while actually teaching it.
This class will examine American Hollywood filmmaking as an art form, a business, and a shaper of culture. My personal goal for the class is to help you become more active, reflective, and discriminating in your “reading” of films through practice and by adding to your analytical “toolkit.” We will identify film techniques and traditional stories, as will as exploring the language of film and how film communicates. This course is not designed to cover international/world cinema, nor are the films we watch meant to cover every aspect of American filmmaking. We will spend time looking carefully at how films are constructed (lighting, editing, sound, etc.) and how specific filmmaking techniques create specific audience responses, and study the language of film by looking at film technique, film structure (narrative structure), and how specific films have shaped American culture in the last 100 years.
The one place we will diverge from other versions of this class is also looking a bit more specifically at the different ways we write about and talk about film. Ideally, I want to explore our emotional and “gut” reactions to film alongside our more analytical, academic approach.
While there are no prerequisites for this class, I strongly recommend that you have at least taken and passed ENGL101, and ENGL102 is even better. There will be a fair amount of reading and writing in this class, and I expect all writing to be at a college level.
Please note: The adult subject matter and profanity in the rated-R films we’ll view might be offensive to some students. If you are a Running Start student and/or under the age of 18, please consult with your parent(s) or guardian(s) to determine if this course is appropriate for you.
Required Textbook
Film Art: An Introduction, David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, McGraw Hill, 10th edition, 2012, ISBN: 978-0073535104
To find the print textbook at reduced rates, you may consider an online vendor that compares all of the online book sellers such as: Another option is to rent your textbook via chegg.com at: It's imperative that you have your book the first day of class, so if you’re going with the paper/print copy of the book, order it early.
Our book is also available in electronic (e-book) format, if you’d prefer that via CourseSmarteTextbook:
A copy of our class textbook is also on reserve in the NSC Library.
Required Films
You will be required to watch the following films on your own. All of these films are on reserve in the North Seattle College library for 3-hour in-library loan. Most are also available on some of the streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Instant Video. All of these films are also available through Seattle Public Library, though there is often a waiting list for popular films. It is your responsibility to find a way to watch these films, so please investigate your options as soon as possible.
Films are listed in the order in which they will be assigned:
American Beauty (1999) Sam Mendes – 122 min. [Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning]
The Graduate (1967) Mike Nichols – 106 min. [Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft]
Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles – 119 min. [Orson Welles]
Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott – 117 min. [Harrison Ford, RutgerHauer, Sean Young]
Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock -- 109 min. [Anthony Perkins, Vivien Leigh]
Annie Hall (1977) Woody Allen – 93 min. [Woody Allen, Diane Keaton]
The Godfather (1972) Francis Ford Coppola – 175 min. [Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall]
Taxi Driver (1976) Martin Scorsese – 113 min. [Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd]
Crash (2004) Paul Haggis – 112 min. [Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Tony Danza, Matt Dillon]
Saving Private Ryan (1998) Steven Spielberg – 169 min. [Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore]
This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006) Kirby Dick – 97 min. [Kirby Dick, Eddie Schmidt]
In addition, we will be watching the following films together in class:
Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz – 102 min. [Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman]
Double Indemnity (1944) Billy Wilder – 107 min. [Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck]
Stagecoach (1939) John Ford – 96 min. [John Wayne]
Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly – 103 min. [Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds]
His Girl Friday (1940) Howard Hawks – 92 min. [Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell]
Gravity (2013) Alfonso Cuaron -- - 91 min. [Sandra Bullock, George Clooney]
The Gold Rush (1925) Charlie Chaplin – 95 min. [Charles Chaplin]
Toy Story (1995) John Lasseter – 91 min. [Tom Hanks, Tim Allen]
Note: This list of films is NOT meant to encompass ALL of the classics of American film. These films were, however, chosen because of particular production techniques and genre considerations. I have borrowed this list from another instructor as they encompass the various techniques and social impacts we will discuss, and fit department guidelines.
Assignments/Grading
Thursday Reading Quizzes (20%)
You will be given a quiz on assigned readings every Thursday in class, so please come to class having read the text carefully and completely. I will, on occasion, offer the opportunity for make-up quizzes to improve your grade, but not to replace a quiz missed due to unexcused absence. This quizzes will be open-note quizzes, but not open-book.
Tuesday Write-Ups (25%)
Every Tuesday, you will hand in a 2-page write up (roughly 500-800 words) of the assigned film in response to a specific prompt or set of questions that I will provide. These write-ups must follow standard MLA document formatting and be written at a college level. Grammar and punctuation will count towards your grade, so please approach these weekly assignments with care.
Create a Sequel Project (35%)
Either individually or in groups, you will be creating a sequel to a film. You have to clear the project through me first, and you have to choose a film that doesn't already have a sequel. You can either write the detailed screenplay to the sequel (with annotations explaining how and why you've chosen to do what you have), or you may actually make a short film (accompanying it should be notes about why you chose to film the sequel the way you did). Your sequel might emulate the style of the original film, or you can choose to use a completely different style. Either way works, provided you can explain why you chose to do what you did. More about this will be explained in class. There is free scriptwriting software at if you'd find it helpful.
Class Participation (10%)
You are expected to attend class every day and actively participate in class discussions. Your grade will be based on self-evaluation, my observations about your participation, and attendance. Attendance is mandatory; if you are absent for 20% or more of class meetings this quarter, you will forfeit your participation grade.
“Review” Writing (5%)
I will be assigning some additional online writing in the form of film reviews in various forms. One of the purposes is to help distinguish between academic writing about films and popular film reviews, but I would also like to look at and talk about the different ways we discuss film in mainstream culture and allow you to give voice to your opinions of the films we watch together.
Relection (5%)
At the end of the quarter, I will ask you to write a short piece reflecting on your experience with the class. I believe reflection is essential for crystallizing and internalizing lessons learned through any activity, and especially in college-level classes.
Grading and Late Policy
Specific evaluation criteria will be handed out with each assignment. Late homework will not be accepted; if you know you will not be in class, you must make some other arrangement with me to get homework submitted on time.
Additional Class Policies
Attendance
Class begins promptly at 11:00am, and I will often make important announcements at the beginning of class. If you have not arrived in class by 11:15am, you will be marked late; every two late arrivals will count as an absence. If you have not arrived in class by 11:30am, you will be marked absent regardless of whether you attend or not. These absences will count against your participation grade.
Statement on Participation
Your active participation in class is expected. You should be ready to ask and to answer questions about the readings, and to make thoughtful contributions to group discussions in class. Excellent and poor levels of participation will impact your participation grades alike. If you have any questions or concerns about your level of class participation as the quarter proceeds, please see me.
Page One Writing and Language Center (formerly The Loft Writing Center Plus)
Page One is the campus language lab/writing center, located in the Student Learning Center behind The Grove. One of the primary attributes of Page One is the free tutoring! The tutoring sessions last 30 minutes, are held on a first-come first-served basis, and can help you with reading, writing, grammar, listening, and speaking. Although you will not be required to use the services of Page One in order to be successful in this class, many students have found their services helpful.
Instructor Conferences
You are encouraged to visit your instructor during office hours to discuss any aspect of the course. I will be happy to receive feedback about the course or simply get to know you a bit better, help you wrestle with difficult texts or concepts, review and comment on projects, or address any concerns you may have.
Classroom Etiquette
Typically, I allow beverages in class, but not food. However, given this class runs through lunch time, I am willing to make an exception, but ask that you please not make me regret this decision. Make sure to clean up any and all wrappers, napkins, cans, or other detritus when class is over.
Students who wish to use laptops during class should consult with me first and commit themselves to using their computers only for work directly associated with this course during class time.
Finally, I insist that you silence your cell phones while you are in the classroom and that you do not send or receive text messages during class.
Academic Honesty
It goes without saying that the grade you earn is supposed to reflect your learning. Out of fear or ignorance, students sometimes submit other people’s work as their own. To take the words or ideas of someone else and present them as your own is plagiarism and is unacceptable in academic life. Students, by their attendance here, agree to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct, which states, in part, that “academic dishonesty, to include cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college” may bring disciplinary action.
In this class in particular, because we will be discussing films that are highly visible pieces of popular culture, you will find that much has already been written about these films. I do not, however, want to hear from you what other people have to say or already have said, but rather what YOUR analysis of the films yields.
Many of you will choose to watch the DVD version of the assigned films, which often has a "director's commentary" or "director's cut" feature. Feel free to watch this after you've written your write-up, but do NOT simply regurgitate what the director says in your assignment. That is considered cheating. In addition, there are many places on the internet where you can find wonderful information and analysis of many of the films we've been watching. Using SOME ideas from outside sources is okay provided you give credit to the original author. It’s considered plagiarism if you lift even a part of a sentence from a source without giving the original author credit. It’s best to write your write-ups without looking online at all.
I have a zero tolerance policy on plagiarism of any type and will report all instances to NSC.
In addition, students shall adhere to the laws governing the use of copyrighted materials. You must insure that your activities comply with fair use and in no way infringe on the copyright or other proprietary rights of others. Committing copyright infringement or downloading pirated copies of films or software is illegal, and students should understand that being enrolled in a course for college credit does not absolve them from existing copyright laws. All of the assigned films are available via the college's library as well as via various vendors, so please don't break copyright laws.
Disclosures
Reasonable accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Students should contact Disability Services (located in Student Success Services in the College Center building) to discuss their accommodation needs as soon as possible.Students who are registered with Disability Services and receive accommodations should notify me as soon as possible to avoid any delays in implementing those accommodations. Student who are not already registered but may be eligible due to a documented disability should visit Disability Services (located in Student Success Services in the College Center building) to discuss accommodations.
Student Responsibility
I value student responsibility above all else. I will always strive to provide as much support as each of you needs, but it is your personal responsibility to turn work in on time, to ask questions if you are unclear, and to seek help when you need it. I am far more likely to make exceptions to rules if you approach me before they become an issue, and will encourage you to take ownership of your education in every way.