Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies 3317
Hollywood, Women and Film
Monday 5:15-7:05 PM
Scott Lab N0050
Instructor: Denise Fuller Delgado
Email: or
Office: University Hall 037
Office hours: Monday 3:00-5:00 pm or by appt.
Accommodation of students with Disabilities:
Students who have verification from Disability Services are responsible for contacting the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary arrangements. The Office for Disability Services (150 Pomerene Hall; 614-292-3307) verifies the need for accommodations and assists in the development of accommodation strategies.
Course Description:
This course is a critical survey of the representation of women in Hollywood cinema with examples drawn from different historical periods. It is designed to introduce students to the complexities and ambiguities of the film medium by showing how film has, historically and aesthetically, represented women and particularly how the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class are negotiated in Hollywood films.
Texts:
No textbooks are required for this course. I will post all reading assignments on Carmen under the content tab. If you have any problems accessing these texts, please email me. PowerPoint slides will also be made available on Carmen. You should print out the articles and PowerPoints and bring them to class on the day of discussion.
Goals:
As a course that fulfills the "Visual and Performing Arts" GEC requirement, the goals of Women's Studies 317 are to help students:
- Evaluate significant works of art in order to develop capacities for aesthetic and historical response and judgment; interpretation and evaluation; critical listening, reading, seeing, thinking, and writing; and experiencing the arts and reflecting on that experience.
Learning Outcomes:
•Students analyze, appreciate, and interpret film
•Students engage in informed observation and/or active participation in a discipline within the visual, spatial, and performing arts
Attendance:
Given the format of the class, it is essential for your classroom success that you are here. I allow two (2) absences in case of sickness, emergencies, and other unforeseen circumstances. If you miss more than two (2) classes, your grade will go down by one letter grade each subsequent absence. For example, if you have an A in the class and you miss four classes, your grade will go down two letter grades to a B+.
If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact me as soon as possible so that we may discuss your options. You do not need to email me if you miss a class unless you are handing in a medical note or other documentation, but you should contact your classmates to get the notes from the class.
Cell Phone/Computers/Recording Devices/Food:
Cell phones are to be turned off before class begins. Using a cell phone to text during class will cause a drop in your participation grade -- please respect me and your fellow classmates by using your phone before or after class. If there is an emergency situation that necessitates a phone being kept on vibrate, please speak to me before class begins.
Computers and iPads are allowed, but you will lose participation points if you use them for activities not related to class. You cannot record class sessions without my knowledge. I allow food and drink in the classroom.
Assignments & Grades:701 total points
Online Quizzes: 80 pts. possible, 9 quizzes worth 10 pts.
Most weeks there will be an online, multiple choice quiz to make sure you’ve watched the films and to check that you’ve read and understand the readings for the week. There are ten questions, each worth one point, and I drop the lowest score. There are no makeups for quizzes if you do not complete them by the assigned date.
Participation: 65 pts.possible, 5 pts. possible a day
Lively discussion is important, and you will need to contribute to discussion at least every two weeks to receive full points for participation. Texting in class, sleeping,talking during discussion, working on other classwork, or using your computer for things unrelated to class will cause a drop in your participation grade. In addition, coming to class with the readings for the week and the powerpoints are necessary to receive full points for the day.
Twitter Watching: 36 pts. possible, 9 films, tweet worth 4 pts.
In order to facilitate an interactive watching environment, I ask that you post on twitter once (1) for each film we watch. This is an opportunity to share with the rest of the class your reactions to the films, while you are viewing it. All of your reactions will have the hashtag#3317film, so that the class can read your reactions to the film. If you do not have twitter on your phone, you can post tweets online at the website. Because you are supposed to watch the films before the class discussion, you must complete your tweets for the film before class discussion begins. You can tweet more than once, but you must tweet at least one time for each film.
Feminism & Film on the Net: 40 pts. possible
Students will be asked to find links on the web pertaining to feminism and film and to post them on the discussion board as well as comment on other students’ posts. Further instructors will be provided for this assignment.
Favorite Film Assignment: 100pts.possible
Students will be asked to examine their favorite film, which they will watch outside of class. Detailed guidelines will be provided for this assignment
Feminist Film Challenge: 160 pts.possible
Students will take an existing film and reconstruct it as a feminist film, or they will create a feminist film of their own. This can be done in multiple different ways and detailed guidelines will be provided for this assignment.
Midterm Exam: 100 pts.possible
The midterm will consist of short answer, multiple-choice, word bank, and essay questions.
Final Exam: 120 pts.possible
The final exam will be an in-class exam consisting of short answer, multiple-choice, word bank, and essay questions.
*Final exams and midterms cannot be made up unless there is a documented medical or family emergency. I do not allow makeup quizzes, and assignments lose 10% per day, beginning at the end of class.
Grading Scale: A 93-100%A- 90-92%
B+ 87-89%B 83-86%, B- 80-82%
C+ 77-79%C 73-76%C- 70-72%
D+ 67-69%D 63-67%D- 60-62%
Plagiarism:
As defined by University Rule 3335-31-02, plagiarism is "the representation of another's works or ideas as one's own; it includes the unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas." Plagiarism is one of the most serious offenses that can be committed in an academic community; as such, it is the obligation of this department and its instructors to report all cases of suspected plagiarism to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. After the report is filed, a hearing takes place and if the student is found guilty, the possible punishment ranges from failing the class to suspension or expulsion from the university. Although the existence of the Internet makes it relatively easy to plagiarize, it also makes it even easier for instructors to find evidence of plagiarism. It is obvious to most teachers when a student turns in work that is not his or her own and plagiarism search engines make documenting the offense very simple.
Cite your sources, ask questions before you turn in an assignment if you are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism, and see me if you are having difficulty with an assignment. Do not plagiarize!
Course Schedule
Monday, August 27: Introduction, Icebreaker, Why study film?
Cover course syllabus, handout vocabulary,icebreaker, and introduction powerpoint.
Monday, September 10:Lecture and discussionon film analysis
Watch:bell hooks’ Cultural Criticism and Transformation (1996)
Read: Berger, “Ways of Seeing,”
hooks, “The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators”
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class **
Monday, September 17: Discussion, It Happened One Night(1934)
Watch: It Happened One Night (1934)
Read: McDonald, “Romantic Comedy and Genre”
Lent, "Romantic Love and Friendship”
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class **
Monday, September 24:Discussion, But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) – class from (6:05-7:05 PM)
Watch: But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
Read: Driver, “Screening Queer Girls: Complex Intimacies within Independent Films”
Jenkins, “’Potential Lesbians at Two O’Clock’: The Heterosexualization of Lesbianism”
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class. Feminism & Film on the Net due before class! **
Monday, October 1: Discussion, But I’m a Cheerleader Imitation of Life (1959)
Watch:Imitation of Life (1959)
Read: Dyer, “Four Films of Lana Turner”
Heung, “What’s the Matter with Sarah Jane?”
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class **
Monday, October 8: Discussion, Imitation of LifeThelma & Louise (1991)
Watch:Thelma & Louise (1991)
Read:Man, "Gender, Genre & Myth"
Sturtevant, "Getting Hysterical"
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class **
Monday, October 15: Discussion, Thelma & Louise
** Favorite Film Assignment due in-class! **
Monday, October 22: Midterm
Midterm and horror powerpoint.
Monday, October 29: Discussion, Halloween (1978)
Watch:Halloween (1978)
Read:Clover, “Her Body, Himself: Gender and the Slasher Film”
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class **
Monday, November 5: Discussion, Halloween & The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Watch:The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Read:Taubin, “Grabbing the Knife”
Dubois, “Seeing the Female Body Differently”
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class. Feminist Film Challenge proposal due! **
Monday, November 19: Discussion, The Silence of the Lambs Fatal Attraction(1987)
Watch: Fatal Attraction (1987)
Read: Davis, “The Allure of the Predatory Woman in Fatal Attraction”
Babener, “Patriarchal Politics in
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class **
Monday, November 26: Discussion, Fatal Attraction Out of Sight (1998)
Discuss final exam
Watch:Out of Sight (1998)
Read:Ovalle, “Jennifer Lopez, Race Mobility”
Beltran, “Mas Macha”
** Quiz on film and readings and tweet due before class **
Monday, December 3: Discussion, Out of Sight
** Feminist Film Challenge due in class! **
Thursday, December 6: Final Exam (6:00-7:45 PM)