FILM AS ART: FRESHMAN SEMINAR

GNST 1200: SUMMER 2001

Bob Corbett, instructor

MEETS: 1 - 3 PM, MONDAY - WEDNESDAY

BELOW YOU WILL FIND INFORMATION ON:

Course Objectives
Readings
Syllabus
Course Requirements and Grading

Course Objectives (short version).
Brief course description: We will see, discuss and study four films. They will most likely be:
1. Zorba the Greek
2. Cabaret
3. The Third Man
4. The Man on the Moon
Additionally we will discuss the question of what is art, especially in relation to film and these particular film. Students will be expected to research the films, write about them, and to research the question what is art and write about that.
There will be an off-campus tour of locations where The Third Man was shot. Students will be required to pay the fee for this tour, and it is required of all class members.
There will be group projects in relation to each film and groups will be expected to meet with Bob Corbett off-campus to play each of these group presentations.
Each student will be expected to do one research paper on the question of what is art.
Complete details and a daily schedule of class activities will follow shortly.
The Syllabus

Date	General Class Activity	Class	Assignments and Expectations
May 21, Mon.	New student orientation -- no classes	1	New student orientaton -- no classes
May 23, Wed.	Basic introduction to the course and discussion of syllabus and course work	2	Please have carefully read this syllabus and taken a look at the links, especially those connected to assignments.
May 28, Mon.	In class showing of the film: ZORBA THE GREEK	3	In class showing of the film: ZORBA THE GREEK: attendance is mandatory even if one has already seen the film and even if one has seen it often. Turn in pre-seeing-research paper on this film
May 30, Wed.	First hour: discussion of the question: What is art, especially in relation to film. Second hour: Discussion of the film.	4
June 4, Mon.	First hour: discussion of the question: What is art, especially in relation to film. Second hour: Discussion of the film.	5
June 6, Wed	Discussion of Zorba the Greek	6	Turn in the major paper on the film.
June 11, Mon.	In class showing of the film: CABARET	7	In class showing of the film: CABARET: attendance is mandatory even if one has already seen the film and even if one has seen it often. Turn in pre-seeing-research paper on this film
June 13, Wed.	Discussion of Cabaret	8
June 18, Mon.	Discussion of Cabaret	9	Turn in the major paper on the film.
June 20, Wed.	In class showing of the film: ALL THAT JAZZ	10
June 25, Mon.	Discussion of ALL THAT JAZZ	11	Turn in BOTH papers on ALL THAT JAZZ.
June 27, Wed.	In class showing of the film: THE THIRD MAN	12	In class showing of the film: THE THIRD MAN: attendance is mandatory even if one has already seen the film and even if one has seen it often. Turn in pre-seeing-research paper on this film
July 2, Mon.	Third Man class tour	13	Third Man tour: students will have to pay their own expenses.
July 4, Wed.	Discussion of The Third Man	14	Turn in the major paper on the film.
July 9, Mon.	In class showing of the film: THE MAN IN THE MOON	15	In class showing of the film: THE MAN IN THE MOON: attendance is mandatory even if one has already seen the film and even if one has seen it often. Turn in pre-seeing-research paper on this film
July 11, Wed.	Discussion of The Man in the Moon	16	Turn in the major paper on the film.

Course Requirements and Grading
Grading: While I will grade each individual assignment, the grade of the course will not be merely the sum of the individual grades. Rather, I will take into account an overall sense of quality in the general tone of one's work. However, the sum of one's individual grades will certainly be a strong indication of where one stands. In a rough sense the assigments will be valued in this fashion:
- Attendance: This will be only a negative possibility. You begin will full credit.
  - If you miss more than 2 class your grade will be lowered one full letter grade.
  - If you miss more than 3 classes your grade will be lowered two full letter grades.
  - If you miss more than 4 classes your grade will be lowered three full letter grades.
  - If you miss 6 classes you will receive a grade of F.
  - Special classes There are seven special campus meetings: The four classes where films are shown, and the two off-campus meetings concerning the oral group presentaton. The Third Man walking tour. Were you to miss ANY ONE of them your grade will be reduced by one full letter grade for each one you missed.
  - Special note on being late: Our class begins at 1 PM, sharp. That doesn't not mean 1:01 or after. I will count everyone present who is in the room at 1:00 PM when we begin. Others will be counted as late. Were a person to be more than 10 minutes late then they are regarded as having missed the entire first hour. Three grades of late (that is, late at all, but less than 10 minutes late) will count as having missed an entire 1/2 class.
  - Special note on breaks.I will give a TEN MINUTE break near mid-class. I have had serious problems in classes in Vienna in starting up again after 10 minutes. At EXACTELY 10 minutes after the break begins I will once again take attendance and the same policy will be used as at the beginning of class. More than three times being at ALL late in return, counts as having missed an entire 1/2 class, and being more than 10 minutes late from break also counts as having missed the entire hour.
- General work required and graded
  - Sum of four pre-film paper: 20%
  - Sum of the four critical papers: 40%
  - The initial oral presentation: 10%
  - The final oral presentation: 20%
  - Class participation in class discussions: 10%
  - total:
  - ......................100%
  - Special note about grading the oral presentations. My own grade for the oral presentation will be total grade for each the initial and final meetings. However, that grade I assign will be divided in the following manner: 60% of that grade will go to each individual member of the group. Then each group member must submit a grade of what per-cent of the remaining 40% should go to each PARTICULAR member. This is to avoid the "free-rider" problem in which members of the group do not do their fair share in the group.
  Three important additional notes:
  1. I will only give a grade of incomplete in a very unusual circumstance, one in which the student was doing all work in a timely and acceptable fashion and then some major catastrophe strikes, one for which the student can give evidence of and which is seriously debilitating. Even then, an incomplete would be negotiated toward the shortest reasonable time to fulfill the work with no extensions. In only the rarest occasions would a grade for a fulfilled incomplete ever be higher than a C.
  2. Alternative grading procedure is possible: Were any student unhappy with the above grading procedure, the student is welcome to begin discussion with Corbett toward forming an alternative grading procedure. This would take an initial discussion with the Corbett which would be initiated by the student. Were an agreement reached then the student has the responsibility to write up the new grading contract and have it signed by both Corbett and the student. Such a contract would have to be signed and finished, and a copy given to Corbett, before the third week of classes had ended.
  3. A statement on plagiarism. Plag1arism is turning in any written work as one's own which was written by someone else. This is a completely unacceptable behavior in the academic world and is counted as a clear case of cheating. Any student caught plagiarizing in this class will be given an F for the entire course. No second chances will be given. The policy is firm and absolute.

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