Times Arranged
Office FH 7BI0
Office Hours: MW 11:30-12:30
TTH 8:30-11:00 T 11:00-2:00
Office Phone: 809-4712
Home Phone: 753-6590
Please Use Answering Machine.
E-mail: helen.roulston@murraystate.edu
II. CATALOG DESCRIPTION: One or more major film directors will be studied in depth. This course, with different content by featuring different directors, may be repeated once for credit. Prerequisites: ENG 101 and ENG 102, or 104 or 105 or the equivalent.
III. PURPOSE: This course is designed to provide students with knowledge of one or more major directors and related topics.
IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will gain a clear understanding of one or more important directors, who rank with the great artists in other fields, examine how these directors have employed their visions to create their films over their careers, ascertain how these directors and their films have affected their own times as well as other times and film makers, and analyze how various viewers, film makers, and critics over the years have responded to these directors and their works.
The students should acquire expertise in viewing, analyzing, discussing, and writing about the chosen director(s) and related topics in their historical, cultural, artistic, and development contexts.
V. CONTENT OUTLINE: The outline of the course will be flexible based on each student's choices of films and related topics.
VI. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES: The course consists of exams, outside papers, weekly journals, and conferences when necessary. Since this course is to be conducted this semester as a directed studies, there will be more flexibility in times and venues for movie watching and conferences.
VII. FIELD, CLINICAL, AND/OR LABORATORY EXPERIENCES: Field experiences will involve viewing and often writing about movies outside of class. In addition, students may use interviews with film experts as bases for their research.
VIII. RESOURCES: Students will be responsible for obtaining copies of pertinent videos. Numerous movie-related web sites are listed at the bottom of the syllabus.
IX. GRADING PROCEDURES: Students will do a variety of written assignments:
4 required short essays (300 words or more) on an aspect of a particular Disney movie or related topic. Each essay will be worth 10 points, for a total of 40 points
1 take-home midterm essay exam, worth 10 points
1 long essay (2000 words or more) on a particular aspect of the chosen director(s), worth 30 points
1 weekly journal (either on computer or in a hard-copy notebook), with detailed comments on the chosen movies and related topics to be handed in twice during the semester, worth 10 points
1 final essay exam, worth 10 points
The point scale for final grades is below:
A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, D 60-69, E 0-59
Students must complete all assigned work to get a course grade.
Optional rewrites or revised essays to improve the grade, writing skills, and chance of having them included in Celluloid Historian (with a special citation as Walt Disney Cinema essays). The rewrite grade will be worth 1/4 the total theme grade. Each student may write extra essays, with each one eliminating another essay with a lower grade.
Students will be encouraged to email them, especially the revisions. After essays are suitably edited by the professor and the students, the essays, with the students' permission, will be put into HTML format and posted to the latest issue of Celluloid Historian on the professor's Yahoo website.
X. ATTENDANCE POLICY: Since this course is to be conducted this semester as a directed study, there will be more flexibility in attendance requirements and venues.
XI. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: "Cheating, plagiarism (submitting another person's material as one's own or doing work for another person which will receive academic credit) are all impermissible. This includes the use of unauthorized copying of examinations, assignments, reports or term papers, or the presentation of acknowledged material as if it were the student's own work. Disciplinary action may be taken beyond the academic discipline administered by the faculty member who teaches the course in which the cheating took place." Students are also responsible for the Academic Honesty policy statement in the latest edition of the MSU Undergraduate Bulletin.
XII. TEXT AND REFERENCES: To be determined by the professor and the students.
XIII. PREREQUISITES: English 101, 102, 104, 105, or the equivalent, 313.
XIV. STATEMENT OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Murray State University endorses the intent of all federal and state laws created to prohibit discrimination. Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, veteran status, or disability in employment, admissions, or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities equal access to participate in all programs and activities. For information regarding nondiscrimination policies contact the Office of Equal Opportunity, 270-809-3155.
http://www.maidenalleycinema.com