DC 205 Foundations of Cinema for Non-Majors
Summary
TThis course will examine the craft, technology, and aesthetic principles of media production. Drawing on a wide array of historical examples, the course will look at the many expressive strategies potentially usable in the creation of moving image art forms: the importance of story and controlling ideas, storytelling with images, the basics of composition and editing, and an examination of narrative, documentary, and experimental approaches. In addition to analyzing the works of others, students will also produce their own projects thus, putting theory into practice.
The following topics will be covered: the importance of story and expressing ideas; storytelling with images and sound; the basics of image composition and editing; narrative, documentary, and experimental approaches and their intersections.
Please Note: This course is not a production course. Rather, it is an exploration of the aesthetics of cinema. For students who want to get an introduction to digital cinema production, the course to take is DC 210 Digital Cinema Production I.
Texts
Required: Understanding Movies, by Louis Giannetti 12th edition
Grading
Prerequisites
None
Course Policies
Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory. Classes will consist of lecture, screenings, discussions, and creative exercises. Participation in class is essential. An absence is defined as not showing up for class, showing up 15 minutes or more late. More than one absence will result in your grade being dropped one grade. Excessive late arrivals will affect your grade.
Assignments and Exercises: Assignments must be completed by the date to which they are assigned. Consequently, late work will not be accepted without prior consent of the instructor.
You are expected to: get to class on time; participate in class; prepare your assignments completely and on time; respect each other; develop a positive and professional work environment; be responsible and attentive to the demands of working with a partner; and keep all appointments.
Content Changes: Depending on time factors, the assignments and lecture subjects projected for the term may require modification or rescheduling.
School policies
Online Instructor Evaluation
Course and instructor evaluations are critical for maintaining and improving course quality. To make evaluations as meaningful as possible, we need 100% student participation. Therefore, participation in the Schools web-based academic administration initiative during the eighth and ninth week of this course is a requirement of this course. Failure to participate in this process will result in a grade of incomplete for the course. This incomplete will be automatically removed within seven weeks after the end of the course and replaced by the grade you would have received if you had fulfilled this requirement.
Email
Email is the primary means of communication between faculty and students enrolled in this course outside of class time. Students should be sure their email listed under "demographic information" at http://campusconnect.depaul.edu is correct.
Academic Integrity Policy
This course will be subject to the faculty council rules on the academic integrity policy
Plagiarism
The university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as follows: Students in this course, as well as all other courses in which independent research or writing play a vital part in the course requirements, should be aware of the strong sanctions that can be imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism. If proven, a charge of plagiarism could result in an automatic F in the course and possible expulsion. The strongest of sanctions will be imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report, or other assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly acknowledge source materials be sure to consult the instructor.
Incomplete
An incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final, and approved by the Dean of the College of Computing and Digital Media. Any consequences resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be considered as valid reasons for such a request.
Week by week schedule is at the COL website - https://col.cdm.depaul.edu/
This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course
content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The
evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely
separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation.
Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you
have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.
All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.
All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that
you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296