Winter 2014? ?|?? Tuesday 1:30-4:45? |?? 14 E. Jackson LL105
Instructor: Wendy Roderweiss?
Office: CDM 460
Email: wroder@cdm.depaul.edu
(best way to reach me)
Office hours:?? 11:45-1:15 Tuesdays and by
appointment
January 17, 2014 Last day to drop classes with no penalty
February 21, 2014 Last day to withdraw from WQ2014 classes
This syllabus is subject to change.
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Description:
Critical analysis of successful Hollywood films and their narrative
structures. ?Films of various genres
and eras will be examined. Students will learn how to recognize classical
three-act structure in finished films and scripts. Students will develop a
cinematic language with which to discuss films as well as a toolbox of
techniques to use when making films. ?Key story concepts to be discussed
include: protagonist, antagonist, want versus need, elements of the future,
poetic justice, planting and payoff, catalyst, climax, and Aristotelian
terminology. PREREQUISITE(S): NONE
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DC222 Classic Hollywood Film Structure is included in the Liberal
Studies program as a course with credit in the Arts and Literature domain.
Courses in the Arts and Literature domain ask students to extend their
knowledge and experience of the arts by developing their critical and
reflective abilities. In these courses, students interpret and analyze
particular creative works, investigate the relations of form and meaning and
through critical and/or creative activity to come to experience art with
greater openness, insight, and enjoyment. These courses focus on works of
literature, art, theatre, or music as such, though the process of analysis may
also include social and cultural issues. Students who take course in this
domain choose three courses from such choices as literature, the visual arts,
media arts, music, and theater. No more than two courses can be chosen from one
department or program.
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Objectives:
To change the way you look at movies we will:
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- examine the relationship
between character and story structure
- develop familiarity with Three Act Structure and The Hero?s Journey
- explore the manner in
which story structure is influenced by genre
- build a cinematic
vocabulary with which to discuss films critically
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Outcomes:
1.????
Students
will be able to explain, in well-written prose, what a work of art is about
and/or how it was produced.
2.????
Students
will be able to comment on the relationship between form and content in a work.
3.????
Students
will be able to assess the formal aspects of their subject and put those
qualities into words, using, when appropriate, specialized vocabulary employed
in class and readings.
4.????
Students will be able to contextualize a work of
art. They will be able to do so with respect to other works of art in terms of
defining its place within a broader style or genre. They will also be able to
contextualize a work of art in terms of contemporaneous aesthetic, social, or
political concerns, discussing how these might shape the work?s reception and
how that reception might differ amongst various peoples and historical periods.
5.????
One long paper and four shorter online assignments
will assess and develop student learning across the objectives above.
Assignments will be drawn from the films screened in class, course lectures,
and the reading material posted online. Students will be expected to watch
additional films not screened in class. Four extra credit projects will be made
available throughout the quarter.
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Course Management:
This course is housed and
managed on D2L. There, you will find each week?s recorded lecture
(available after 5:30 PM on Tuesdays), the required reading material, most of
our assignments, and, as the semester progresses ? your current grade.
Also posted on D2L will be a weekly discussion forum for questions and thoughts
concerning the films, lectures, assignments and the course itself.
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The films screened in class,
as well as those which require individual viewing, are available on ColTube
? an online DePaul video player available for Mac and PC.
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http://coltube.cdm.depaul.edu/ColTube/Home/
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Textbooks and printed
resources
All reading required for
this course will be provided via D2L.
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Software needed to complete assignments:
Word processing program for
written assignments.
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Laptops/Cell Phones:
Use of cell phones in the class is prohibited. Please turn your
phone off before entering class. Mistakes will happen (to me too), but repeated
failure to turn your phone off will result in a lowered grade for the class and
confiscation of the device during the class period.? NO TEXTING!? Laptops/ipads are also not allowed in class
unless you have a university sanctioned reason for using one.
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Alterations:
The professor reserves the
right to alter the syllabus at any time. Students will be apprised of any and
all changes with clear instructions should they occur.
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Grading:
ASSIGNMENTS: There are five
assignments that will be posted on D2L.?
Late work will not be accepted.
Assignment #1 Quiz 18%
Assignment #2 Quiz 18%
Assignment #3 Quiz 18%
Assignment #4 Paper 26%
Assignment #5 Comprehensive
Quiz 20%
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A = 100-93 A- = 92-90
B+ = 89-88 B = 87-83 B- = 82-80
C+ = 79-78 C = 77-73 C- = 72-70
D+ = 69-68 D = 67-63 D- = 62-60
F = 59-0
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Standards for Achievement:
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Grade A:
Student performs in an outstanding way. Student exhibits achievement and
craftsmanship in all work. ?Student
exhibits commitment to expanding ideas, vocabulary and performance.
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Grade B:
Student performs beyond the requirement of the project. Student exhibits
above average progress and craftsmanship. ?Student exhibits above average interest
in expanding idea, vocabulary, and performance.
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Grade C:
Criteria of assignment is met, and all requirements are fulfilled.
Student shows average quality work and minimum time and effort on projects.
Student shows moderate interest.
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Grade D:
Student performance is uneven and below average. Requirements for
projects are only partially fulfilled. Minimal interest is shown and
attendance, participation and involvement are inadequate.
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Grade F
Student fails to meet minimum course requirements and shows no interest.
Levels of participation and craftsmanship are extremely poor. Student's
attendance is inadequate.
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Schedule:
Character and Three-Act Structure
Week 1:? 1/7
Course introduction, story
terms and concepts, clip reel
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Week 2: 1/14
One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest
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ASSIGNMENT ONE DUE (on reading/scenes) BY NOON ON FRIDAY 1/17???
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Week 3: 1/21
Tootsie
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The Hero?s Journey
Week 4: 1/28
The Silence of the Lambs???????
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ASSIGNMENT TWO (on Mean Girls) DUE BY NOON ON FRIDAY 1/31
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Week 5: 2/4
Moon
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Ensemble
Week 6: 2/11
Little Miss Sunshine?
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ASSIGNMENT THREE (on Gladiator) DUE BY NOON ON FRIDAY 2/14
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Week 7: 2/18
Do The Right Thing
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The Sequence Approach and Save the Cat
Week 8: 2/25
Thelma and Louise
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Alternative Narrative
Week 9: 3/4
Memento
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ASSIGNMENT FOUR (Lars and the Real Girl) DUE BY NOON ON
FRIDAY 3/7
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Week 10: 3/11
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
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ASSIGNMENT FIVE (Comprehensive) DUE BY NOON ON FRIDAY 3/21
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Course Policies (from the university)
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Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
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.
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Online Course Evaluations
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.
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Academic Policies
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:? cdm.depaul.edu/enrollment.
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Excused Absence
In order to petition for an excused absence, students who miss class
due to illness or significant personal circumstances should complete the
Absence Notification process through the Dean of Students office.?? The form can be accessed at http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/dos/forms.html.?? Students
must submit supporting documentation alongside the form.? The professor reserves the sole right
whether to offer an excused absence and/or academic accommodations for an
excused absence.
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Students with Disabilities
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: csd@depaul.edu.
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296
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.
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