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Course Syllabus

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CIEE Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Course name: Screen Cultures

Course number: VIST 3001 NETH

Programs offering course: Social Sciences + Humanities and Business + Culture

Language of instruction: English

U.S. Semester Credits: 3

Contact Hours: 45

Term: Spring 2020

Course meeting times: Mondays from 16:00 to 18:00 + Thursdays from 15:00 to 17:00

Course meeting place: Binnenkant 29

Instructor: Jonathan Key

Contact Information: please use Canvas's built-in e-mail functionality

Office address: CIEE office, Roetersstraat 8 HS, 1018 WC Amsterdam

Office hours: By appointment


Course description

“Popular culture is the stage where we rehearse our identities.”


                   -- José Esteban Muñoz

Beginning from the premise that we live mediated lives, and that the visual media texts we consume on a daily basis
shape our understanding of our own identity and the identity of others, Screen Cultures will explore the ways in which
American film and television produces meaning, articulates ideology and identity, and both reflects and effects cultural
change – specifically as it concerns dominant and subversive articulations of gendered, raced, and sexual identity/ies.
After an in-depth overview of the major theoretical approaches that inform the study of gender, race, and sexuality on
the screen, this course will home in on the representation of discrete and historically situated lived identities across a
wide range of film and television texts, hailing from the post-World War II period up to the present. Ultimately, the goal
of this course is to illustrate how critical theory and popular media inform one another, paving the way for us to come to
a renewed understanding of the complex dynamics that shape the changing representations of gender, race and
sexuality – both on and off the screen.

Learning objectives

When students reach the end of this course, they will be expected to:
• Actively engage with and interrogate theories of popular culture, specifically those approaches that draw on
feminist theory, critical race theory, psychoanalytic theory, queer theory, and disability studies;
• Demonstrate a keen understanding of the changing conceptions and representations of masculinity/ies and
femininity/ies in American film and television from the 1950s to the present – and the way(s) in which these are
inflected by questions of race, sexuality, class, and ability;
• Apply theories of popular culture and film/television criticism to visual media texts, both orally and in writing, in
service of arguing for their own original reading of those texts;
• Have become more discerning and critical consumers of film and television.

Course prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for Screen Cultures, except for an interest in -- and a willingness to study in some detail --
film and television texts.

Method of instruction + class format

Screen Cultures meets twice a week for two hours, and spans the entire length of the semester.

Every class, students will be assigned one or more theoretical or critical readings to inform their analysis of that class
session's selected film or television series. We will discuss the film/television series and the assigned readings in
tandem. After a review of the assigned reading during the first half of class, the second half of class will be devoted
exclusively to analyzing selected scenes from the film or television series under consideration.

Although each class session will begin with a roundup of the readings facilitated by the instructor -- followed by a
moderated screening session – it is imperative that students come to class prepared to discuss both the film,
the readings, and the relationship between text and theory. At a minimum, students should have closely read the
assigned readings (and identified the authors' thesis/principal arguments), watched the assigned film or television
show, and taken (extensive) notes on both.

Assessment + grade distribution

Students’ final grade will be based on a combination of the following assignments:


• Class participation: 20%
• Two pop quizzes: 10%
• Podcast episode: 20%
• Two response papers: 25%
◦ Response paper #1: 10%
◦ Response paper #2: 15%
• Final exam: 25%

Class participation – 20%

As touched on above, the success of a seminar-style class depends in no small part on the active – and
informed – contributions of the student; you will therefore be expected to come to class prepared and ready to
discuss both the assigned articles, your reading of the film or television series in question, and how the former
informed the latter.

Note: Although all of you are experienced viewers of film and television, there is a difference between watching a
movie in bed before you go to sleep and watching a movie in order to unpack its gendered, raced, and sexual
underpinnings. While some of you may choose to watch specific scenes multiple times, you are all encouraged
to take copious notes and bring these to class in order to support your reading of the assigned film or
episode of television. Your notes should include detailed references to the assigned readings, as well as write-ups
of specific scenes that you believe best illustrate the way(s) in which the readings and the film or television
show are in conversation with one another.

Two pop quizzes – 10%

These two unannounced quizzes are designed to test that students have read the assigned readings and watched
the assigned film or television show, while also giving you an idea of which type(s) of questions you can expect on the
final exam. Students will have 20 minutes to answer one to three questions (ranging in level of difficulty); one of these
questions will cover the plot of the assigned film or television show, while one or more will assess students’
understanding of the assigned readings.

Podcast episode – 20%

Since their arrival on the cultural scene in 2004, podcasts have undergone a period of unprecedented growth, and
have become one of the most popular and influential media in the dissemination of news, opinion, and critical
commentary. Today, podcasts play an influential role in shaping the national conversation, specifically as it
concerns the historical and contemporary analysis and reception of film and television, with podcasts ranging
from:

• weekly conversations about the state of popular culture in the US writ large (e.g. Slate’s Culture Gabfest, NPR’s
Pop Culture Happy Hour, Pop Rocket, The Watch);
• debates on specific aspects of American film and television, from the representation of race (Slate’s Represent), to
the creation of television series (Remote Controlled), Hollywood as an industry (Hollywood Breakdown, The Big
Picture), the state of film scholarship (The Film Comment Podcast), and television criticism in the age of Peak TV
(TV's Top 5);
• in-depth discussions of every episode of a particular television series (e.g. Slate Money: Succession, Talk the
Thrones, The Talking Dead, Mission Log, Gilmore Guys, Race Chaser);
• deep dives into specific genres or eras of Hollywood cinema (e.g. You Must Remember This, Out of the Past, The
Dead Air Podcast).

You will be asked to follow in the footsteps of (amateur and professional) podcast hosts across the United States by
recording your own podcast episode, in which you and your co-host(s) will discuss and analyze an American
film or television show with a focus on unpacking its gendered, raced, and/or sexual dimensions.
The only two criteria for your podcast episode are that: (a) your chosen film or episode of television must have
come out during your semester in Amsterdam, and (b) your discussion must embed or be informed by – either
directly or directly – a film, television series, or topic we dealt with in class.

In a twenty-minute podcast episode (if you opt for a podcast with two hosts) or a thirty-minute episode (if you
choose to have three hosts), you will demonstrate how your analytical skills have evolved by the end of the semester
by parsing a recently released film or television series of your own choosing.

Envisioned as an oral response paper, your episode will be evaluated on the same criteria; needless to say, you will
not be asked to quote authors at length, but you may want to weave their theoretical insights into your conversation.
Ultimately, your podcast episode should take the form of a thoughtful conversation between two or three well-read
individuals, which will advance your listeners’ understanding of the gendered, raced, and sexual politics of
the film or television series you select as the focus of your podcast episode.

You have to submit your podcast episode by 3PM on Thursday, May 21 in an audio format of your own choosing.

Two response papers – 25%

Students will be asked to write two 1,500-word response papers (the first is worth 10%, while the second is worth
15%), in which they will be given the opportunity to respond to that week’s readings and viewings by providing an
integrated analysis of both. These response papers should include:

• a title and subtitle;


• an introduction, culminating in a carefully crafted thesis statement;
• one or more paragraphs that unpack (at least) one specific scene from the student’s chosen film and/or
television show(s) and marshal -- i.e. refer directly to and/or embed in your paper -- specific arguments raised in
the readings to buttress the student's reading and support their thesis statement;
• a conclusion, which may include further/future avenues of approach to the question(s) raised.

These response papers must take the form of an argumentative research paper, which means that students must go
beyond a mere one-to-one summary or application of the theory and the film or TV series under consideration and
must instead advance and support an original argument about the chosen film or television show that is grounded
in the assigned theoretical reading(s).

These papers must be formatted according to MLA guidelines, and must include a list of works cited; if a
student is unfamiliar with the MLA annotation method, the instructor will provide the student with an overview of the
most important MLA guidelines (posted under Files as "MLA Quick Guide"). In addition to this summary, students are
encouraged to consult Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (or OWL), which offers a comprehensive and easy-to-
use overview of the MLA citation method: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
(https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/) .

Crucially, students must write and submit one response paper in block 4 and one in block 5. Students who have
prepared a response paper must upload it to Canvas no later than 12 noon on the day when their chosen film or
television show(s) will be discussed. Additionally, students who have written a response paper may be asked to
share the points they raise in their paper during the in-class discussion.

Please note that there are a set number of response paper slots allocated to each class in each block; you can
sign up for one of these slots by adding your name to the Response Paper Sign-up list posted in Pages.

Final exam – 25%


This written exam is designed to test students’ understanding of the theories discussed in class, and, crucially, how
these help viewers make sense of the changing representation of gender, race, and sexuality in mainstream American
film and television from the 1950s until the present.

During this cumulative exam, which will cover material culled from the entire length of the semester, students will
be asked to answer three questions (out of six questions that will be provided) and will have to demonstrate – in
cogent and well-structured mini-essays – their mastery of the theoretical concepts and concerns raised in the question,
as well as their ability to embed and deploy these in their own original reading of the film(s) or television series under
consideration.

The final exam will take place on Monday, May 18 from 16:00 to 18:00 at Binnenkant 29 (i.e. at the regularly
scheduled time and place).

Attendance, class participation and classroom policies

Each student is expected to attend all sessions of the course and to participate actively in class discussions.
Attendance will be taken every class session by the course instructor. Absences will be penalized according to the
CIEE Amsterdam attendance policy outlined below:

1 or 2 absences = complete 1,500 word makeup assignment

3 absences = 10 points (out of 100) are deducted from the student’s final grade

4 absences = the student fails the course

• If a student comes in 15-30 minutes late to class, this counts as a ½ absence.


• At all times, the student needs to inform the instructor – before the start of class – in case he or she will incur an
absence. Failure to notify the teacher in advance will result in an extra assignment.
• If you are sick (i.e. physically incapable of attending class), you may miss class, but you will have to complete a
makeup assignment.
• Going on/returning from a trip are not valid excuses for missing or showing up late to a CIEE class.
• Note about all assignments: Late assignments will be marked down by 1 point (out of 10) for every day the
assignment is late. Assignments that are more than 3 days (72 hours) late will not be accepted.

Students who make active connections to the concepts from the reading materials in class discussions, students who
actively ask questions, and students who actively reflect on out-of-class experiences in class will receive extra points
for participation. Participation points will be deducted when students do not participate in class or have not read the
assigned reading materials before coming to class.

Since we will be discussing (innately) sensitive issues of identity – set against the backdrop of films and
television series whose depictions of these issues may be controversial, divisive, or upsetting – the
classroom must be both a safe space and a brave space. Students should be able to express their opinions openly
(even/especially when these go against the grain of either the readings or the in-class discussion), but without ever
curtailing another student's right to speak, suppressing their opinion, or launching personal attacks against them. Over
and above all else, discriminatory comments or hate(ful) speech of any kind will not be tolerated under any
circumstance.

Laptops are allowed, but only when they are used to take notes or to look up information directly related to the class
discussion. The instructor reserves the right to prohibit laptop use in case this distracts other students or this privilege
is abused.

Important: Please note that in case you are not present for a pop quiz or the final exam – or fail to hand in a response
paper on time because of illness – you are required to inform your teacher ahead of the respective class/deadline.
Resits are not offered for CIEE courses.

CIEE grade conversion scale + rubric

Your performance in this course will be graded in accordance with the CIEE course grading scale and rubric adopted
for all CIEE courses, which you can access in your Canvas course page under Files.

Screenings

A number of screenings will be organized throughout the semester, which will give students the opportunity to see a
variety of films or TV shows that both function as additional slash different illustrations of the theories discussed in
class and lend themselves well to being discussed during students' podcast episode.

Since these screenings depend entirely on the movies and TV shows that are shown in the (many!) movie theaters
boasted by the city of Amsterdam, most of these screenings will be announced on a rolling basis on the
Annoucements page.

WEEKLY | SCHEDULE

Class 1 | Monday, February 3

Introduction to Screen Cultures

Reading: None

Viewing: a clip of a movie or television show that is a testament to your interest in/love for the medium

Class 2 | Thursday, February 6

The Neon Demon

Reading [13 pages]:

• Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Visual and Other Pleasures. 2nd ed. London and New
York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 14-27. [13 pages]

Viewing:

The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016)

Class 3 | Monday, February 10

The Neon Demon

Reading [16 pages]:

• Sullivan, Nikki. "Queering Popular Culture." A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory. New York: New York University
Press, 2007. 189-205. [16 pages]

Viewing:

The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016)

Class 4 | Thursday, February 13

Chinatown

Reading [13 pages]:


• Doane, Mary Ann. "Film and the Masquerade: Theorising the Female Spectator." Screen 23.3-4 (1982): 74-87. [13
pages]

Viewing:

Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)

Class 5 | Monday, September 16

Chinatown

Reading [15 pages]:

• Rubin, Gayle. "The Traffic in Women: Notes on the 'Political Economy' of Sex." 1975. Feminist Theory: A Reader.
Third edition. Eds. Wendy Kolmar and Frances Bartkowski. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Press, 2003. 273-
288. [15 pages]

Viewing:

Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)

Class 6 | Thursday, February 20

Gone with the Wind

Reading [24 pages]:

• McPherson, Tara. "Romancing the South." Reconstructing Dixie: Race, Gender, and Nostalgia in the Imagined
South. Durham: Duke University Press, 2003. 39-65. [24 pages]

Viewing:

Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939) [Part 1 only]

Class 7 | Monday, February 24

Gone with the Wind

Reading [6 pages]:

• Als, Hilton. "Remembering Gone with the Wind." The New Yorker 1 July 2011: 1-2. Web. 3 Feb. 2020.
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/remembering-gone-with-the-wind
(https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/remembering-gone-with-the-wind) . [2 pages]

• Bastién, Angelica Jade. "What Are We To Do with Cinematic Monuments to the Confederacy?" Vulture 7 Sept.
2017: 1-4. Web. 3 Feb. 2020. https://www.vulture.com/2017/09/gone-with-the-wind-and-cinematic-
monuments-to-the-confederacy.html (https://www.vulture.com/2017/09/gone-with-the-wind-and-cinematic-
monuments-to-the-confederacy.html) . [4 pages]

Viewing:

Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939) [Part 1 only]

Class 8 | Thursday, February 27

12 Years a Slave

Reading [16 pages]:


• Ball, Erica L. "The Unbearable Liminality of Blackness: Violence in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave." Transition:
the Magazine of Africa and the Diaspora 119 (2016): 175-186. [12 pages]

• Turner, Victor. "Liminality and Communitas." The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. New Brunswick,
New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1969. 94-97. [4 pages]

Viewing:

12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)

Class 9 | Monday, March 2

Candyman

Reading [20 pages]:

• Briefel, Aviva, and Sianne Ngai. "'How Much Did You Pay for this Place?': Fear, Entitlement, and Urban Space in
Bernard Rose's Candyman." Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies 13.1 (1996): 69-91. [20
pages]

Viewing:

Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992)

Class 10 | Thursday, March 5

Candyman

Reading [15 pages]:

• Kydd, Elspeth. "Guess Who Else Is Coming to Dinner? Racial/Sexual Hysteria in Candyman." Cineaction 36
(1995): 63-72. [7 pages]

• Wood, Robin. "The American Nightmare: Horror in the 70s." Horror: The Film Reader. Ed. Mark Jancovich. New
York: Routledge, 2002. 25-32. [8 pages]

Viewing:

Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992)

Class 11 | Monday, March 9

Get Out

Reading [19 pages]:

• hooks, bell. "Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance." Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston: South End
Press, 1992. 21-39. [19 pages]

Viewing:

Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)

Class 12 | Thursday, March 12

Imitation of Life

Reading [5 pages]:
• Mulvey, Laura. "Notes on Sirk and Melodrama." Visual and Other Pleasures. 2nd ed. London and New York:
Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 39-44. [5 pages]

Viewing:

Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)

Class 13 | Monday, March 16

Imitation of Life

Reading [16 pages]:

• hooks, bell. "The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators." Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston:
South End Press, 1992. 115-131. [16 pages]

Viewing:

Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)

Class 14 | Thursday, March 19

Widows

Reading [12 pages]:

• Nash, Jennifer C. "Re-Thinking Intersectionality." Feminist Review 89 (2008): 1-15. [12 pages]

Viewing:

Widows (Steve McQueen, 2018)

Class 15 | Monday, April 6

The Searchers

Reading [25 pages]:

• Courtney, Susan. "Looking for (Race and Gender) Trouble in Monument Valley." Qui Parle 6.2 (1993): 97-130. [25
pages]

Viewing:

The Searchers (John Wayne, 1956)

Class 16 | Thursday, April 9

The Searchers

Reading [19 pages]:

• Soliz, Cristine. "The Searchers and Navajos: John Ford's Retake on the Hollywood Indian." Wicazo Sa Review
23.1 (2008): 73-95. [19 pages]

Viewing:

The Searchers (John Wayne, 1956)

Class 17 | Thursday, April 16

Brokeback Mountain
Reading [27 pages]:

• Keller, James, R. and Anne Goodwyn Jones. "Brokeback Mountain: Masculinity and Manhood." Studies in Popular
Culture 30.2 (2008): 21-36. [14 pages]

• Sullivan, Nikki. "Assimmilation or Liberation, Sexuality or Gender?" A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory. New
York: New York University Press, 2007. 22-36. [13 pages]

Viewing:

Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)

Class 18 | Monday, April 20

Mad Men

Reading [27 pages]:

• Ehenreich, Barbara. "Early Rebels: The Gray Flannel Dissidents." The Hearts of Men: American Dreams and the
Flight from Commitment. New York: Anchor Books, 1983. 29-41. [13 pages]

• Falkof, Nicky. "The Father, the Failure, and the Self-Made Man: Masculinity in Mad Men." Critical Quarterly 54.3
(2012): 31-45. [14 pages]

Viewing:

Mad Men (AMC, 2007-2015): "Marriage of Figaro" (S1E3)

Class 19 | Thursday, April 23

Mad Men

Reading [35 pages]:

• Rommel-Ruiz, W. Bryan. "Beyond Dallas: History, Narrative, and the Struggle for Meaning in the Kennedy
Assassination." American History Goes to the Movies: Hollywood and the American Experience. New York:
Routledge, 2011. 191-225. [35 pages]

Viewing:

Mad Men (AMC, 2007-2015): "The Grown-Ups" (S3E12)

Class 20 | Thursday, April 30

Jackie

Reading [16 pages]:

• Sturken, Marita. "Camera Images and National Meanings." Tangled Memories: The Vietnam War, the AIDS
Epidemic, and the Politics of Remembering. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. 19-33; 42-43. [16
pages]

Viewing:

Jackie (Pablo Larraín, 2016)

Class 21 | Thursday, May 7

Jackie
Reading [16 pages]:

• Hirsch, Marianne, and Valerie Smith. "Feminism and Cultural Memory: An Introduction." Signs: Journal of Women
in Culture and Society 28.1 (2002): 1-19. [14 pages]

• La Ferla, Ruth. "Jackie Kennedy: The First Instagram First Lady." The New York Times 30 Nov. 2016: 1-2. Web. 3
Feb. 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/fashion/jackie-kennedy-first-lady-natalie-portman.html
(https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/fashion/jackie-kennedy-first-lady-natalie-portman.html) . [2 pages]

Viewing:

Jackie (Pablo Larraín, 2016)

Class 22 | Monday, May 11

Casino Royale

Reading [21 pages]:

• Cox, Katherine. "Becoming James Bond: Daniel Craig, Rebirth, and Refashioning Masculinity in Casino Royale."
Journal of Gender Studies 23.2 (2014): 184-196. [10 pages]

• Neale, Steve. "Masculinity as Spectacle: Reflections on Men and Mainstream Cinema." Screening the Male:
Exploring Masculinities in Hollywood Cinema. Eds. Steven Cohan and Ina Rae Hark. London and New York:
Routledge, 1993. 9-20. [11 pages]

Viewing:

Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)

Class 23 | Thursday, May 14

Black Mirror

Reading [28 pages]:

• Snorton, C. Riley. "Transpositions." Nobody Is Supposed to Know: Black Sexuality on the Down Low. Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota Press, 2014. 1-29. [28 pages]

Viewing:

Black Mirror (Channel 4 and Netflix, 2011-present): "Striking Vipers" (S5E1)

Class 24 | Monday, May 18

Final exam

Course Summary:

Date Details

Response paper #1
Thu Mar 19, 2020  due by 12pm
(https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148632)

Thu May 14, 2020


Response paper #2
 due by 12pm
(https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148633)

 due by 5pm
Date Details
Class participation
(https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148628)

Mon May 18, 2020  Final exam (https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148634) due by 6pm

Podcast episode
Thu May 21, 2020  due by 3pm
(https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148631)

 Pop quiz #1 (https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148629)

 Pop quiz #2 (https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148630)

 Roll Call Attendance (https://ciee.instructure.com/courses/13426/assignments/148706)

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