Humanities10 (Approaches to Contemporary Film)

Office:  HU 111

Office Phone: 848-4710

Office Hours: 10:20-11:20 (Monday & Wednesday), 11:30-12:30 (Tuesday & Thursday), and by appointment

Email: grichards@gavilan.edu

Required Text:

        Understanding Movies (12th Edition)—Louis Giannetti

Course Objectives:

      This course examines theories of film criticism as they apply to films from 1960 to the present.  You will learn technical, visual, classical, historical, cultural, ideological, and aesthetic approaches to film and sample from a representative list of foreign and domestic movies.  Special emphasis is given to new voices from non-American sources to emerging voices in American cinema.

Attendance:

     This class begins exactly when scheduled.  If you do not arrive on time, you will not only miss the beginning of the movies, but you will also disturb the viewing of them when you enter the classroom, so please make every effort to be on time.  Attendance—both physical and mental—is important to this course.  Attending class means more than just showing up.  You must come prepared to participate, having read and thought about all assigned readings and having completed all assigned work.  Experience has shown me that your work (and therefore your grades) will suffer if you miss class more than a couple times because your progress depends greatly on class discussions and activities.  Students who miss more than four classes will be dropped.

 

Grading:

     Your final grade is based on your film project (30%), your midterm (25%), your film responses—one for every film we watch in class (10%), your class participation and attendance (10%), and your final exam (25%).  You must do all assigned work to pass the course.

 

Honesty Policy:  Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and integrity.  Violations such as cheating and plagiarism will result in disciplinary action, which may include recommendation for dismissal.

ADA Accommodations:  Students requiring special services or arrangements because of hearing, visual, or other disability should contact their instructor, counselor, or the Disabled Student Services Office.

Occupational/Vocational Students:  Limited English language skills will not be a barrier to admittance to and participation in Vocational Education Programs.

 

Spring 2016 Film List

Psycho (1960)

The Graduate (1967)

Jaws (1975)

Back to the Future (1985)

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Crash (2005)

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Ex Machina(2015)

Creed (2015)

The Martian(2015)