History 415.151/515.191
Instructor: Dr. Maarten L. Pereboom
Office: Holloway Hall 338a
Phone: (410) 543‑6454
E‑mail: mlpereboom@salisbury.edu
Office hours: MW 1:00‑1:50; TR, 12:30-1:45; other times by appointment
Class
meets: Monday evenings,
7:00 ‑ 9:45 p.m., Fulton Hall 111
Overview: The powerful medium of film is an
extraordinarily rich source of information and insight for the historian of the
twentieth century. The motion picture camera -- a new invention at the turn of
the century -- has recorded all kinds of events, from battles to rallies to
baby's first steps, creating innumerable documents of historical interest. Film
also has become a powerful entertainment medium: popular movies have attempted
both to recreate the past and have in turn become documents of their own
time. Indeed many people’s understanding
of the past derives largely from what they have seen on TV and at the movies;
for that reason alone we must recognize both the strengths and limitations of
the medium as presenter and interpreter of the past.
Objectives: 1. To
explore the different ways we can understand the past better through film;
2. To understand the strengths and
limitations of the film medium for historians;
3. To learn to understand film
"language" and "read" films critically;
4. To develop skills in research,
analysis and writing. SU strongly affirms the practice of writing across the
curriculum; the exams and paper assignment for this course (see below)
reflect that priority.
Required
Sayles, John. Thinking
in Pictures: The Making of the Movie
Matewan.
Toplin, Robert Brent. Reel
History: In Defense of
Requirements: 1. Participation
(attendance, contributions to discussions and short assignments) makes up
20% of your final grade. I expect everyone to attend class and participate
in discussions. You have both the freedom and responsibility to decide how you
will spend your time, but as this class meets only once a week, you must make a
special effort to be in class, on time, every time. Two absences drop the
participation grade to a maximum grade of 70%, three to 60%, four to 50%, etc. Habitual lateness also will affect this
grade.
1.
Two exams, each worth 15% of your final grade, will be in two parts:
1.
Identify and state the significance of ten out of twelve terms;
2.
Answer one of two essay questions in a well‑organized essay with
a clearly stated thesis.
2.
A required research paper will be worth 30% of your final grade. For this class undergraduates will write an 8‑10
page research paper on a subject of your choice (12 pages minimum if you would
like to register the paper as part of the history major, 15 pages minimum for
graduate students). Suggestions: examine
a particular film, looking at how and when it was made, how audiences received
it, how it portrayed a particular event or era or what it reveals about a
particular event or era; or do a comparative study of several films’
handling of a particular topic; or examine how Hollywood's approach to a
particular subject has or has not changed over time.
The paper assignment breaks
down as follows:
1.
Submit paper
idea, stated in a brief paragraph, in class February 20;
2.
Bibliography of
sources to be used, due March 13;
3.
Rough drafts due at beginning of class April 17, with thesis
highlighted and draft properly documented with either footnotes or endnotes;
4.
Peer evaluations of rough drafts due in class April 24.
5.
Final drafts due at beginning of class May 1, carefully proofread
(print out what you think is a final copy, then proofread carefully, make final
changes and print copy to turn in).
3.
The final exam counts for 20% of your final grade. The format of this is
similar to that of midterm, with the addition of a second essay section.
Graduate Students: I expect graduate students to take on more intensive
projects to fulfill the paper assignment (see above), to demonstrate an
advanced command of history in written
work and to enhance the quality of classroom discussion.
Academic Integrity: The best
learning environment is one based on mutual respect and trust. However, the desire to achieve a good or
passing grade without doing the necessary work may tempt some students to
engage in acts of “academic dishonesty,” including the following:
1.
Plagiarism: presenting as one’s own work,
whether word for word or in paraphrase, the words or ideas of a website or
another author. All sources of information
used must be properly cited.
2.
Cheating on exams, tests, and quizzes, including
copying from others, the wrongful giving or receiving of unauthorized exam
material, and the use of illegitimate sources of information (e.g., “cheat
sheets”);
3.
Unsanctioned collaboration with other individuals in
the completion of course assignments, including examinations;
4.
Falsifying data and use of fraudulent methods in
laboratory, field work, and computer work;
5.
Falsifying excuses for non-attendance or completion
of assignments.
While some students
may try to rationalize or justify these acts as expedient, they are wrong and
there are no mitigating circumstances to excuse them. Individuals who engage in academic dishonesty
damage the learning environment and their own integrity and character. If you are unclear about what constitutes
academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, please ask – ignorance is no excuse. Discovery of academic dishonesty results in
stiff penalties for the offender, including a failing grade for the assignment
in question and often a grade of F for the course. The Student Affairs Office keeps records of
plagiarism cases, and multiple offenses could bring a penalty of expulsion from
the entire USM system. The university
catalogue and student handbook provide further details.
Schedule of
Meetings and Assignments
I.
Introduction
4. January 30 Why Do Historians Love Film?
Film:
II.
Entertainment and the Entertainment Industry as Cultural Products
5. February 6 The Early Days
Film: Birth of a Nation (D.W. Griffith, 1915)
Read: Toplin, introduction; Rosenstone, introduction.
6. February 13 The Film Industry
Film: Sunset Boulevard (B. Wilder, 1950)
Read: Sayles, p. ix-36
7.
February
20 The Conventions of Film, Art and History
Film: Ararat (A. Egoyan, 2002)
Read: Sayles, p. 39-105.
Paper: ideas due
8. February 27 First Exam
Film (begins at 8:15): JFK (O. Stone, 1993), first part
III. Making
Historical Films
9.
March
6 Challenging History and its Methods:
JFK
Read: Sayles, 109-130; Toplin, chapters 1-2
Film: JFK, conclusion
10.
March 13 Producing
a Historical Film: John Sayles’ Matewan
Film:
Matewan (J. Sayles, 1987)
Read:
Sayles, p. 129- end
Papers: bibliographies due
March 20 Spring break (no class)
11.
March
27 Taking Liberties with the Past
Film:
Read: Rosenstone, chapters 1-3; Toplin, chapters 3-4.
9. April 3 One Fine Historical Film
Film: Master and Commander (P. Weir, 2003)
Read: Toplin, chapters 5-6
12. April 10 Second Exam
Film (at 8:15): Best Years of Our Lives, (W. Wyler, 1946), first part
IV. Films as
Cultural and Historical Artifacts
13. April 17 Coming Home from World War Two
Film: Best Years of Our Lives, to end
Read: Rosenstone, chapters 1-2.
Paper: rough drafts due
14. April 24 Cold War Fear and Politics
Film: The Day the Earth Stood Still (R. Wise, 1951)
Read: Rosenstone, chapters 3-7.
Paper: peer evaluations due
15. May 1 Documenting Contemporary Life I
Film:
Read: Rosenstone, chapters 8-10
Paper: Final drafts due
16. May 8 Documenting Contemporary Life II
Film: Bowling for Columbine (M. Moore, 2002)
V.
Conclusions
17. May 15 Wind‑up Discussion
Film: TBA
Read: Toplin, Conclusion
18. May 22 Final Examination, 7:45‑9:45 pm