Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CMS 360"
COURSE NAME: "Race and Gender in Cinema-TV"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session II 2015

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Nicholas Boston
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MTWTH 11:00 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: COM 220
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Using contemporary theoretical approaches, this course examines both Race and Gender as social constructions, and the role and function of Cinema and Television texts in circulating and contesting those constructions. Focusing on analyzing Cinema and Television texts for their construction of meaning, this course looks at the complex ideological operations at stake in the operations, maintenance, and resistance to meanings constructed around race and gender.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Film and television reserve an enormous amount of power as sites through which social identities such as race and gender can and do get constructed and negotiated. Multiple forces underpin or contextualize the meanings conveyed through film and television depictions. This course explores contemporary film and television, primarily as entertainment media (as opposed to news), circa 1985 to the present. We will examine the complexities of the representation of gendered and racial subjectivities unfolding on, behind and around the screen. To do so, we will consider these media forms from four distinct, yet interrelated perspectives: their production in and by designated commercial industries such Hollywood; their consumption by audiences; their global or transnational circulation and reception; and, certainly, their aesthetic value as products of art and art making. The course focuses on U.S. productions and positions American racial and sexual histories/politics as backdrop. However, since some of the critical theory we will utilize in our explorations has come through other national contexts – British cultural studies, for example – we will endeavor to be expansive in our thinking. Also, since we are in Rome, we will, during the final week of the class, turn our attention to some of the ways in which issues of “racialized gender” and “gendered racialism” have played out in recent Italian cinema and television. Themes that will be addressed across the length of the course include:

· Interracial intimacy

· Stigmatized sexualities

· The performance of femininities and masculinities in “music television”

· Whiteness

And critical consideration will be given to the following genres, among others:

· Blockbuster Hollywood cinema

· Indie films

· Reality television

· Situation comedies (sitcoms)

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Identify and explain the possible racial and gendered meanings in film and television texts.

2. Identify specific film texts and situate them within particular periods.

3. Articulate key concepts and approaches in the study of cultural production broadly, and film and television in particular.

4. Demonstrate enhanced oral, written and analytical skills.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Gender, Race and Class in Media: A Critical Reader, 4th Edition	Dines, Gail, and Jean M. Humez	Sage Publications	9781412974417
Mix it Up: Popular Culture, Mass Media, and Society	Grazian, David	Norton	9780393929522
Equivocal Subjects: Between Italy and Africa -- Constructions of Racial and National Identity in the Italian Cinema	Greene, Shelleen	Bloomsbury	978-1441190437

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Asian Americans and the Media	Ono, Kent. A and Vincent Pham	Polity	978-0745642741
Race/Gender/Media: Considering Diversity across Audiences, Content, and Producers, 3rd Edition	Lind, Rebecca Ann	Pearson	979-0205006105
Black Television Travels	Havens, Timothy	New York University Press	978-0-8147-3721-7

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Introduction essay (due: Wednesday, July 8)	A brief paper of no longer than two pages in which the student articulates her/his expectations, interests and background in the course material. This paper will not be graded, but will be kept by the professor and returned to the student with comments at the completion of the course.	0%
Response paper #1 (due: Monday, July 20)	A critical response (4 - 5 pages) to theoretical material and film/television texts covered in the course to date. A detailed assignment sheet will be provided in class.	25%
Response paper #2 (due: Wednesday, July 29)	A critical response (4 - 5 pages) to theoretical material and film/television texts covered in the course since the last response paper. A detailed assignment sheet will be provided in class.	25%
Small Group Presentation (dispersed over Weeks 4 and 5)	Depending on class size, students will be divided into groups of 2-4 and will work together in these teams to conceptualize, research and give a presentation to the class on a question or topic that the class material has inspired.	20%
Final Examination (Friday, August 7)	Cumulative	20%
Attendance/participation	Attendance at every class meeting is mandatory. Unexcused absences will result in a drop in the final grade. Participation in class discussion is strongly encouraged.	10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cou
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance is mandatory.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Session	Session Focus	Reading Assignment
Week 1: Introduction to theoretical approaches	Introduction to theoretical approaches to the study of media, and to the examination of race and gender, broadly. Guiding questions during this week will be: What is a text? What is hegemony? What is social contructionism? What is meant by media consolidation?	Selections from Dines, Grazian and others. In-class screening of pertinent film and television clips.
Week 2: The performance of femininities and masculinities in "music television"	The music industry and the film and television industries are considerably intertwined. From MTV and VH1 to the spate of music industry audition shows such as "The Voice," to the trend, intensifying over the past decade, of recording artists transforming into film actors, music production and film/TV production are closely aligned. Performances of gender and race are deeply embedded in these practices and processes as we have seen from a number of recent examples. Taking account of film and television is incomplete without considering their cross pollination with the music industry. Hence, here in Week 2, we shall explore the complexities and implications of this particular phenomenon. Screenings: The Merchants of Cool (Frontline, 2000); Videocracy (Gandini 2009).	Selections from Dines, Grazian, and others. Screening of clips.
Week 3: Interracial Desire	Building on the theoretical knowledge and observational insights we acquired in Weeks 1 and 2, this week we will focus on the negotiation of interracial desire on screen. From Todd Haynes' "Far from Heaven" to ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," interracial intimacy is a persistent theme in film and television. This week will concentrate on the multiple articulations of this theme and the various theoretical perspectives on it. Screening: Bianco e Nero (Comencini, 2008)	Selected readings from Dines, Grazian and others. Screening of clips.
Week 4: Whiteness	A focus on whiteness as a racial category emerged as an interdisciplinary endeavor that is perhaps at its most vibrant in film and television studies. In Week 4, we shall discuss some of the key debates animating this area of interest and specifically their intersections with questions of gender. We shall crucially consider, for example, the controversy surrounding Lena Dunham's HBO hit show, "Girls," as well as reach farther back into film and television history to such texts as "Friends," one of the longest running and most socially influential sitcoms.	Selections from Dines, Grazian, and others. Screening of clips.
Week 5: Circulations of racialized gender and gendered racialism in contemporary Italian film and television	Intriguing examples exist in contemporary Italian cinema and television of constructions and negotiations of race and gender. In this section, we shall revisit sections of the previous weeks' explorations to guide us through the representational and production landscape in the Italian context.	Selected readings from Dines, Grazian and Greene Screening of clips.