Course Description:
This course explores the impact of the Gothic on cinema. Beginning with a consideration of what constitutes the Gothic as a term, a tone, and an aesthetic, this course will progress in a more or less chronological fashion. Throughout the semester, students will critically examine and discuss over a dozen films that have been described as “Gothic” in tone and content. In the process, we will analyze the Gothic as a style complete with recurring themes, motifs, and symbols.
Contact Info:
Prof Jay McRoy
Office: CART 228
Office Hours: T 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Email: mcroy@uwp.edu
Web: www.thejaymcroy.com
Required Text:
Gothic Film: An Edinburgh Companion (Available at the Campus Bookstore, Amazon, or for free as a .pdf HERE)
Course Guidelines and Expectations: 1) Come to class 2) Come to class on time. 3) Turn your work in on time 4) Respect your fellow student
Grading:
Class Participation (10%)
3 Critical Micro-themes/Brief Essays (Approx. 700 words - 30% each). A successful micro-theme presents an argument about an assigned topic or question as clearly, precisely, and concisely as possible. Do not worry about elaborate introductions or conclusions. Successful micro-themes resemble detailed abstracts or, perhaps even more accurately, outlines created in sentence and paragraph form with transition statements linking the main and supporting points of your argument. You are encouraged to seek at least one or two outside sources for this project (no wikipedia or fan sites, etc.).
A successful Micro-theme does the following:
1. Includes a very brief, 1-2 sentence introduction that includes a thesis statement and sets up an organizational plan;
2. Includes clear supporting paragraphs that provide specific textual evidence to support your claims;
3. Is comprised of thoughtful, concise, clear, and direct prose;
4. Is double spaced;
5. Is free of grammar errors and other surface mistakes (i.e. spelling errors).
Given the rigid word limit, narrowing your micro-theme to approximately 700 words may prove very challenging. If you are new to writing critically about cinema or simply want to further refine your skills, I can think of few better texts than Timothy Corrigan's A Short Guide to Writing about Film; this work is a fantastic resource and is readily available used on-line. For a nice excerpt, click here.
Micro-theme #1: Select a film we have watched this semester and discuss the work as an example of Gothic cinema. As you write, explain why you see the film as a Gothic text, exploring in detail specific motifs (narrative, visual, etc.) or a particularly important theme.
Micro-theme #2: Select a film we have watched this semester and discuss what you see as one of the work’s major motifs, or one of its major themes. As you write, explain how the motif or theme is developed in the film, citing specific scenes or sequences to further strengthen your argument.
Micro-Theme #3: Select a film we have watched this semester and discuss what you see as one of the work’s major motifs, or one of its major themes. As you write, explain how the motif or theme is developed in the film, citing specific scenes or sequences to further strengthen your argument.
Plagiarism Warning:
There is nothing wrong with using other people's words and thoughts as long as you acknowledge your debt. In fact, you can frequently strengthen your writing by doing citing other critics' arguments. However, if you represent other people's words or ideas as if they were your own, then you are plagiarizing. Plagiarism includes: 1) paraphrasing or copying (without the use of quotation marks) someone else's words without acknowledgment; 2) using someone else's facts or ideas without acknowledgment, and, 3) handing in work for one course that you handed in for credit in another course without the permission of both instructors.
When you use published words, data, or thoughts, you should note their use. We will use MLA Guidelines throughout this course. When you use the ideas of friends or classmates, you should thank them in an endnote (e.g. "I am grateful to my friend so and so for the argument in the third paragraph"). If friends give you reactions but not suggestions, you need not acknowledge that help in print (though it is gracious to do so). Collaboration and using the work of others is the backbone of academia. Plagiarism and academic dishonesty destroys the possibility of working together as colleagues. Therefore, all instances of plagiarism in this class will be addressed with the utmost severity. If you have any questions as to whether something you have written for this class constitutes plagiarism, please see me before handing it in for credit.
Week-by-Week Breakdown:
Week One (9/13): Introduction
Week Two (9/20): Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922)
Read for Class: “Introduction” & “Gothic Cinema During the Silent Era” in GF
Week Three (9/27): Frankenstein (Whale, 1931)
Read for Class: “ ‘So Why Shouldn’t I Write of Monsters?’: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films” in GF
Week Four (10/4): Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Mamoulian, 1932)
Read for Class: “Jekyll and Hyde and Scopophilia” in GF
Week Five (10/11): Young Frankenstein (Brooks, 1974)
Read for Class: “Gothic Parodies on Film and Personal Transformation” in GF
Week Six (10/18): Rebecca (Hitchcock, 1940)
Read for Class: “Rebecca: Welcome to the Haunted House”
Micro-Theme #1 Due
Week Seven (10/25): Shadow of a Doubt (Hitchcock, 1943)
Read for Class: TBA
Week Eight (11/1): Stoker (Park, 2013)
Read for Class: “Film Noir and the Gothic” in GF
Week Nine (11/8): The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)
Read for Class: “Danny’s Endless Tricycle Ride: The Gothic and Adaptation” in GF
Week Ten (11/15): Dead Man (Jarmusch, 1995)
Read for Class: “American Gothic Westerns: Tales of Racial Slavery and Genocide” in GF
Micro-Theme #2 Due
Week Eleven (11/22): Gothic (Russell, 1986)
Read for Class: “Gothic Cinema from the 1970s to Now” in GF
Week Twelve (11/29): Black Sunday (Bava, 1960)
Read for Class: “The Italian Gothic Film” in GF
Week Thirteen (12/6): Alien (Scott, 1979)
Read for Class: “Gothic Science Fiction” in GF
Micro-Theme #3 Due in my office (RITA 228) by 5:00 pm on December 12th.