BIS 464

Topics in Advanced Cinema Studies:

Queer Cinema

  Summer 2007   Friday 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Rm. UW1-041

David S. Goldstein, Ph.D.

As a medium that intentionally and unintentionally reflects and shapes our perceptions of sexual categories and norms, film has been a powerful aspect of American culture for a century and merits our careful study.  This course will focus on queer cinema--films that not only challenge prevailing sexual norms, but seek to undermine the very categories of gender and sex that our culture perpetuates.

This course, in addition to counting toward the Culture, Literature, and the Arts and the American Studies concentrations in the Interdisciplinary Studies major, is open to anyone interested in the topic. Because any career you choose will require skills in critical textual analysis, in the synthesis of disparate kinds of information, and in written and oral communication, this course should be valuable to students of any major.

I recommend (but do not require) that Interdisciplinary Studies students take BIS 300 and at least one 300-level cinema studies course (e.g., Hollywood Cinema and Genre, History of American Documentary Film, or Literature, Film, and Consumer Culture) before enrolling in this course. 

To succeed in this course, you will need to master the following learning outcomes:

• develop a fundamental understanding of contemporary queer theory;
• develop the ability to discuss and analyze the complex interrelationship between attitudes toward sex and sexuality and cinematic representations of those attitudes;
• develop the ability to speak and write critically about theoretical and historical issues and concepts regarding sexual identity in cinema;
• develop the ability to interpret in sophisticated ways--informed by a neoformalist approach--the ideology and ideological subtext of selected American films;
• develop the ability to locate and assess sources, using a range of information literacy skills, to inform film analysis and interpretation.

Course texts (available in the UWB Bookstore [save your receipts for a patronage refund ] and in library reserve/reference ). Note: Click here < http://tinyurl.com/6pamk> to order books online. Click on the link for the appropriate quarter, then enter the line number (LN) shown at the top of this page for "UW SLN Code" (leave other spaces blank) and hit 'enter.' All items have been ordered; contact the bookstore if some materials are not listed.

• Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film, 6th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. (ISBN-13 978-0321412287)
• Wilchins, Riki. Queer Theory, Gender Theory: A Primer . New York: Alyson, 2004. (ISBN-13 978-1555837983)

Grading: Your grade will be based on these assignments, which are described on separate pages online (links will be activated when ready):

Interpretive essay (1250-1500 words, due as part of learning portfolio)	45%
Learning portfolio (including a reflective paper of 600-1000 words, due Aug. 10)	10%
In-class and online contribution	45%
TOTAL	100%

A note about grades: I know that students often need to juggle school, work, family, and other obligations. I never second-guess students' priorities, and I never think less of students who choose to devote more time and effort to one of these other obligations rather than to an assignment or the course as a whole. I respect the maturity of students who establish their priorities, make difficult choices, and accept the consequences of those decisions. Also, remember that your grade is based solely on my professional assessment of the quantity and quality of your work, not on your effort or on my opinion of you as an individual.

Schedule:

Reading list (except as noted, in "Course Documents" area of Blackboard < http://bb.uwb.edu/>):

• Califia, Patrick. "Gay Men, Lesbians, and Sex: Doing It Together."  Queer Theory.  Ed. by Iain Morland and Annabelle Willcox.  New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004.  22-27.
• Gross, Larry. "At the Movies."  Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America.  New York: Columbia UP, 2001.  56-80.
• Hall, Donald. "Introduction: What 'Queer Theories' Can Do for You." Queer Theories. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2003.  1-16.
• ---. "Who and What Is 'Queer'?" Queer Theories. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2003.  51-81.
• Jagose, Annamarie. "Queer."  Queer Theory: An Introduction.  New York: New York UP, 1996.  72-100.
• ---. "Theorising Same-Sex Desire." Queer Theory: An Introduction.  New York: New York UP, 1996.  7-21.
• Mercer, Kobena. "Skin Head Sex Thing: Racial Difference and the Homoerotic Imaginary."  How Do I Look?  Queer Film and Video.  Ed. by Bad Object-Choices.  Seattle: Bay, 1991.  169-210.
• "Policy on Academic and Behavioral Conduct." Online < http://www.uwb.edu/students/policies/integrity.html>.
• Raymond, Diane. "Popular Culture and Queer Representation."  Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-Reader , 2nd ed.  Ed. by Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003.  98-110.
• Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. "Axiomatic." Queer Theory.  Ed. by Iain Morland and Annabelle Willcox.  New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004.  81-95.
• Slagle, R. Anthony. "Queer Criticism and Sexual Normativity: The Case of Pee-Wee Herman." Queer Theory and Communication: From Disciplining Queers to Queering the Discipline(s).  Ed. by Gust A. Yep, Karen E. Lovaas, and John P. Elia.  Binghamton, NY: Haworth, 2003.  129-46.

Films list (on reserve at the Campus Media Center ):

• Angels in America. Dir. Mike Nichols, 2003. 352 min. DVD BOT-502. View Part 1 in class on July 27.
• Bound. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski, 1996. 109 min. DVD BOT-88. View in class on July 6.
• But I'm a Cheerleader! Dir. Jamie Babbit, 1999. 84 min. BORES TBA. View in class on June 29.
• The Celluloid Closet.  Dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, 1995.  102 min.  Videodisc BOT-88.  View in class on June 22.
• Fabulous!  The Story of Queer Cinema. Dir. Lisa Ades and Lesli Klainberg, 2006. 82 min. BORES TBA. View in class on Aug. 10.
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Dir. John Cameron Mitchell, 2000. 91 min. DVD BOT-316. View in class on Aug. 3.
• How to Read a Film . Dir. James Monaco, 2000. DVD-ROM. PN1994 .M592 2000. Optional: view on your own.  Study guide available in "Course Documents" area of Blackboard.
• Paradise Bent: Boys Will Be Girls in Samoa. Dir. Heather Croall, 1999. 50 min. BORES TBA. View in class on July 13.
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Dir. Jim Sharman, 1975. 100 min., BORES TBA. View in class on July 20.
• Tongues Untied. Dir. Marlon Riggs, 1989. 55 min. BORES TBA. View in class on July 13.

 

This schedule is subject to change. The most current schedule will always be posted here <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/BIS464Syl.html > for your reference, and changes will be announced in class, by e-mail, or both. This course requires a learning portfolio instead of a final examination.

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About course policies:

Please carefully read the "Course Policies" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Policies.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

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About class communication:

Please carefully read the "Class Communication" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Communication.html> , which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

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About contribution:

Please carefully read the "Class Contribution" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html >, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

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Welcome to the course!

This page last updated July 23, 2007.

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