Class Participation

Class discussion constitutes one key method of developing your analytical skills. Thus, I expect prompt, regular attendance and active participation in discussions of films and supplemental readings. You should come prepared for each class session with assigned reading completed. You should also plan to ask questions, make comments, summarize critical arguments, analyze clips, paraphrase your electronic postings, or contribute to small-group discussions. Like all skills, speaking in class becomes easier with practice. I do not expect fully polished analyses in class discussion; rather, your contributions represent ideas for further development.

Electronic Discussion

Students will use the class discussion board to post responses to films and readings. To facilitate discussion, I will post questions to which I want you to respond. Your posting should provide a 200- to 250-word response to a selected question; you may also address your classmates’ ideas as you respond to the question. The electronic discussion site allows us to extend class discussion and to raise issues for in-class discussions. Your postings receive points on a credit/no credit basis, with full points granted to on-time postings that meet the length requirement and demonstrate serious engagement with the discussion questions. Over the course of the quarter, you may do three optional postings in which you respond to your classmates or develop an idea only partially explicated in class. You may reply any other student, not only those in your group. These postings will also receive full points for length and genuine engagement. On the course schedule, I have indicated the dates when I will accept optional postings.

To access the electronic discussion board, click on “Discuss,” and follow the instructions. I have divided the class into three groups to keep the discussion manageable:

• Group One: Students with last names A through J
• Group Two: Students with last names K through N
• Group Three: Students with last names O through Z
  

Clip Presentation

Students will work together in groups three or four to create a 15- to 20-minute analysis of a selected clip from a course film.  The presentation should focus on the formal, thematic, or ideological significance of the clip. Presenters will use visual aids (PowerPoint, film clip, images, transparencies, handouts) to structure their remarks and underscore key points.  Groups should conclude their presentations with two or three questions for class discussion.

Midterm Exam

During the fifth week of the term, you will take an in-class midterm exam. The exam will consist of three short essays that require you to analyze the narrative form and cinematic techniques at play in selected clips from class films.

Article Critique

Students will complete a 4- to 5-page critique of a packet article on Dr. Strangelove, Brazil, Blade Runner, or The Terminator. You will complete the assignment in two stages: a proposal and a final draft. Before submitting your completed essay for a grade, you will receive feedback from two classmates.You can seek additional feedback from me or consultants at the English Department Writing Center, located in Padelford B-12; the CLUE Writing Center in the Mary Gates Commons; or the Odegaard Writing and Research Center in Odegaard Undergraduate Library.

Please title, paginate, and double-space your essay, and set margins at one inch. In the upper left hand corner of the first page, include your name, the course number, the assignment, and the due date; this information should be single-spaced. Please use a 10- or 12-point Arial, Bookman, Century Schoolbook, or Times New Roman font for your papers. When citing sources, use MLA format. Students will use E-Submit to electronically turn in their essays. 

Take-Home Final

During the final week of the quarter, I will distribute a take-home final to be submitted on 3/13. The final will consist of a comparative essay on films screened after the midterm. Please follow the formatting guidelines for the article critique when composing the final exam. You will submit the final via the course E-Submit tool.

Policies

Lateness Policy

I will not accept late electronic postings, presentations or article critique proposals. Late article critiques and take-home finals will receive a 10-point deduction per day late, including weekends and holidays. Because receiving and responding to feedback constitutes an essential component of the article critique, failure to submit a proposal will result in a 20-point deduction from the final grade. I will make exceptions to the lateness policy only in cases of documented illness or family emergency.

Technology glitches do not constitute valid excuses for lateness. To avoid computer problems, you should save frequently while working, and you should back up work saved to a hard drive on disk or your Dante account. Remember also to avoid storing floppy disks next to cellular phones. To avoid problems submitting documents via E-Submit, make sure to use only alphanumeric characters to name files; otherwise, the program will not accept your file. If the posting board or E-Submit breaks down, email your work directly to me.

Plagiarism Policy

In your electronic postings, article critique, presentation, and take-home final, you may draw upon the ideas and words of other writers.   However, you must make clear to your audience that you are incorporating another’s work by placing quotation marks around exact words and citing the author’s name whenever you quote, summarize or paraphrase.  Failure to credit sources may result in a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, or expulsion from the university. 

Email and Access to Course Web Site

You must have a UW Net ID, a working email account and a way to access the course Web site.  I frequently upload schedule changes, film clips, assignment guidelines, and grading criteria to the Web site.  The site also contains links and sample papers not distributed in class.