Date

Activity/Topic

Reading/Film

Due

1/3

Course introduction

1/4

Lecture and screening: Sherlock Jr. (Keaton, 1924, 45 min.) and short silent films

Solnitt, “The Annihilation of Space and Time” (P)

Student Information Sheet

1/8

Discuss Sherlock Jr. and silent films

Clip presentation assignment introduced

Bordwell and Thompson, “Narrative as a Formal System” (P)

1/9

Screening: The General (Keaton, 1927, 75 min.)

1/10

Rescreen The General (Keaton, 1927, 75 min.) on own

Posting on The General due by 10:00 p.m.

1/11

Discuss The General

Corrigan, “Film Terms and Topics” (P)

1/15

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

1/16

Screening: Man With a Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929, 80 min.)

Posting on Man with a Movie Camera due by 10:00 p.m.

1/17

Discuss Man with a Movie Camera

Student clip presentations

Phillips, “Editing,” and Bordwell and Thompson, “Documentary Form and Style: Man with a Movie Camera” (P)

1/18

Screening: Metropolis (Lang, 1927, 124 min.)

1/19

Optional response posting due by 10:00 p.m.

1/22

Finish screening Metropolis

Discuss Metropolis

Student clip presentations

Continue discussion of Metropolis

Student clip presentations

Jordanova, “Science, Machines, and Gender” (P)

1/24

Screening: Modern Times (Chaplin, 1936, 87 min.)

Posting on Modern Times due by 10:00 p.m.

1/25

Discuss Modern Times

Student clip presentations

1/26

Optional response posting due by 10:00 p.m.

1/29

Midterm exam

1/30

Class cancelled: complete midterm evaluation online

1/31

Screening: Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick, 1964, 93 min.)

Posting on Dr. Strangelove due by 10:00 p.m.

2/1

Discuss Dr. Strangelove

Maland, “Dr. Strangelove (1964): Nightmare Comedy” (P)

2/2

Optional response posting due by 10:00 p.m.

2/5

Screening: Brazil (Gilliam, 1985, 142 min.)

2/6

Finish screening Brazil

Discuss Brazil

Postman, “The Ideology of Machines: Computer Technology” (P)

2/7

Rescreen Brazil (Gilliam, 1985, 142 min.) on own or in Kane 19 at 2:30 p.m.

Posting on Brazil due by 10:00 p.m.

2/8

Continue discussion of Brazil

Article critique assigned

2/9

Optional response posting due by 10:00 p.m.

2/12

Screening: Blade Runner (Scott, 1982, 117 min.)

2/13

Finish screening Blade Runner

Discuss Blade Runner

Kerman, “Technology and Politics in the Blade Runner Dystopia” (P); Stiller, “The Music in Blade Runner” (E-Reserve)

2/14

Screening: The Terminator (Cameron, 1984, 108 min.)

Posting on The Terminator due by 10:00 p.m.

2/15

Discuss The Terminator , clips from Terminator 2, and approaches to article critique

Telotte, “The Terminator, Terminator 2, and The Exposed Body” (P)

2/16

Optional response posting due by 10:00 p.m.

2/19

Presidents Day Holiday

2/20

Submit article critique proposal and review two peers’ proposals online

Article critique proposal due online at 2:30 p.m.

2/21

Article critique workshop

2/22

Class cancelled for individual article critique proposal conferences

2/26

Screening: eXistenZ (Cronenberg, 1999, 97 min.)

2/27

Rescreen eXistenZ (Cronenberg, 1999, 97 min.) on own or in Kane 23B at 2:30 p.m.

Posting on eXistenZ due by 10:00 p.m

2/28

Discuss eXistenZ

Keane, “From Hardware to Fleshware: Plugging into David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ” (P)

3/1

Screening: The Matrix (Wachowski Brothers, 1999, 136 min.)

3/2

Article critique due via E-Submit by 5:00 p.m.

3/5

Finish screening and discuss The Matrix

Baudrillard, “Simulacra and Simulations” (P)

3/6

Continue discussion of The Matrix

Take-home final assigned

Course evaluation

3/7

Screening: Ghost in the Shell (Oshii, 1995, 82 min.)

Posting on Ghost in the Shell due by 10:00 p.m.

3/8

Discuss Ghost in the Shell

Napier, “Doll Parts: Technology and the Body in Ghost in the Shell” (P)

3/13

Take-home final due via E-Submit by 5:00 p.m.