DRAM 2366 - Film Appreciation

DRAM 2366:

Description
Survey and analyze cinema including history, film techniques, production, procedures, selected motion pictures, and cinema’s impact on and reflection of society.
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 3 Lab Hours 3
Extended Hours
0
Contact Hours
96
State Approval Code
50.0602.51 26
Alternate Operations During Campus Closure

In the event of an emergency or announced campus closure due to a natural disaster or pandemic, it may be necessary for Panola College to move to altered operations. During this time, Panola College may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include, but are not limited to: online learning management system (CANVAS), online conferencing, email messaging, and/or an alternate schedule. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor Panola College's website (www.panola.edu) for instructions about continuing courses remotely, CANVAS for each class for course-specific communication, and Panola College email for important general information.

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance of classes and laboratories is required of all students. When a student has been ill or absent from class for approved extracurricular activities, he or she should be allowed, as far as possible, to make up for the missed work. If a student has not actively participated by the census date, they will be dropped by the instructor for non-attendance. This policy applies to courses that are in-person, online, hybrid, and hyflex.

Attendance in online courses is determined by submission of an assignment or participation in an activity. According to federal guidelines, simply logging into a distance learning course without participating in an academic assignment does not constitute attendance. Distance learning is defined as when a majority (more than 50%) of instruction occurs when the instructor and students are in separate physical locations. Students must engage in an academic activity prior to the course census date. 

When an instructor feels that a student has been absent to such a degree as to invalidate the learning experience, the instructor may recommend to the Vice President of Instruction that the student be withdrawn from the course. Instructors may seek to withdraw students for non-attendance after they have accumulated the following number of absences: 

Fall or spring semesters: 

3 or more class meeting times per week - 5 absences

2 class meeting times per week - 3 absences

1 class meeting per week -  2 absences

The student is responsible for seeing that he or she has been officially withdrawn from a class. A student who stops attendance in a class without officially withdrawing from that class will be given a failing grade; consequently, the student must follow official withdrawal procedures in the Admissions/Records Office.

Please note: Health Science and Cosmetology courses may require more stringent attendance policies based on their accreditation agencies. Please see the addendum and/or program handbook for further information concerning attendance.  

Pregnant/Parenting Policy

Panola College welcomes pregnant and parenting students as a part of the student body. This institution is committed to providing support and adaptations for a successful educational experience for pregnant and parenting students. Students experiencing a need for accommodations related to pregnancy or parenting will find a Pregnancy and Parenting Accommodations Request form in the Student Handbook or may request the form from the course instructor.

Student Learning Outcomes
Critical Thinking Skills – to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry and analysis, evaluation and syntheses of information
CT1: Generate and communicate ideas by combining, changing, or reapplying existing information

CT2: Gather and assess information relevant to a question

CT3: Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information

Communication Skills – to include effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication
CS1: Develop, interpret, and express ideas through written communication

CS2: Develop, interpret, and express ideas through oral communication

CS3: Develop, interpret, and express ideas through visual communication

Empirical and Quantitative Skills – to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions
EQS2: Manipulate and analyze observable facts and arrive at an informed conclusion

Teamwork – to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goa
TW1: Integrate different viewpoints as a member of a team

TW2: Work with others to support and accomplish a shared goal

Personal Responsibility – to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making
PR1: Evaluate choices and actions and relate consequences to decision-making

Social Responsibility – to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities
SR1: Demonstrate intercultural competence

SR2: Identify civic responsibility

SR3: Engage in regional, national, and global communities
Instructional Goals and Purposes

The purpose of this course is to examine the origins and growth of the motion picture from the beginnings in the latter 19th century to the present day. Focus includes film history and key developments in film technology; dramatic aspects of the narrative film; cinematography, film aesthetics, genres, and auteur study; sociological ramifications of film; and the general growth of the business of the motion pictures industry. Supervised film viewing sessions are required. Course provides an emphasis on the analysis of the visual and aural aspects of selected motion pictures, historical growth and sociological effect of film as an art. This course empowers students to explore realities, relationships, and ideas of world culture through the study of cinema. Students analyze the basic elements of cinematic form as seen through essential properties of the medium including editing, cinematography, production design, and sound design and gain an appreciation of film history and for the impact of culture and technology on the development of the cinema.

Learning Outcomes

After studying all materials and resources presented in the course, the student will be able to:

  1. Analyze film through written response.
  2. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of film history, form, and genre.
  3. Describe the collaborative nature of cinema and the many jobs required to develop a motion picture.
  4. Discuss/Describe the relationship of cinema to society as it relates to his/her perspective.
Course Content

A general description of lecture/discussion topics included in this course are listed in the Learning Objectives section of this syllabus.

Students in all sections of this course will learn the following content:

  1. Film as Art: Creativity, Technology, and Business
  2. The Significance of Film and Narrative Form
  3. Film Styles
  4. Film Genres
  5. Critical Analysis of Film
  6. Film History
  7. Cultural, Social, and Global Impact of Film.
Methods of Instruction/Course Format/Delivery

This course is offered in the following formats: lecture, online discussions, online Canvas Content, and supervised film viewing. Face-to-face contact in class as well as online contact delivered through Canvas.

Assignments

  1. Reading assigned chapter materials, provided reading material, website content. and completing assigned quizzes over provided material.
  2. Participating in class discussion in face-to-face format and/or Discussion Topics for online students.
  3. Viewing all assigned films.
  4. Submitting written assignments via Canvas as assigned.
  5. Various research projects over content.

Assessments

  1. Exams
  2. Tests
  3. Quizzes
  4. Discussion Assignments
  5. Project Assignments 
  6. Film Viewing Assignments
  7. Written Assignments
  8. Attendance
  9. Class Participation
  10. Class Preparedness
Course Grade

The grading scale for this course is as follows:

  • Assignments 25%
  • Quizzes/Exams 15%
  • Projects 40%
  • Final 20%
Texts Materials, and Supplies
  • Film Art: An Introduction – Bordwell/Thompson – McGraw Hill
  • IMDB App or Bookmarked
Required Readings
  • All chapters from the above-mentioned Text
  • American Film Institute Web Site
  • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Web Site
  • List of required Union and Guild websites in Canvas
  • List of required film viewing –list may change to exclude or include additional films depending upon semester length and availability of films.
  • Birth of A Nation
  • Potemkin
  • Metropolis
  • The Kid
  • The Jazz Singer
  • M
  • Stagecoach
  • Tombstone
  • King Kong
  • The Exorcist
  • Singing In The Rain
  • Citizen Kane
  • Casablanca o Ben Hur (1959)
  • Easy Rider
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • Annie Hall
  • Star Wars
  • The Godfather
  • Pan’s Labyrinth
  • Forrest Gump
  • Birdman 5
  • Film Terms – Provided on Canvas
Other
This course counts as part of the academic requirements of the Panola College Core Curriculum and an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree
Yes