Syllabus

While much of the world celebrates the work of the great film-makers of the U.S.A, France, Germany and Japan, extraordinary filmmaking has been accomplished, often in nearly impossible circumstances, across the Third World. This course will examine some of those films. It sets out to focus equally on the artist values in a film, as well as the film’s social political and historical context. 

How then do these filmmakers work with camera, light, sound and direction to tell their stories? 

 What were the political and cultural circumstances in country at the time the film was made? How difficult was it to make the film, in both political and economic terms? What is the film telling us about subtle as well as more obvious cultural concerns and realities? How was the film received in-country? How was it received internationally? How might it inform our understanding of these countries today? 

 This course poses still more questions. 

 Do different culture’s approach “narrative” structure differently? What is the role of the story-teller and the madman in film in various countries? Are some techniques that we identify as ironically ‘American’ far more international than we realize? Have some of Hollywood’s greatest directors –Alfred Hitchcock, for instance, been out-Hitchcocked, by great Egyptian directors like Youssef Chanhine? 

In the fall of 2018 the course will focus on African film. In the spring of 2019, the course will look at film from Iran, Iraq, Turkey et al.While much of the world celebrates the work of the great film-makers of the U.S.A, France, Germany and Japan, extraordinary filmmaking has been accomplished, often in nearly impossible circumstances, across the Third World. This course will examine some of those films. It sets out to focus equally on the artist values in a film, as well as the film’s social political and historical context.

How then do these filmmakers work with camera, light, sound and direction to tell their stories?

What were the political and cultural circumstances in country at the time the film was made? How difficult was it to make the film, in both political and economic terms? What is the film telling us about subtle as well as more obvious cultural concerns and realities? How was the film received in-country? How was it received internationally? How might it inform our understanding of these countries today?

This course poses still more questions.

Do different culture’s approach “narrative” structure differently? What is the role of the story-teller and the madman in film in various countries? Are some techniques that we identify as ironically ‘American’ far more international than we realize? Have some of Hollywood’s greatest directors –Alfred Hitchcock, for instance, been out-Hitchcocked, by great Egyptian directors like Youssef Chanhine?

In the fall of 2018 the course will focus on African film. In the spring of 2019, the course will look at film from Iran, Iraq, Turkey et al.

I delighted you are here with me.  This is a course I dearly love and feel privileged to be able to teach.

It is a course both intimate and quite the opposite.

Let me explain.

It is intimate in the sense that the course offers a chance to look closely both at your preconceptions about the countries whose films we are looking at, and at your reactions to some of the most human of life’s issues. I hope you will all pay close attention to your reactions to what we will be viewing.

The course is the opposite of intimate since it offers us the possibility to look at the historical, political, and sociological issues underpinning many of the most dangerous, let alone heart-breaking conflicts today. These conflicts touch each of us directly or indirectly whether it is deciding which chocolate bar to buy ( some of the biggest companies-- Nestle etal --use African  child labor that is nothing less than defacto slavery to harvest the beans (http://fortune.com/big-chocolate-child-labor/) or deciding whether more U.S. troops  ---have you friend in the marines? --- should be sent into Syria.

As far as more of an intro from me, anybody who is interested is welcome to glance at my web-site: www. elizabethhanly.com

For now, suffice it to say, I’m a former journalist. I worked during the years when journalism was respected and deserved that.  Now I am here with you.

I’d like it if each of you introduced yourselves to the group. I’m not going to ask you all to follow some rubric about introductions, but it would be nice if you’d let us know something about you. Perhaps you all might choose an interesting (and not too too wild profile picture or avatar).

Global Awareness- Students will demonstrate knowledge of the interrelated global dynamics (social-cultural, political, economic, etc.) that shape aesthetics, values, and authority in diverse cultural contexts.

 Global Perspective- Students will be able to analyze the multiple global forces that shape their understanding of aesthetics, values, and authority — economic, political, sociological, technological, cultural, etc.

Global Engagement- Students will be able to develop solutions to local, global, international, and/or intercultural problems and be able to articulate the causes and contributions to these problems through the paradigm of aesthetics, values and authority.

Students will perform at least twenty hours of Community Service per academic year either through the Honors College service partnerships (Sweetwater, Overtown Youth Center, etc.) or through other community service projects and/or events. If you want to apply this service to your graduation portfolio, be sure to document your hours.

The Honors College will be using a portfolio method to assess students’ learning outcomes.  The portfolio method allows for maximum flexibility in gauging student learning.  Students decide (with instructor consultation) what “artifacts” or assignments to include for consideration in their portfolios to demonstrate successful achievement of each of the student learning outcomes over the 4-year Honors experience.  Portfolios provide a rich context for students to show what they have learned and to explain their learning process.  Because the Honors curriculum is meant to be thought-provoking and reflective, student self-assessment through portfolios will facilitate learning and provide in-depth assessment. Each course will include at least one assignment that could potentially fit portfolio requirements. For more information on the student learning outcomes and constructing a portfolio for your senior year, see honors.fiu.edu/portfolios.

All members of the Honors College are expected to be active citizens of the College, the university, and the community at large.  To be a committed Honors College student is to take advantage of enhanced learning opportunities and to assume a leadership role in the world.  All College members are expected to participate in the community-building activities listed below:

1. Attend one Honors Excellence Lecture per academic year and one Honors Colloquium per semester (fall and spring). (Attendance will be taken).
2. Participate in the Honors College Convocation each Fall. (Attendance will be taken).
3. Attend at least three Honors Hour sessions per semester or enrichment events specified by the Honors College as satisfying this requirement. (Attendance will be taken).
4. Perform at least twenty hours of Community Service per academic year (summer excluded) either through the Honors College service partnerships (Sweetwater, Overtown Youth Center, etc.) or through other community service projects and/or events. If you want to apply this service to your graduation portfolio, be sure to document your hours.

Registration in this course implies an acceptance of and compliance with the Honors College policies for students and the FIU Code of Academic Integrity.

Honors Citizenship Requirements
Beginning in Fall 2014, Honors College students are required to accumulate at least 20 citizenship points each academic year (Fall and Spring) by attending Honors College activities. Students attending only one semester (Fall or Spring) are required to accumulate 10 citizenship points.

Student Portfolios
The Honors College will be using a portfolio method to assess students’ learning outcomes. The portfolio allows for maximum flexibility in gauging student learning. Students decide (with instructor consultation) what “artifacts” or assignments to include for consideration in their portfolios to demonstrate successful achievement of each of five key student learning outcomes over the 4-year Honors experience.

HonorsEducation in the ARTS (HEARTS)
The HEARTS program is designed to give Honors College students opportunities to “explore and appreciate different artistic and cultural traditions and modes of artistic expression. HEARTS will also serve as a clearinghouse (and curatorial framework) for our students to experience the arts on campus and in the community by providing them with information about cultural activities and access to performances with free or discounted tickets.

Honors College Academic Misconduct Statement
In The Honors College, the term “honor” refers both to academic accomplishment and character. Students in Honors should therefore adhere to and be held to the highest standards of personal academic accountability. Academic dishonesty in any form, including plagiarism, is antithetical to the very definition of being an Honors student at FIU. Consequently, an Honors College student found responsible for academic misconduct will be dismissed from the College.

Procedures and Penalties
An Honors faculty member may bring charges of academic misconduct against an Honors student if the faculty member suspects plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct.  The faculty member will decide whether to pursue informal resolution, file formal resolution charges, or take no further action, and will follow the procedures outlined in the Honors College website, and the Academic Misconduct Procedures.

Please refer to the following documents for additional information:

• FIU Code of Academic Integrity 
• FIU Honors College Plagiarism Policy  

Please review the FIU's Policies webpage. The policies webpage contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU, as well as additional information about acceptable netiquette for online courses.

As a member of the FIU community you are expected to be knowledgeable about the behavioral expectations set forth in the FIU Student Code of Conduct.

Emergency Management

The FIU Department of Emergency Management guides the university's all hazard preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation needs, by coordinating information and resources to protect our students, faculty, staff and visitors, and restoring operations as soon as possible following a disaster.

Some of the valuable safety resources you'll find on our website are:

• Information on FIU Criminal Threats to guide faculty, staff, and students who may be caught in an active shooting, bomb threat, or suspicious packages situation.
  • The FIU Police Department recommends downloading the app called “Stop the Bleed”, which provides instructions on how to efficiently stop excessive bleeding when someone has been shot or has an open wound.
• The FIU Safety Equipment Map to identify all exits in your classrooms as well as all FIU safety equipment on-campus.
  • Make note of the nearest Automated External Defibrillators (AED), Evacuation Chairs and Emergency Call boxes to your classroom. 
• Information on the FIU Emergency Alert System and sign up for FIU Alerts.
• Information on how to prepare and deal with different types of emergencies.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" webpage to find out more information on this subject.

This course utilizes the following tools. Select the corresponding links below in order to access each tool's Privacy Policy:

• Canvas
• Facebook

Please visit our Technical Requirements webpage for additional information.

The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education and participate in activities available to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the Center at 305-348-3532 or visit them at the Graham Center GC 190.

Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for information about accessibility involving the tools used in this course.

For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center.

Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly to demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Academic Misconduct includes: Cheating – The unauthorized use of books, notes, aids, electronic sources; or assistance from another person with respect to examinations, course assignments, field service reports, class recitations; or the unauthorized possession of examination papers or course materials, whether originally authorized or not. Plagiarism – The use and appropriation of another’s work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the student’s own. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas, expressions or materials taken from another source, including internet sources, is responsible for plagiarism.

• FIU Code of Academic Integrity – http://integrity.fiu.edu/ 
• FIU Honors College Student Handbook – http://studentaffairs.fiu.edu/about/student-handbook/

Learn more about the academic integrity policies and procedures as well as student resources that can help you prepare for a successful semester.

Admission to the Honors College 

This is an online course, which means most (if not all) of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same for a traditional course. In fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills which can make these courses more demanding for some students.

Students are expected to:

• Review the how to get started information located in the course content
• Introduce yourself to the class during the first week by posting a self-introduction in the appropriate discussion forum
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Review and follow the course calendar
• Log in to the course 4 times  per week
• Respond to facebook discussion boards within 2 days.
• Respond to messages within 2 days
• Submit assignments by the corresponding deadline

The instructor will:

• Log in to the course 5 times per week
• Respond to discussion boards, blogs, and journal postings within 2 days
• Respond to messages within 2 days.
• Grade assignments within 7 of the assignment deadline

Please note: All written work must consistently adhere to a writing style manual of the student’s choice (e.g., Chicago, Turabian, MLA, etc.). You are advised to carefully proofread all papers before submitting them. (Students with deficient writing skills should consult the university’s free tutoring services: On-Campus Learning Center: PC 247; Online Learning Center)

You are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy of The Honors College and Florida International University

Course Communication in this course will take place via Facebook.

Keep in mind that your discussion postings will likely be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.

Discussions and Curated postings will take place on Facebook

Assignments for each module are the same.

Each film in each module has been selected to enable the student to intelligently consider and give an informed opinion on the issues raised.

• Students will write a weekly  250-350 posting on weekly films that will explore their reactions to the film. Students are asked to pay close attention to what surprised them and/or enraged them, and/or touched them in each film. Students are also asked to consider the effect of camera angles, sound, lighting on their reaction to the film, as well as the cultural and historical context of each film.  Please note: No credit will be given for plot summaries  (module learning objective #1-6).
• In comments no less than 50 words students will comment on 2 peer posting each week.  Students are asked to pay close attention to what surprised them and/or enraged them, and/or touched them in each film. Please note: No credit will be given for plot summaries or simple variants of “I agree”  (module learning objective #1-6).
• Students will use issues raised in this module or as the basis of their end of semester research paper (see course learning objectives).

Rubric for weekly posting.

Have fun with this. These postings may feel odd at first. And students often fall into the default position of critiquing the film as they might in a literary class. Don’t. Let yourself be honest and vulnerable. How might your own background, travel or education have colored your response? You are invited to include that as well.

These postings need to be made by midnight on Thursday.

(40% of final grade)

Rubric for end of the semester paper

Take the issues raised in one of our films. Gather together 5 additional sources on that issue and/0r film-maker. Those sources should together give an overview of the roots of this issue/ where the issue stands now/ whether one can make a reasonable argument that the issue is moving towards resolution. Also please include an analysis of the issues standing in the way of resolution. The paper should be from 8-12 pages in length (2000-3000 words in length). All topics must be approved by Professor Hanly at least three weeks before they are due. 

 Please note, the quality of the paper is going to be based on the excellence of your sources.

Alternatively, take one aspect of formal film aesthetics. (For example: use of sound, use of extreme close-up, use of shadow etal) and discuss how that technique has been used to develop  narrative in one of the director’s whose work we have explored this semester. If you chose, you might write on how one director’s use of one technique compares to another of our directors. Five additional sources must be used.  The paper should be from 8-12 pages in length (2000-3000 words in length). All topics must be approved by Professor Hanly at least three weeks before they are due. 

(Due date to be arranged)

(45% of final grade)

Please note: All written work must consistently adhere to a writing style manual of the student’s choice (e.g., Chicago, Turabian, MLA, etc.). You are advised to carefully proofread all papers before submitting them. (Students with deficient writing skills should consult the university’s free tutoring services: On-Campus Learning Center: PC 247; Online Learning Center: www.fiu.edu.)

You are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy of The Honors College and Florida International University