Film Studies (FILM) 409.2 - Lecture 01
Amateur Media from Kodak to YouTube
Fall 2008
W 13:00-15:50 (Lab), Th 15:00-16:50 (Lecture)

 

Instructor:	Dr. Charles Tepperman
Office Location:	SS 238
Office Phone:	220-7303
E-Mail:	c.tepperman@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	On Blackboard
Office Hours:	TBA

 

Additional Information

Attendance at both lectures and screenings, and informed participation are essential components of this course and will help determine your final grade. Students must come to class prepared to discuss the required reading. Some of the materials and topics presented in class may include explicit content (sex, violence or language). If these materials make you uncomfortable, you are encouraged to speak with the professor. You will not be exempt from any class assignments but we will work together to accommodate your concerns.

 

Course Description

This course explores the place of the amateur in film history and contemporary film culture. Despite their well-chronicled history as a popular, commercial medium, motion pictures were understood from their invention as an amateur medium as well. This course will examine the rise of amateur movies, home movies, and movie clubs; it will also situate developments in motion pictures alongside amateur activities in still photography, radio, theatre, as well as more recent online (blogs) and digital (Second Life) DIY activities.

Objectives of the Course

The goal of this course is to introduce a range of historical, theoretical and analytic tools for a consideration of amateur media. Each of these categories implies a different way of understanding the film text and film culture, and therefore requires a different research methodology. Consequently, a significant objective of this course is to develop the necessary skills and critical approaches for determining which of these methods and theories are most salient or productive in particular kinds of film studies research. Successful students in this course will learn not only how to synthesize and analyze these different approaches, but also how to put them into practice in self-directed research projects. Students will also develop the skills necessary to participate in an applied group project: Home Movie Day.

Textbooks and Readings:

Course readings will be available via the course website on Blackboard.

Assignments and Evaluation

Class participation:                                                                         10%

In-class presentation (ongoing):                                                        10%

Home Movie Day Group Project (Oct. 18; Report Due Oct 22):            25%

Mid-term Exam (Due Nov. 12):                                                     25%

Final Research Project (Due Dec. 12):                                         30%

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  NO
 
Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

(Revised, effective September 2008)

 

	Grading Scale
A+	96-100
A	90-95.99
A -	85-89.99
B+	80-84.99
B	75-79.99
B-	70-74.99
C+	65-69.99
C	60-64.99
C-	55-59.99
D+	53-54.99
D	50-52.99
F	0-49

 

Where a grade on a particular assignment is expressed as a letter grade, it will normally be converted to a number using the midpoint of the scale.  That is, A- would be converted to 87.5 for calculation purposes.  F will be converted to zero.

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see

The Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics site: http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/ethics

or the University of Calgary Research Ethics site: http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/info/undergrad/

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

The complete schedule of Lectures and Readings for this course will be posted on Blackboard.