spring 2010 syllabus

CTD–3135–B

FILM AND LITERATURE

WED 9:00 AM TO 1:50 PM

INSTRUCTOR: DANIEL RICCUITO

THE OLDEST and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. These facts few psychologists will dispute, and their admitted truth must establish for all time the genuineness and dignity of the weirdly horrible tale as a literary form.

– H.P. Lovecraft

THE MONSTERS are very old. Perhaps as old as man himself. Their pictures are found in prehistoric drawings on the walls of caves. They have come to us in the myths of Asia and Asia Minor; in the folktales of Europe; in the stories and legends of the New World. The idea of monsters exists in every culture; their prevalence is universal, their persistence nothing short of phenomenal.

– Judith Taylor Gold

SO HERE I am in the end, a middle-aged man quietly living the life of a Godzilla geek, finding that I place perhaps way too much significance in a collection of silly monster pictures. But what else am I supposed to use to understand the world? Religion? Politics? Economics? It makes just as much—even more—sense to me to use a guy in a rubber suit stomping on a balsa wood city. – Jim Knipfel

This spring in Film and Literature, we track monster origins, from genre horror movies to the weird and ancient lore that inspired them. Robots, revenant spirits, giant insects – we cover the gamut. To arm us with scholarship, there’s David Kalat’s brilliant book, A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series. Oh yes, the big G… Symbol of atomic radiation and decimated cities… not to mention America… a living compound myth that kills yet never dies… Other excerpted readings include: Supernatural Horror in Literature by H.P. Lovecraft; Monsters and Madonnas by Judith Taylor Gold; Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women by Ricky Jay; The Grand Guignol by Mel Gordon; Madness in the Making by David Lindsay; Gojira: A Purposeful Grimace by Jim Knipfel.

Films screened in class:

Tetsuo, the Iron Man by Shinya Tsukamoto; Gojira by Ishiro Honda; Punishment Park by Peter Watkins; It’s Alive by Larry Cohen; Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Rouben Mamoulian; The Island of Lost Souls by Erie C. Kenton; The Vampire by Jean Painleve; Death Race 2000 by Paul Bartel; Black Sunday by Mario Bava; Black Sabbath by Mario Bava; Lisa and the Devil by Mario Bava; The Horror of Dracula by Terence Fisher; No Such Thing by Hal Hartley…and miscellaneous short films by Georges Melies, Leslie Thornton, Ken Jacobs, Germaine Dulac, Stan Brakhage, Stuart Blackton, Winsor McCay

Required Reading (novels and expanded experiments in fiction):

The Buzzing by Jim Knipfel; Maldoror by the Comte de Lautreamont; Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson; The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

Writing Requirements/Exams:

One five-page paper due at semester’s end, and the final exam

Attendance Policy:

After 3 absences you will be automatically dropped from the course!

Lateness to class will be considered a half-absence!

Learning Disabled (LD) Students

To take an untimed test with or without a computer, eligible LD students must make arrangements with the instructor a full two weeks in advance. Otherwise requests cannot be honored.

Plagiarism Statement

In order to protect the academic integrity of the Humanities and Sciences curriculum, our departmental policy on plagiarism has been revised to insure that repeat-offenders are identified and subjected to the appropriate disciplinary action. Beginning September 2007, all confirmed cases of plagiarism will be forwarded to and kept on file by the Provost’s Office. First-time offenders will continue to be faced with either a failing grade for the plagiarized paper or a failure for the course; repeat offenders will additionally be subjected to disciplinary action which may result in suspension or expulsion from the college.

A final grade of X+ (withdrawal without failure) will not be considered an appropriate option in cases of confirmed plagiarism.

The new plagiarism policy will be published in the SVA Student Handbook as well as included on all Humanities and Sciences course syllabi.

In order to avoid plagiarism, you need only refer to the following rules of the road:

When you quote, paraphrase or summarize ideas -- whether from a periodical, book, interview or from non-print or electronic sources -- you must cite the source. Use in-text citation (in parentheses) after the quotation, summary or paraphrase, giving the last name of the author and the page(s), or one word from the title of the work and the page(s). On the final page of your own paper, include a bibliography that lists all sources you have used. Include the author's name, the title of the work, and the publication information (publisher's name; place and date of publication.). For more information consult your instructor or an MLA guide.