Required readings by week/film:

Week 1: Goodbye, Lenin!

"East of Eden", an extended review in Sight and Sound by Dina Iordanova

Week 2: The World

"An Interview With Jia Zhangke" in Senses of Cinema. The director talks to Valerie Jaffee about his most recent film, The World

Jia Zhangke, an article on the director in Senses of Cinema by Kevin Lee

Week 4: 06/05 (The Sixth of May)

"Theo Van Gogh," an article abour the director's life and works (from Wikipedia).

Recommended readings:

"Pim Fortuyn," an article on the politician featured in the film (from Wikipedia).

Also, log on to WebCT, and click on "Readings" for an article on immigration in Holland.

Week 5: Le Grand Voyage

“The Road Movie,” an article by Sam North in Hackwriters: The International Writers Magazine. Please, make sure you read both parts one and two - the article is long, but you will need to have read it to answer the discussion question for this week, and to pass the quiz.

The Introduction to CarrieTarr's Reframing Difference: Beur and Banlieu Filmmaking in France. Please, log on to WebCT, and click on "Readings" for the full text.

Week 6: The Syrian Bride

Please, check out the website for the film. For more readings, log on to WebCT on Saturday night.

Week 7: Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinematheque

Please, check out WebCT for required readings.

Week 8: The Pianist

Wojtek Kość. “Weirdness Through Simplicity.” Kinoeye, Dec. 2002.

Sheila Skaff. “The Birdcage is Empty: Further Thoughts on Roman Polanski’s The Pianist.” Kinoeye, Feb. 2003.

Gordana Crnković. “From the Eye to the Hand: The Victim’s Double Vision in the Films of Roman Polanski.” Kinoeye, Nov. 2004.

Week 9: Another Road Home (sorry, no readings this week)

Week 10: The Beautiful Country

Read the timeline of the Vietnam War on Modern Poetry's website.

Also, log on to WebCT, and click on "Readings" for two articles on the Vietnam War film as a subgenre.

Week 11: Hotel Rwanda

Read "Ghosts of Rwanda," a PBS presentation on the Rwandan genocide.

For detailed and very accessible information on Hutu-Tutsi relations before and during the genocuide, please read the lesson plan designed by WCL students (pdf document).

Week 12: Romantico

Read a basic overview of the Mariachi tradition from the Puro Mariachi website.

Recommended reading: "The Aural Border," an article by Josh Kun in the Theatre Journal (2000).

Please, check out WebCT for other readings.

Week 13: The White Diamond

Read "The Minnesota Declaration" available on Herzog's website (click on last item in box on top right corner).

Read the New Yorker article on Herzog, available through WebCT.

Final papers are due on May 22 at noon in TAs' mailboxes.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!

Other assignments:

You are expected to submit a 2-page response paper on roughly every other film you see (a total of 6 response papers for the semester). The response paper has to address the discussion question listed on the syllabus. The purpose of the response paper is to make you think critically about the film you've seen before the class discussion the following day. The response paper is not a formal research paper, however, it has to develop a coherent argument. This means that you need to focus it on one aspect of the film (preferably what the discussion questions ask for). Please, give good examples without retelling the plot of the film (assume that your reader has seen the movie), and don't forget to think in 3-D: talk about how ideas are conveyed cinematically in the film.

Response papers can be handed in (hard copy; typed) during discussion on the day following the screening of the respective film; or, they can be uploaded on WebCT in electronic format.

To submit electronically: 1) Log on to WebCT. 2) Go to "Assignments." 3) Find the assignment you want to submit, and click on its title. 4) On the next screen, click on "upload file." 5) Find the file on your computer or disc; upload. Please make sure your file is one of the following formats: pdf, html, MS Word doc.

Please note, no late papers will be accepted, regardless of the reason for the delay.