TEACHING: “Bright Lights, Global Cities" @ CCA, Fall 2010 (abridged syllabus)

 

This semester (Fall 2010), I'm teaching three courses @ the California College of the Arts. "Bright Lights, Global Cities" is brand new. Here's the abridged syllabus:

 

California College of the Arts

 “Bright Lights, Global Cities"

VISST 200-03

Fall Semester, 2010

Prof. Matteo Bittanti

 

   photo credit: Marco Cendron/Title Design

Meeting Place & Time:

B1, Oakland Campus

Monday/Wednesday 4:00 - 5:30 PM

Start Date: 07 September 2010

End Date: 17 December 2010

 

Office hours by appointment-only:

Please contact Matteo Bittanti via email

 

1. Course Description

How has our understanding of cities been informed, influenced, transformed by the cinematic image? Why do the city play such a crucial role in a surprisingly high number of films? Is the city inherently cinematic?

The city is one of the greatest unsung heroes in cinema – a modernist inspiration for silent classics such as Metropolis (1927) and a dense urban jungle in Do The Right Think (1989) – yet there have been relatively few attempts to grasp the cultural and aesthetic nature of its role in film. "Bright Lights, Global Cities" examines the conditions of modernity, postmodernity, and globalization through the lens of film. Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris, Vienna, Buenos Aires, Milan, and San Francisco: these cities, among other fictional ones, will provide case studies with which to evaluate work by several contemporary filmmakers.

This course will investigate the complex and enduring relationship between film and urbanism, and how early cinema, digital technology, and changing urban geographies have all impacted upon notions and representations of the modern city. 

The format of the class will place emphasis on critical readings of the visual material as well as a lecture component that will attempt to contextualize each week’s case study.  Students will be required to identify and discuss both in class and in their critical writings the connections between cityscapes and filmscapes, visual culture and urbanism, sociology and anthropology.

This course emphasizes the following learning outcomes:

• Visual Literacy: Students will learn the key components of interpretive film analysis (including the vocabulary and methods common to each mode of inquiry). They will generate analyses that synthesize discussions of a given film's formal properties and its relation to specific urban contexts.
• Interdisciplinarity: Students will understand various ways in which film aesthetics intersect with other areas of social and cultural history.
• Methods of Critical Analysis: Students will learn to identify, actively engage with, and carry out interpretive analyses of individual films.
• Written and Verbal Communication: Students will continue to hone their communication skills by presenting their ideas in different types of writing assignments and within class discussions.
• Professional development: In class discussions and through their written submissions, students will present their ideas in a manner that meets professional standards.

2. Prerequisites

VISST-104, VISST-108; You need to complete the following first year CORE and H&S requirements before advancing further in your major; Drawing, 2D, 3D, 4D, English 1, Foundations in Critical Studies or English 2, Intro to the Arts and Intro to the Modern Arts.

3. Evaluation

Final grades will be determined as follows:

• Attendance, participation (both in class and online): 20%
• “Notes on the Cinematic City”: 30%
• Oral presentations: 10%
• Final paper: 40%

One of the primary goals of this class is to help the students develop a critical eye. This class presents elements of both a seminar and a lecture course.  As such, students will be asked to participate regularly. Participation constitutes 20% of the final grade, so the more input on the student' part, the better.

Assignments are described in the "Course Assignment" section that follows the bibliography & filmography.

4. Required Texts

4.1 Bibliography

In the first part of the semester, we will read and discuss Nezar AlSayyad's Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real (London: Routledge, 2006) in its entirety. After solidifying the core concepts and ideas, we will then proceed by reading and examining essays and critiques on specific films. A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker will be our style guide.  

Required books:

 1) Nezar AlSayyad, Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006.

2) Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference (6^th Edition) – (available at Blick Art)

Required essays:

In addition to the above mentioned books, a series of essays will be available online on a weekly basis on the class' blog. Students are required to collect the reading material from the blog.

• Amy Siciliano, "La haine: Framing the ‘Urban Outcasts’", ACME, 2007.

• Clifford Hilo, "Negotiating Global/Local Identities: Jia Zhang-ke's The World", Mediascape, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Spring 2007, Vol. 1, no. 3.

• Erik Syngle, "Love Me Tonight: Before Sunrise", Reverse Shot, Summer 2004.

• Giuliana Bruno, “Siteseeing: The Cine City,” in Atlas Of Emotion: Journeys in Art, Architecture and Film, New York: Verso, 2002, pp. 14-42.

• Hsu Shih-Szu, "Queer Spatial Lessons in Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together", Journal of Asian Visual Studies, 2007.

• Jeremy Tambling, Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together, University of Washington Press, 2003 (excerpt).

• John Foot, "Divided Cinema: Milan and Cinema 1945-2000", in Milan Since the Miracle. City, Culture and Identity, New York: Berg, 2001, pp. 71-85.

• Jonathan Romney, "Italian Cinema. The Food of Love", Sight & Sound, May 2010.

• Mitchell Schwarzer, “Film,” in Zoomscape, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004, pp.206-253.

• Qiuzheng Xiang "Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation: A Tourist Romance and Its Representation of Tourist Spatial Experience", Journal of Asian Visual Studies, 2006.

• Wendy Haslem, "Neon Gothic: Lost in Translation", Senses of Cinema - Issue 31 Apr-Jun 2004.

Additional, optional essays/papers/articles will be provided by the instructor.

4.2 Filmography

The students will be responsible to collect and watch prior to class all the required films. The instructor will provide copies of the movies in advance - those who have Netflix, Mubi.com accounts, or other means of watching the films should do so. This course covers both Hollywood productions and foreign productions. Expect subtitles.

For instance, on Wednesday September 15 we will be discussing Modern Times & Berlin: Symphony of a Great City in class. That means that you should have already watched these movies before that date. On Sept 15 2010, we will show and discuss selected clips from these (and other) movies in the classroom, but we will not watch the entire feature due to time constraints.

On film watching and film criticism: When viewing a film for an assignment, some students are inclined to discuss is almost exclusively on evaluative criteria. Usually, their assessments are based in the idea that a successful film should provide its audience with an entertaining viewing experience.  While it is certainly true that many films have been made in order to serve as popular entertainment, in this course students are required to concern themselves with other issues relevant to the academic study of the cinema. This is not a “film appreciation” or film criticism course; it is a course designed to introduce students to think and possibly understand the multifaceted relationship between concepts like modernity, postmodernity, globalization and the film medium. Analytic thinking and informed inquisitiveness about the cinema are encouraged in this class; but the expression of subjective judgments based in taste or personal preference should not play a part in any of your contributions as a student.  At every level of discourse – class discussions, written submissions, online comments etc. – students should be demonstrating that they are attempting to ask pertinent questions and hone their analytic skills.

The films:

Title	Director	Year	Country
Annie Hall	Woody Allen	1977	USA
Before Sunrise	Richard Linklater	1995	USA
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City	Walter Ruttmann	1927	Germany
Blade Runner	Ridley Scott	1982	USA
Brazil	Terry Gilliam	1985	UK
Cinema Paradiso	Giuseppe Tornatore	1988	Italy
Do The Right Thing	Spike Lee	1989	USA
Falling Down	Joel Schumacher	1993	USA
Chun gwong cha sit  - Happy Together	Wong Kar-wai	1997	Hong Kong
Io sono l'amore - I Am Love	Luca Guadagnino	2009	Italy
It's a Wonderful Life	Frank Capra	1946	USA
La haine - The Hate	Mathieu Kassowitz	1995	France
Lost in Translation	Sofia Coppola	2003	USA
Manhattan	Woody Allen	1979	USA
Metropolis	Fritz Lang	1927	Germany
Modern Times	Charlie Chaplin	1936	USA
Mon Oncle	Jacques Tati	1958	France
My Beautiful Launderette	Stephen Frears	1985	UK
Playtime	Jacques Tati	1967	France
Pleasantville	Gary Ross	1998	USA
Rear Window	Alfred Hitchcock	1954	USA
Sliver	Phillip Noyce	1993	USA
Taxi Driver	Martin Scorsese	1976	USA
The End of Violence	Wim Wenders	1997	USA/Germany
Shijie - The World	Zhang Ke Jia	2005	China
Truman Show	Peter Weir	1998	USA

5. Assignment Instructions

Students are required to write and submit two kinds of written assignments: "Notes on the Cinematic City" and a final essay.

Both assignments must be typed, using 12 pt. Times New Roman or Georgia font, and the text on each page must be double-spaced, with one-inch margins. All written work should be formatted according to the standards outlined in The Chicago Manual of Style. Additional information pertaining the assignments is illustrated in section 6.2.

5.1 Notes on the Cinematic City" (due: Mondays & Wednesdays by noon - from Sept 15 2010 till Dec 1 2010)

Students are required to submit a series of “Notes on the Cinematic City” – critiques of the films and readings devoted to each city. These short analyses should be no longer than two double-spaced pages in length. As a critical analysis, this assignment should not summarize/describe the narrative elements of film but rather analyze and synthesize the material in light of your response to the primary question of this class:

How does this particular film address the city as a manifestation of modernity, postmodernity and/or globalization? What does it say (or not say) about life in these urban spaces?

In most cases, your critique will focus on a single movie. There are three exceptions: on Sept 15, Oct 20 and Oct 25 you will be required to analyze, discuss, compare & contrast two movies. See the class schedule for more information.

In all cases, you should present a clear argument regarding the frame and scope of the cinematic project in question, in view of its strengths and limitations, making full use of the bibliographic resources provided. Your own comments should be a response to both the director's effort and the critic's (or critics') analysis of such effort.

In other words, your entries should accomplish two main objectives: 1) they should demonstrate to the instructor that you are actively analyzing the films you watch, and 2) they should indicate that you are connecting ideas or information found in the readings, lectures, and/or class discussions to the films themselves.  They should not include summaries of the films you watched. Remember: this is not a review.

Suggestions:

1) Take detailed notes while you're watching the film in order to discuss significant features of the film in relation to the city or specific urban elements depicted that caught your attention as a viewer.

2) Write your critique so that it reflects your thoughts about not only the film but also any of the larger contexts provided either through the readings or in class. Demonstrate that you are paying careful attention to the film and to the conceptual information to which you have been introduced. Focus on the description of only those aspects of film form that you want to analyze, and try as often as possible to consider important concepts, theories, or ideas. Never summarize the plot of the film in your entry. If you do mention plot and story elements, discuss only those who are strictly connected to ideas pertaining to the theories discussed in class and in the readings (e.g. alienation, anomie, simulation etc.)

3) As with every written assignment, focus on the clear communication of your original thoughts and observations. Don't merely replicate what you've heard in class or what you've read.

4) Your entries should not be impressionistic, stream-of-conscious style commentaries; organize your thoughts before you write and keep your entries as focused as possible.  Your analysis should not address every major element of the film you watched. Don't attempt to write about the entire film or every one of its major narrative, stylistic, or thematic features.  And, of course, never evaluate the film as a critic would.

Evaluation: "Notes on the cinematic city" will not receive individual letter grades. Each submission will be given one of the following grades:

• v+ [above average]     
• v [average]    
• v- [below average]        
• I [incomplete/late/missing]

At the end of the semester, each student receives one letter grade for the "cinematic notes" as a whole.

Any student who receives an "I" grade for more than three submissions (and has no legitimate medical excuse) fails this assignment for the entire semester.

"Notes on the cinematic city" are due each Monday and Wednesday by noon. Please email your written assignment to the instructor. The email must contain the assignment as an attachment (.DOC or RTF., no .PDF allowed) and as plain text pasted into the body of the message.

All contributions will be posted and the blog to encourage transparency and to foster the conversation.

5.2. "Final Paper" (due: Dec 15 2010)

There will be one final paper (10-12 pages) due on the last day of class. Students will need to analyze a film (or a series of films) set in a specific city, using the concepts, ideas, and methods of analysis encountered during the semester. The instructor will suggest several possible movies to analyze, but students are encouraged to be pro-active and come up with their own proposal.

Before submitting a final paper, students will be required to write and submit a final paper proposal. Such proposal should be at least one page long and describe your interpretative goals and the rationale behind your film(s) choices.

The recommendations for "Notes on the Cinematic City" also apply to the final paper.

Evaluation: Your final paper will receive individual letter grades.

The final paper is due by December 15 at 4 PM. Please email your written assignment to the instructor. The email must contain the assignment as an attachment (.DOC or RTF., no .PDF allowed). A written copy should also submitted brevi manu in class on December 15. There will be no make-up final papers.

3. "Final Presentation" (due: December 6-13 2010)

In addition to the final paper, students are required to give one oral presentation based on their critical essay. Depending on the number of students enrolled, the duration of the presentation will range from 10 to 15 minutes. The students are strongly encouraged to make full use of audio-visual resources for their presentation (film clips, slideshows of still images, powerpoint etc.). All students are expected to comment on their peers' presentations. Please note that the presentation is due up to a week before the submission of the final paper, so plan ahead. Students are expected to collect and use the equipment needed for their presentation (e.g. a laptop and the required software). There will be no make-up presentations.

6. Writing Recommendations, Assignment Regulations, Classroom Conduct & Attendance Guidelines (modeled after Federico Windhausen's rules of engagement)

6.1 Writing Recommendations

1)      Always make sure to italicize the title of each artwork film you mention. In an essay or paper, you must also provide its official year of production/display in parentheses (sans italics), but only the first time you mention the work. Ex: Blade Runner (1982).

2)      Students should use secondary sources judiciously. It will be easy to locate informative and/or interpretive texts about the films we view in class. In footnotes (if necessary) and a bibliography, cite any and all texts that provided you with contextual, historical, biographical, or interpretive information which impacted upon your understanding and interpretation of the work.  Make sure to format your citations correctly, according to the standards outlined in A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker.

3)      Some works of art are more readily grasped once relevant contextual, historical, or biographical information has been considered.  Students must avoid relying heavily upon received interpretations when presenting their own analyses of films, however. Someone else’s interpretive analysis should not substitute for or eclipse your own.

4)      Another cautionary note on plagiarism, written by another professor (Murray Sperber, of Indiana University at Bloomington) but thoroughly applicable to this class: "An experienced...teacher can easily tell the difference between original student writing and plagiarized work. Because you will have to write various exercises in class, I will have an excellent idea of your true writing abilities. Thus, when you turn in longer pieces of writing -- although more careful and polished than your in-class work -- they will still reflect your abilities. Your writing is like your signature, unique to you. To turn in someone else's writing -- published critic, friend, tutor, doofus on the Web -- is foolish, easily recognized, an insult to your instructor and fellow students, and a good way to get yourself into serious trouble."  Heed those words.

5)      I will hold students to high standards of spelling and grammatical usage. Proofread carefully.

6)      Avoid slang, jargon, and colloquialisms. "LOL", "ROTLF" et similia are strictly forbidden.

7)      Use prepositional phrases sparingly, and never end a sentence with a preposition.

8)      Eliminate all contractions (e.g., doesn't, isn't, don't, won't).

9)      Discuss the actions of works of art in the present tense, and the activity of the artist in the past tense.

       Example: The director allowed the actors to conduct themselves in a scene that proceeds without cuts. Partly as a consequence of the lack of editing, the acting in that scene seems especially naturalistic, imbued with the flows and rhythms of everyday social interaction.

10)   Avoid the use of intensifiers (e.g., absolutely, extremely, very, interestingly) and vague phrases (e.g., somewhat, to some degree, more or less, seems, appears) whenever possible.

11)   Avoid the use of passive voice or forms of the verb "to be." Replace both with active verbs.

        Example 1: Landscapes were understood as more than innocent depictions of nature.

        Revision: Many contemporary scholars and critics understood landscape paintings as more than         innocent depictions of nature.

        Example 2: The film premiered in 1965.

        Revision: The MGM studio released the film in 1965.

        Example 3: The color blue is seen throughout the mise-en-scene.

        Revision: The color blue dominates the mise-en-scene.

12)   Do not make qualitative judgments about the works or the artists you choose to analyze in your essay and weekly entries.

        Example: Citizen Kane is a great film.

13)   Make your last paragraph conclusive, without being repetitive. Do not simply regurgitate your introduction, and keep any summary of your paper to no more than two sentences. Instead, try to talk about your topic in a new way. This may be a time to discuss the importance or the implications of your argument or essay (think of this as the "so what?" factor).

14)   If you are looking for a helpful book on grammatical rules and norms please rely on A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker.

15)   If you anticipate that you will have problems with spelling and/or grammar, see a writing counselor as soon as possible.  The earlier you establish a relationship with someone who can help you, the sooner your work will improve.

16)   Problems guaranteed to result in a lower grade for your essay:

a)      Too much description, not enough analysis (or, sketchy descriptions that are not clearly linked to points made in the analysis; or, too much opinion and not enough analysis)

b)      Lack of coherence, either linguistic (poor grammar; misusing Spell Check [selecting the wrong word for your intended meaning]; weak overall grasp of written English) or conceptual (the various parts of the paper are not clearly connected; transitions between paragraphs or points are weak or disjunctive)

c)       An excessive reliance on quotations (as when they are used to appropriate analytic points that the student does not complement with his or her own analyses; or when they are inserted into the text without further explanation of the quotation's main points in the student's own words)

d)      Super-sized margins or font, pictures inserted into the main body of the paper, and various other page-augmentation tricks

6.2 Assignment Regulations

1)      Students who are absent for a class in which an assignment is due and whose absence cannot be accounted for by a medical professional must email the assignment to me by 11 p.m. on the day it is due. The email must contain the assignment as an attachment and as plain text pasted into the body of the message. (If my word processing program cannot open your emailed document and you did not include the plain text version in your message to me, the assignment will be counted as late and graded down.)

2)      For each week that an assignment is overdue, the final grade of the late submission will be lowered by one full letter grade.  So, a paper that is submitted two weeks late by a student who cannot provide a valid medical excuse (and who did not attempt to meet my email requirements) will first be graded without consideration of the penalty.  Once the initial grade is determined, it will be lowered for the paper's final grade.  Thus, an A paper submitted two weeks late becomes a C paper.

3)      Students who know ahead of time that they will not be able to meet these requirements on a particular date must contact me. Students who claim illness after the due date will always be required to provide medical verification.

4)      Furthermore, any assignment (late or otherwise) sent to me over email must adhere to the format described above. 

5)      No student is automatically allowed a revision of an assignment that received a low grade.  I make decisions about revisions on a case-by-case basis.

6)      Students who produce work under the assumption that the assignments for this class are less important than those for their studio classes will be duly penalized. The demands that this course makes on your time are to be taken seriously. From the very beginning of the semester, you will be expected to plan ahead, taking into account the fact that assignments for studio classes can be exceptionally time-consuming.

6.3 Classroom Conduct & Attendance Guidelines

1)      Promptness is a basic requirement. Persistent lateness lowers your class participation grade considerably.

2)      Students cannot use electronic devices during class. Note-taking on a laptop is not allowed. Cell phones should always be shut off.

3)      Sleeping, chatting in the back of the room, reading external materials, working on external projects during the class session - any of these can result in immediate ejection from the class.

4)      Any student with more than two unexcused absences during the semester will find that each additional absence, after the second, lowers his or her class participation grade by one full letter. In other words, the third unexcused absence would lower a B+ to a C+; the fourth would result in an F.

5)      Students are not allowed to eat during class. 

6)      Students who miss a class must collect the material discussed in class. In most cases, such material will be available on the class blog. At any rate, always make sure to contact me via email about the availability of such materials.

 

7. Class Schedule

Date	Topic	Film	City	Readings
Wed Sept 8	Introduction, syllabus walk-though	NA	NA	Nezar AlSayyad, "Introduction: The Cinematic City and the Quest for the Modern" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006, pp. 1 -17.
Mon Sept 13	Key Concepts Presentation	Various clips: Cinematic San Francisco	San Francisco	Mitchell Schwarzer, “Film,” in Zoomscape, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004, pp.206-253;   Giuliana Bruno, “Siteseeing: The Cine City,” in Atlas of Emotion: Journeys in Art, Architecture and Film, New York: Verso, 2002, pp. 14-42.
Wed Sept 15	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   first "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Modern Times/ Berlin: Symphony of a Great City excerpts from Walter Ruttmann, "Opus I" (1921) and "Opus IV" (1925) The Matrix (Wachowski Brothers, 1999) Henry Ford's promotional documentaries (1915-1920) Fordlandia interview on democracynow.org Julien Temple's Requiem for Detroit (2010) Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will (1935)	Berlin	Nezar AlSayyad, "Industrial Modernity: the Flaneur and the Tramp in the Early Twentieth-Century City" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp.19- 33 (Chapter 1).
Mon Sept 20	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	It's a Wonderful Life	Bedford Falls (fictional)	Nezar AlSayyad, "Urbanizing Modernity: The Traditional Cinematic Small Town" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 45-70 (Chapter 2).
Wed Sept 22	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Cinema Paradiso	Giancaldo, Sicily (fictional)
Mon Sept 27	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Metropolis	Metropolis (fictional)	Nezar AlSayyad, "Chapter 3: Orwellian Modernity: Utopia/Dystopia and the City of the Future Past" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 71-96 (chapter 3).
Wed Sept 29	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Brazil	Brazil (fictional)
Mon Oct 4	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Mon Oncle	Parisian suburbs	Nezar AlSayyad, "Cynical Modernity of the Modernity of Cynicism" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 97-121 (Chapter 4).
Wed Oct 6	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Playtime	Parisian suburbs
Mon Oct 11	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Blade Runner	Los Angeles	Nezar AlSayyad, "From Postmodern Condition to Cinematic City" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp.121-145 (Chapter 5). Iain Borden, "Driving" in Matthew Beaumont and Gregory Dart, Restless Cities, London: Verso, 2010 99-123. (especially recommended forFalling Down)
Wed Oct 13	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Falling Down	Los Angeles
Mon Oct 18	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Rear Window	New York	Nezar AlSayyad, "Voyeuristic Modernity: The Lens, the Screen, and the City" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 147-168 (Chapter 6).
Wed Oct 20	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Sliver/The End of Violence	New York/Los Angeles
Mon Oct 25	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Annie Hall/Manhattan	New York	Nezar AlSayyad, "The City Through Different Eyes: The Modernity of the Sophisticate and the Misfit" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 169-188 (Chapter 7).
Wed Oct 27	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Taxi Driver	New York
Mon Nov 1	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Do The Right Thing	New York	Nezar AlSayyad, "An Alternate Modernity: Race, Ethnicity, and the Urban Experience" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 189-210 (Chapter 8)
Wed Nov 3	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	My Beautiful Launderette	London
Mon Nov 8	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Pleasantville	Pleasantville (fictional)	Nezar AlSayyad, "Exurban Postmodernity: Utopia, Simulacra, and Hyperreality" in Cinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real, London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 211- 239 (Chapter 9 + Epilogue).
Wed Nov 10	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Truman Show	Trumania (fictional)
Mon Nov 15	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Happy Together	Buenos Aires	Required: Hsu Shih-Szu, "Queer Spatial Lessons in Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together", 2007;  Jeremy Tambling, Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together, University of Washington Press, 2003, 23-33, 77-93. Optional: Stephen Theo, "Wong's Buenos Aires Affair: Happy Together", in Wong-Kar Wai, Lond
Wed Nov 17	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Before Sunrise	Vienna	Erik Syngle, "Love Me Tonight: Before Sunrise", Reverse Shot, Summer 2004.
Mon Nov 22	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon   Final paper proposal due	Lost in Translation	Tokyo	Wendy Haslem, "Neon Gothic: Lost in Translation", Senses of Cinema - Issue 31 Apr-Jun 2004; Qiuzheng Xiang "Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation: A Tourist Romance and Its Representation of Tourist Spatial Experience", 2006   Optional: Homay King , "Lost in Translation", Film Quarterly, Autumn 2005, Vol. 59, No. 1;
Wed Nov 24	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	The World	Beijing	Clifford Hilo, "Negotiating Global/Local Identities: Jia Zhang-ke's The World", Mediascape, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Spring 2007, Vol. 1, no. 3.
Mon Nov 29	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	La haine	Paris	Amy Siciliano, "La haine: Framing the ‘Urban Outcasts’",  ACME, 2007.
Wed Dec 1	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	I Am Love	Milan	John Foot, "Divided Cinema: Milan and Cinema 1945-2000", in Milan Since the Miracle. City, Culture and Identity, New York:  Berg, 2001, pp. 71-85; Jonathan Romney, "Italian Cinema. The Food of Love", Sight & Sound, May 2010.
Mon Dec 6	Presentations (1 of 3)	Students' Presentations
Wed Dec 8	Presentations (2 of 3)	Students' Presentations
Mon Dec 13	Presentations (3 of 3)	Students' Presentations
Wed Dec 15	Conclusion/Wrap-Up	Final Papers Due