TEACHING: CCA Spring 2012: "Bright Lights, Global Cities"

Here's the abridged syllabus for the second course I'm teaching at CCA this semester, Bright Lights, Global Cities.

 

^{California College of the Arts}

 ^{“Bright Lights, Global Cities"}

^{VISST 200-03}

^{Spring Semester, 2012}

^{Prof. Matteo Bittanti}

Meeting Place & Time:

San Francisco Campus, Graduate Building, G3

Mondays 4:00 - 7:00 PM

Start Date: Monday January 23 2012

End Date: Monday April 30 2012

 

Office Hours by Appointment:

Please contact Matteo Bittanti

via email: [email protected]

 

  

 

1. Course Description

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 Thing (1989) – yet there have been relatively few attempts to grasp its cultural and aesthetic significance in film. "Bright Lights, Global Cities" examines the conditions of modernity, postmodernity, and globalization through the lens of film. Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris, Buenos Aires, and San Francisco: these cities, among other fictional ones like Trumania o Pleasantville, will provide case studies with which to evaluate work by several contemporary filmmakers.

How has our understanding of cities been informed, influenced, and transformed by the cinematic image? Why does the city play such a crucial role in cinema? Is the city inherently cinematic?

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, postmodern, and global 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 studies. Students will be required to identify and discuss both in class and in their critical writings the connections between cityscapes and cinescapes, 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. Required Texts

3.1 Bibliography

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.

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 required essays will be available online on a weekly basis on the class' blog. See the schedule for more information.

3.2 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, Hulu accounts, or other means of watching the films should do so. This course covers both Hollywood productions and foreign productions. Expect subtitles.

For example, on Monday February 6 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 film watching and film criticism: When viewing a film for an assignment, some students tend to rely 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 inany 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.

Filmography - full list:

Title	Director	Year	Country
Annie Hall	Woody Allen	1977	USA
Babel	Alejandro González Iñárritu	2006	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
It's a Wonderful Life	Frank Capra	1946	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
Truman Show	Peter Weir	1998	USA
Shìjiè -The World	Jia Zhang-ke	2004	China

Additional required audiovisual texts => documentaties:

• Bill Cunningham New York, Richard Press, USA, 2010. (excerpts). 
• Los Angeles Plays Itself, Thom Andersen, USA, 2003. 
• Manufactured Landscapes, Jennifer Baichwal, USA, 2007. (excerpts). 
• Urbanized, Gary Hustwit, USA, 2011. (excerpts). 
• Utopia London, Tom Cordell, UK, 2010. (excerpts). 
• The Interrupters, Steven James, USA, 2012.
• ...

And video artworks, including:

• Chip Lord, "Une Ville De l'Avenir", 2011
• Chip Lord, "In Transit", 2011
• Chip Lord, Movie Map", 2003
• ...

 

4. Written Assignments

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 a 12 pt. Arial font, Spacing: 1.5, excluding bibliography and footnotes, 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.

4.1 Notes on the Cinematic City" (due: each Monday by noon)

Students are required to submit a weekly “Notes on the Cinematic City” written assignment – a critique of the films and readings devoted to a specific theme (Modernity, Globalization etc.). These short analyses should be between 1000 - 1500 words. As a critical analysis, this assignment should not merely 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 living in these urban spaces?

In most cases, your critique will concentrate on two films There is one exception: on March 12 you will be required to analyze, discuss, compare & contrast three 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. Each entry should be accompanied by a bibliography.

To summarize, 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 and 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 as you watch the movie, in order to identify and later examine significant features of the film in relation to the city. Pay attention to the 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 thelarger contexts provided either through the readings or the lectures. 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. You are expected to critically engage with the material.

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:

• √+ [above average]     
• √ [average]    
• √- [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 no later than noon. Please email your written assignment to [email protected]. 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.

4.2 "Final Paper" (due: April 30 2012) 

Students are required to write an essay of 3500-4000 words (Font: Arial, Size: 12, Spacing: 1.5, 1 inch margins, excluding bibliography and footnotes). 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. During the course of 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 selection.

Before submitting a final paper, students will be required to write and submit a final paper proposal. Such proposal should be at least 1500 words long and include your interpretative goals and the rationale behind your film(s) choices. A bibliography is required. Examples will be provided. The proposal should be written with a 12 pt. Arial font, spacing: 1.5, excluding bibliography and footnotes, with one-inch margins.

The final proposal is due on March 26 2012 by 4 pm. The final proposal should be send via emaill to [email protected].

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 March 26 2012.

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 April 30 2012 at 4 pm.

Please email your written assignment to [email protected]. 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 April 30 2012. There will be no make-up final papers.

4.3. "Final Presentation" (due: April 23 and April 30 2012) 

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 15 to 20 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, in some cases, the presentation will be due a week before the submission of the final paper, so plan ahead.

Students are expected to collect and use the equipment needed for their final presentation (e.g. a laptop and the required software - the instructor will not provide such material).

There will be no make-up presentations.

 

5. Evaluation

Final grades will be determined as follows:

• Attendance, participation (both in class and online): 20%
• “Notes on the Cinematic City”: 30%
• Oral presentation: 15%
• Final Paper + Final Paper Proposal: 35%

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.

Students will be evaluated on the basis of the Visual Studies Assessment Grid (available on the class blog). Each area of assessment corresponds to the following numeric evaluation:

1      insufficient

2      developing skills

3      proficient skills

4      exceptional skills

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 onlythe 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. Texting is not allowed.

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 

Please note that the schedule is subject to change

Date	Topic	Film	City	Readings
January 23, 2012	Introduction, syllabus walk-though,	Los Angeles Plays Itself,Thom Andersen, USA, 2003.    Chip Lord, "Movie Map", 2003.	San Francisco & Los Angeles	N/A
January 30, 2012 Screening the City	Key Concepts Presentation			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.   Mitchell Schwarzer, “Film,” inZoomscape, 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.
February 6, 2012 Teutonic Dreams/Nightmares	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   First "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Modern Times/Berlin: Symphony of a Great City	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).
February 13, 2012 Small Town Boys	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	It's a Wonderful Life/Cinema Paradiso	Bedford Falls (fictional)/ Giancaldo, Sicily (fictional)	Nezar AlSayyad, "Urbanizing Modernity: The Traditional Cinematic Small Town" inCinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real,London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 45-70 (Chapter 2).
February 20, 2012 Utopia and Dystopia	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Metropolis/ Brazil	Metropolis (fictional)/ Brazil (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).   Ben Wheeler, "Reality is what you can get away with: fantastic imaginings, rebellion and control in Terry Gilliam's Brazil", Critical Survey 17.1, Jan 2005, 95-108.
February 27, 2012 Modernity and Its Discontents	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Mon Oncle/ Playtime	Paris and 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).   Joan Ockman, "Architecture in a Mode of Distraction: Eight Takes on Jacques Tati's Playtime", in Mark Lamster, Architecture and Film, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000,  171-195.   Laurent Marie, "Jacques Tati's Play Time as New Babylon", in Mark Shiel and Tony Fitzmaurice (Eds.), Cinema and the City. Film and Urban Societies in A Global Context, 255-270.
March 5, 2012 Postmodernism and Its Discontents	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Blade Runner/ Falling Down	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).   Elizabeth Mahoney, "The People in Parentheses. Space Under Pressure in the Postmodern City" in David Clarke (Ed.), The Cinematic City, London: Routledge, 1997. 169-187.   Stephen Rowley, "False LA. Blade Runner and the Nightmare City" in Will Brooker (Ed.) The Blade Runner Experience. The Legacy of a Science Fiction Classic, London: Wallflower Press. 2009, 203-213.   Peter Brooker, "Imagining the Real: Blade Runner and Discourses on the Postmetropolis" in Will Brooker (Ed.) The Blade Runner Experience. The Legacy of a Science Fiction Classic, London: Wallflower Press, 2009, 213-223.
March 12, 2012 Voyeurism, Scopophilia and Surveillance	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Rear Window/Sliver	New York/ Los Angeles	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).   Pamela Robertson Wojcik, "A Primer in Urbanism. Rear Window's Archetypal Apartment Plot", in The Apartment Plot, Urban Living in American Film and Popular Culture, 1945 to 1975, Durham, Duke University Press, 2010, 47-88.   Thomas Y. Levin, "Rhetoric of the Temporal Index: Surveillant Narration and the Cinema of Real Time", in Thomas Y. Levin, Ursula Frohne and Petre Weibel, CTRL [SPACE], Rhetorics of Surveillance from Bentham to Big Brother,Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002, 578-592.
March 19, 2012	No class, Spring Break
March 26, 2012 New York Stories	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon   Final paper proposal due by 4 pm	Home viewing: Annie Hall/Manhattan/ Taxi Driver     In-class screening: Bill Cunningham New York, Richard Press, USA, 2010. (excerpts).	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).   Leonard Quart, "Woody Allen's New York," Cineaste, December 1992, Vol. 19 Issue 2/3, 16-19.
April 2, 2012 Urban/Race	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Do The Right Thing/ My Beautiful Launderette	New York/London	Nezar AlSayyad, "An Alternate Modernity: Race, Ethnicity, and the Urban Experience" inCinematic Urbanism. A History of the Modern City from Reel to Real,London: Routledge, 2006 pp. 189-210 (Chapter 8)   Mónica Calvo Pascual, 'My Beautiful Laundrette: Hybrid "Identity", or the Paradox of Conflicting Identifications in "Third Space" Asian-British Cinema of the 1980s', Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies26, 2002, 59-70.
April 9, 2012 Virtual Cities	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	Pleasantville/ Truman Show	Pleasantville (fictional)/Trumania (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).   Henry Jenkins, "Looking at the City in The Matrix Franchise", in Andrew Webber and Emma Wilson (Eds.), Cities in Transition. The Moving Image and the Modern Metropolis, London: Wallflower Press.176-193.
April 16, 2012 Globalization	Presentation/Film Analysis/Discussion   Last "Notes on the Cinematic City" assignment due by noon	The World/ Babel   In-class viewing: Manufactured Landscapes, Jennifer Baichwal, USA, 2007. (excerpts).   Chip Lord, "In Transit", 2011	Beijing/Tokyo	Required reading: Mike Dillon, "Currencies of The World. Neoliberalism, National Cinema", in Dong Hoon Kim (Ed.)Transnationalism and Film Genres in East Asian Cinema, Spectator 29:2 (Fall 2009): 25-36..   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.   Paul Kerr, "Babel’s network narrative: packaging a globalized art cinema",  Transnational Cinemas, 2010, Vo. 1, No. 1, 37–51   Optional reading:   Yingjin Zhang, "Remapping Beijing: Polylocality, Globalization, Cinema", in Andreas Huyssen (Ed.). Other Cities, Other World: Urban Imaginaries in a Globalizing Age, Duke U Press, 2007.
April, 23 2012	Presentations (1 of 2)
April 30, 2012	Presentations (2 of 2)   Final paper due today at 4 pm.

Special thanks to Federico Windhousen.