Sexism in Hollywood.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course introduces the issues that feminist theories pose for the analysis of films and
culture. These issues are usually framed in reference to women’s access to and roles in the
production of media and women’s representation within these media. Correspondingly, the
course offers two major sections of investigation. First, we will explore the historical
development of women’s roles in the cinema as creative artists. Second, we will explore the
various ways in which women’s roles in the film industry intersect with the wider identity
political issues of race, class, sexuality, and national identity.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course is divided into weekly screenings and discussions of films created primarily by
film/video/media makers who self identify as women. You will have the opportunity to develop
and write a final essay on an appropriate topic of your choice, and to use this text to construct
a final video essay.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This course will introduce key issues that feminist theories pose for the analysis of films and
contemporary culture, emphasizing radical gestures in form, identity, fantasy and agency, and
provide a solid overview of the history of women’s place in film, both in front of and behind the
camera. By the end of the semester, students will be able to employ various critical
perspectives in order to analyze how a film represents gender and sexuality, will be able to
critique and evaluate an author’s thesis about the relations between feminism and film.
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***TRIGGER WARNINGS***:
Representations of: stalking, rape, domestic violence, illegal drug use, assault, sexism,
homophobia, transphobia, and murder. Sadly, many key films about and by women represent
these gendered realities. Take these films at your own pace. Feel free to step out of class if
material is too triggering. Be sure to communicate your concerns with me so we can come up
with a manageable plan.
PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE:
All students are expected to be active participants in their own and each other’s learning
process. SIMPLY SHOWING UP IS NOT “ATTENDING” or “PARTICIPATING”.
• Please make sure that all observations, comments, and criticisms are constructive,
respectful, and spoken in a neutral tone.
• Students may use laptops provided they are assisting in the educational process in the
moment. Please silence all electronic devices for the consideration of others.
• Please do not use social media or email during class if it is not relevant to the
topic/discussion at hand.
• Sleeping and side conversations in class are not permitted. Excessive occurrences will
lead to consequences at the professor’s discretion.
• You are allowed 2 unexcused absences. Any additional unexcused absence will lower
your final grade by one-half the letter.
• Arriving late to class is extremely disruptive both for your peers and for me. Be on time.
Three late arrivals (past 15 minutes) will equal one absence.
Students unwilling to comply with these policies will be asked to leave the class and will be
marked absent for that class period.

COMMUNICATING WITH ME:
There are 3 ways to be in touch with me:
1. Before or after class. If you would like to casually discuss homework, quizzes, essays,
absences etc. you can do so before or after class.
2. By appointment. You can set up an appointment to meet in my office via email. I am
happy to talk with you about the course – as well as your life goals and interests.
3. Via e-mail. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to e-mail me. I will ONLY respond
to e-mails that include a subject and a salutation. Please allow 24 hours for a response.
It is highly recommended that you make use of the Communications Library Study
Guide that is found at this link: https://johncabot.libguides.com/communications.
It is an introductory guide for communication and media studies, journalism and
cinema, and is extraordinarily valuable as a resource.
Course homepage: http://moodle.johncabot.edu/. Enrollment key: CMS353F19

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ASSESSMENT METHODS:
Attendance and participation 10%
Screening notes and weekly observations 10%
Literature review 10%
Research journal/dossier 5%
Design 5%
Final project draft 10%
Final research project 30%
Final video essay 20%
NOTE: STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS TO PASS THE COURSE
Successful students will become effective critical arguers through lectures, essay writing,
discussion, group work, and research. The grade expectations follow:

A: Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a
coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or
content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and
theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a
significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
B: This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or
problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory
and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own
arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material.
The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of
reading beyond the required assignments.
C: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but
limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
D: This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of
the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect,
the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
F: This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the
question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
EXPLANATION OF GRADES:
Grading will be done with letter grades using the 4.0 system. At present, Moodle calculates
this as a percentage, so a B is 3.0 and shows as 75% (3.0 out of 4.0). This means that
percentages that you may be used to will not translate in the same way. The table below
indicates how the grades are calculated.
A :: 4.0 :: 100%
A- :: 3.7 :: 93%
B+ :: 3.3 :: 83%
B :: 3.0 :: 75%
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B- :: 2.7 :: 68%
C+ :: 2.3 :: 58%
C :: 2.0 :: 50%
C- :: 1.7 :: 43%
D+ :: 1.3 :: 33%
D :: 1.0 :: 25%
D- :: 0.7 :: 18%
F :: 0.0 :: 0%
GRADING RUBRIC:
Papers will be graded using the following criteria (and judged whether excellent, good, fair,
needs work or insufficient):
1. Formatting (page numbers, bibliography, quotes, citations)
2. Sources (diverse, academic)
3. Organization (good transitions, definitions, structured argument)
4. Adherence to assignment guidelines (follows instructions, answers questions,
covers topic)
5. Clarity (thesis stated and supported with examples, evidence, background, context)
6. Understanding terms and grasp of concepts
7. Originality
8. Style (readable, lucid, flow, makes sense, creative, academic, command of English)
9. Grammar, spelling, typos, sentence structure
10. Effort, passion, interest

LATE WORK:
All work must be completed and submitted on time for full credit. Please get your work in on
time.

PLAGIARISM OR, HOW TO FAIL BY USING CUT & PASTE:
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writings as your own. It is
a serious problem and will not be tolerated. Internet plagiarism includes submitting
downloaded term papers or parts of term papers, paraphrasing or copying information from
the internet without citing the source, and “cutting & pasting” from various sources without
proper attribution.
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will
receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of
academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student
receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the
Dean of Academic Affairs.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES:
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students
with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term.
Please see the website for the complete policy.

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COURSE CALENDAR

Unit 1: Women’s Films and The Woman’s Film
1. MON, SEPT. 2: INTRODUCTIONS, CLASS POLICIES, CLASS EXPECTATIONS
Screenings
The Cabbage Fairy (Dir: Alice Guy-Blaché, France. 1896. 1 min.)
Video Essays
Alice Guy-Blaché: The First Filmmaker Nobody’s Heard Of (Fandor, 2017. 4 min.)
Frame by Frame: Alice Guy-Blaché (Wheeler Winston Dixon, 2010. 3 min)

For next class read:
Mick LaSalle, “Introduction”. Complicated Women. Sex and Power in Pre-Code
Hollywood. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002. 1-9.

2. WED, SEPT. 4: HISTORY OF THE FEMALE FILMMAKER
Screening
Suspense (Dir: Lois Weber, USA. 1913, 10 min)
Clips
Hypocrites (Dir: Lois Weber, USA. 1915)
The Smiling Madame Beudet (Dir: Germaine Dulac, France. 1923)
Female (Dir: Michael Curtiz, USA. 1933)
Baby Face (Dir: Alfred Green, USA. 1933)
Christopher Strong (Dir: Dorothy Arzner, USA. 1940)
Stella Dallas (Dir: King Vidor, USA. 1937)
Dance, Girl, Dance (Dir: Dorothy Arzner, USA. 1940)
Video Essays
The Herstory of the Female Filmmaker (Dir: Kelly Gallagher, USA. 2011. 15 min.)
3. MON, SEPT. 9: Screening
All That Heaven Allows (Dir: Douglas Sirk, USA. 1955. 89 min)
For next class read:
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Molly Haskell, “The Woman’s Film,” Feminist Film Theory. A Reader. New York: NYU,
1999, pp. 14-20.
Annette Kuhn, “Women’s Genres: Melodrama, Soap Opera and Theory”. Screen 25:1,
1984, pp. 18-28.
Optional Readings:
Judith Mayne, “Female Authorship Reconsidered,” The Woman at the Keyhole:
Feminism and Women’s Cinema (Indiana University Press, 1990), 89-123.
Jeanine Basinger, “The Genre” in A Woman’s View. How Hollywood Spoke to Women,
1930-1960. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993, pp. 3-23.
4. WED, SEPT. 11: CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD AND THE WOMAN’S FILM
Clips
It Happened One Night (Dir: Frank Capra, USA. 1934)
Imitation of Life (Dir: John. M. Stahl, USA,.1934)
Jezebel (Dir: William Wyler, USA, 1938)
Gone with the Wind (Dir: Victor Fleming, USA, 1939)
The Lady Eve (Dir: Preston Sturges, USA, 1941)
Mildred Pierce (Dir: Michael Curtiz, USA, 1945)
Adam’s Rib (Dir: George Cukor, USA, 1949)
All About Eve (Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, USA, 1950)
Video Essays
White Melodrama: An Appreciation of Douglas Sirk (RubyTuesday717, 2011, 3 min.)

Unit 2: The Gaze

5. MON, SEPT. 16: Screening
Vertigo (Dir: Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1958. 129 min.)
For next class read:
Laura Mulvey “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” Film Theory and Criticism:
Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP,
1999: 833-44.
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Tania Modleski, “Feminity by Design”. The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock
and Feminist Theory. New York: Methuen, 1988. 87-100.
Daisy Sheridan, “Judy, Please! It can’t matter to you!” Spectator desire beyond The
Male Gaze and Vertigo, 2016.
Optional Readings/Viewing:
E. Ann Kaplan, “Hollywood, Science, and Cinema: The Imperial and the Male Gaze in
Classic Film” (56- 98)
Mandy Merck, “Mulvey’s Manifesto”. Camera Obscura 66, V.22, n. 3 (2007): 1-23