Class participation consists of doing all readings and viewing all films in advance of the corresponding day's discussion, attending the two Jan Term Events indicated on the course calendar, and attending class prepared to contribute critical observations (see Corrigan pp. 11-14). Although you may have previously seen some of these films, you must watch them again shortly in advance of the corresponding discussion.
Workshop exercises will be assigned daily and are due at the beginning of the subsequent class meeting. You will need a basic calculator to complete the workshop exercises. Most cell-phone calculators are too awkward to effectively complete the workshops, so it is recommended that you obtain a stand-alone calculator. I expect you to write a complete solution to every workshop problem. Late workshops will be accepted with a 30% penalty compounded meeting-by-meeting. For example, a workshop that is one meeting late will yield 70% of its on-time value, two meetings late yields 49% of on-time value, three meetings late yields 34% of on-time value, and so forth. Missing workshops will receive a score of zero.
A critical essay of length 4-5 pages is required. An essay proposal is due in class on Friday January 18. The proposal may treat any of the films on the syllabus. The proposal must include a screening report (see Corrigan pp. 7-8 and Ch. 2). A rough draft is due in class on Friday January 25. The thesis of the rough draft must be justified using relevant terms and concepts of film criticism (see Corrigan Chs. 3,4, and 6). A final draft is due on Friday February 1. The final draft must respond to instructor rough draft feedback and conform to the guidelines on style and structure in writing of Corrigan Ch. 5. The essay component of the course grade will be determined by the following weights: 10% proposal, 20% rough draft, 70% final draft.
Course Grade: The course grade will be detemined be the coursework using the following weights: 33% class participation, 33% workshops, 34% critical essay. The following distribution will be used to assign course grades: 100-93% = A, 92-90% = A-, 89-86% = B+, 85-83% = B, 82-80% = B-, 79-76% = C+, 75-73% = C, 72-70% = C-, 69-66% = D+, 65-63% = D, 62-60% = D-, Below 60% = F. Academic Honesty: The Saint Mary's policies regarding academic honesty detailed in the student handbook apply to this course. I encourage you to work with other students but your write-ups should be in your own voice, and consist largely of your own work. Where your argument depends heavily on another's work, say so. Course Calendar: The course calendar details the schedule of readings, film screenings, and assignment due dates.
