Instructor: Tim Engles
Course Policies and Procedures
| The job of young people is not, as we sometimes assume, to go to high
school. It is to imagine and begin to construct their lives.
They need to understand both their own interests and abilities and the
society of which they are a part. And they need to make a self that
makes sense for the times in which they live. This isn’t easy.
--Thomas Hines
Bildungsroman: A novel that recounts the development (psychological and sometimes spiritual) of an individual from childhood to maturity, to the point at which the protagonist recognizes his or her place in the world. --Ross Murfin |
As noted more fully below, full class participation and steady attendance are crucial to your success and interest in this course. We will examine cinematic depictions of adolescent experience, studying the historic development of the relatively recent idea of a “teenager,” and examining the dialogues that occur between adolescent audiences and films about adolescents. We will work to “read” film as closely as we’ve been trained to read literature. I know from teaching such courses before that some of you will resist this requirement, dismissing efforts to think more deeply about movies with such comments (or thoughts) as, “Come on, it’s just a movie!” Such responses mostly come from a lifetime of watching movies for entertainment. However, as we will discover, how movies work, and how they function in society, are very complex and interesting issues.
We will take both a “formal” and a sociological/anthropological approach to our material, considering along the way such questions as these: (again) how do movies work? why are there so many movies about teenagers? is there a genre of such films that corresponds to the Bildungsroman in literature? are they all aimed at teenagers? are they realistic? if not, what are they trying to tell us (or sell us)? do films about teenagers accurately reflect teen culture, or do they help to create it? what can films demonstrate or reveal about adolescent experience? finally, how do these experiences vary in different social and national contexts?
Note that the usual suspects will certainly enter the room: race, class, gender, and sexuality, and much of what comes with them. Some of the works we’ll study contain a good deal of controversial themes, “bad” language, and strong sexual content. If for any reason you strongly object to such material or otherwise find it upsetting, you should consider taking another course. If you decide to stay, do your best to maintain an open mind, to reconsider where your own values and judgments are coming from, and to understand more fully the circumstances of others before judging them.
Grading:
Response Papers: Unless I tell you differently, the response paper assignment for each week will be the same: after carefully studying both of the week’s readings, choose one to write a two-part, two-page paper about. In the first part, summarize the main points of the reading—avoid as you do so oversimplifying the reading’s main points. In the second part, discuss connections that you see between specific points in the reading, and specific features or elements of the last film we watched. Search for insights here—how did the reading help you understand anything about the film, or see it differently? If you want to ask me questions about the readings via e-mail (or in my office), fire away. Also, you are welcome and encouraged to ask questions to the rest of the class about the readings, and to comment on our films and readings, over the class listserv.
Classroom Environment: In class, I expect all of you to participate in discussions (class participation will be figured into your final grade), and to attend regularly. The best way to demonstrate that you are an active, engaged, and interested reader and viewer is by contributing regularly to class discussions, and by paying close, respectful attention to what everyone else has to say. If you have questions, no matter how simple or complicated, go ahead and ask me, either in class or via e-mail—chances are that other people will have the same question. I do not plan to lecture in this class; I want us to contribute together to a positive, challenging, interesting learning environment.
Conferences: An especially effective way to do well in this course is to talk with me about your work in my office (CH 3831). I will be there and available to consult with you at the hours I’ve specified on the front of the syllabus. You do not need to make an appointment if you wish to talk with me during my listed office hours. If these hours are inconvenient for you, I am also available by appointment: let me know if you want to make one, and we’ll agree on a time that is convenient for both of us.
E-mail Activity: Because I will subscribe you to a class listserv (also known as a "discussion list"), enrollment in this class requires an e-mail account, and I strongly recommend that you use your free EIU account or another commercial account (Yahoo, Hotmail, and other free accounts are too limited for professional purposes, and they often reject listserv messages). E-mail is the quickest, easiest way to reach me if I am not in my office; I welcome any and all questions and comments.
Again, using an e-mail account frequently is crucial for this course. Check your e-mail several times a week for messages regarding this class, and keep in mind that regular, thoughtful contributions to our class listserv will improve your class participation grade. If you do not send an e-mail message to me ( cftde@eiu.edu ) by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 16, or for the Thursday class, Monday, January 19, I will assume that you have chosen against fully participating in the course, and I will therefore drop you. In your message, (1) explain which course of mine you are in (EIU 4192); (2) describe yourself in whatever ways you choose, including your career aspirations; and (3) write a statement to the effect that you have read and agree with the course policies and procedures that you are presently reading.
Academic honesty: I expect you to act honestly and do your own
work in this class, and so does Eastern Illinois University. Basically,
dishonesty of any sort in this class will result in a failing grade in
the course. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the
English Department’s policy on plagiarism: “Any teacher who discovers an
act of plagiarism—‘The appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas,
and/or thoughts of another author, and representation of them as one’s
original work’ (Random House Dictionary of the English Language)—has the
right and the responsibility to impose upon the guilty student an appropriate
penalty, up to and including immediate assignment of a grade of F for the
course, and to report the incident to the Judicial Affairs Office.”
EIU 4192: DAILY SCHEDULE
| Note: This schedule may change; any changes will be announced in advance. Reading assignments are to be completed by the dates on which they appear on the syllabus. BE SURE to bring the appropriate handout, course packet, or book to class if a reading assignment is listed for that day; students who show up without a copy of the day’s reading assignment will be marked absent. |
JAN 13/15 Introductions (to the course and to each other)
MAR 23/25 Reading: Selections from Thandeka, Learning to be White; David Roediger, “Elvis, Wiggers, and Crossing Over to Nonwhiteness”