Nature and City in the Cinema

Subject guarantor:

Petra DOMINKOVÁ

Name of lecturer(s):

Petra DOMINKOVÁ

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

By the end of the course the student will be able to:

?understand the properties of the variety of settings

?explain which significance they have

?analyze a film of interest based on the reading from the variety of the subjects

Mode of study:

Week 1 [Wed, Feb-12]

Theme: Introduction / attic vs. cellar

Week 2 [Wed, Feb-19]

Theme: Haunted house

Week 3 [Wed, Feb-26]

Theme: Nature and City

Week 4 [Wed, Mar-05]

Theme: Forest

Week 5 [Wed, Mar-12]

Theme: Mountains

Week 6 [Wed, Mar-19]

Theme: Swamp

Week 7 [Wed, Mar-26]

Theme: Lake

Week 8 [Wed, Apr-02]

Theme: River

Week 9 [Wed, Apr-09]

Theme: Desert

Week 10 [Wed, Apr-16]

Theme: Garden

Week 11 [Wed, Apr-23]

Theme: Rural vs. urban environment

Week 12 [Wed, Apr-30]

Theme: City

Week 13[Wed, May-07]

Theme: Discussion about final papers

Week 14 [Wed, May-14]

Theme: Final discussion

NB: All readings will be available in DropBox (if you do not use it, please register at https://www.dropbox.com/ , it is free and handy!)

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

RECOMMENDED FILMS:

Feb 26: Antichrist (Lars von Trier, USA, 2009, 108?, color)

Mar 12: The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, USA, 1955, 93?, b&w)

Mar 26: TBA

Apr 09: The Draughtsman?s Contract (Peter Greenaway, GB, 1983, 108?, color)

Apr 23: Rang-e-Khoda (The Color of Paradise, Majid Majidi, Iran, 1999, 90?, color)

May 07: Zazie dans le métro (Louis Malle, France, 1960, 89?, color)

Recommended optional programme components:

No

Course contents:

The aim of the course is to discuss the setting of the various films ? variety of the natural settings, garden, countryside and the city ? and to explain how applying the studies from the various subjects (architecture, environmentalism, philosophy, etc.) might be helpful for understanding the role that the particular setting fulfills. Students will discuss the films from the different epochs and different regions and will examine the significance of urban/rural/natural setting that those films present.

Recommended or required reading:

All readings will be delivered in PDF or DOC files

* Rolston, Holmes. „Aesthetic Experience in Forests,“ Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 56, no. 2 (1998): 157-166. + Pollio, Howard R.; Anderson, John; Levasseur, Priscilla; Thweatt, Michael. „Cultural meanings of nature: an analysis of contemporary motion pictures,“ The Journal of Psychology 137, no. 2 (March 2003): 117-132.

Will be dicussed with Couch to Vienna October 18

* Wilson, Edward O., „Biophilia and the Conservation Ethic.“ In The Biophilia Hypothesis, edited by S. R. Kellert, E. . Wilson. 31-41. Washington D.C., Covelo (California): Island Press, 1993. + Ulrich, Roger S., „Biophilia, Biophobia, and Natural Landscapes“. In The Biophilia Hypothesis edited by S. R. Kellert, E. . Wilson. 73-137. (Extracts). Washington D.C., Covelo (California): Island Press, 1993.

Will be dicussed with Leave Her to Heaven October 25

* McIntosh, Christopher. Gardens of the Gods: Myth, Magic and Meaning. London: I.B.Taurus, 2005: 1-17.

Will be dicussed with Garden November 15

* Moran, Albert, „Migrancy, Tourism, Settlement, and Rural Cinema.“ In Representing the Rural: Space, Place, And Identity in Films about the Land , edited by Catherine Fowler, Gillian Helfield. 224-239. Wayne State University Press, 2006.

Will be dicussed with Sunrise November 29

* Webb, Michael. „The City in Film,“ Design Quarterly 136 (1987): 1-32.

Will be dicussed with Prefabstory December 13

RECOMMENDED FILMS:

October 11: Antichrist (Lars von Trier, USA, 2009, 108?, color)

October 25: The Night of the hunter (Charles Laughton, USA, 1955, 93?, b&w)

November 08: The Draughtsman?s Contract (Peter Greenaway, GB, 1983, 108?, color)

November 22: The Quiet Man (John Ford, USA, 1952, 129?, color)

December 06: Dead End (William Wyler, USA, 1937, 93?, b&w)

Planned learning activities and teaching methods:

No

Assessment methods and criteria:

Class Attendance and Participation:

I expect students to attend all classes. Students will read the texts required for each lesson and discuss them in the class. Lively discussion is expected. Students should ask anything that is not clear enough, bring their own ideas, and participate actively in the program of the course. Participation and contribution to class discussion will be taken significantly into account in the final grade. Excessive unexcused absences result in lowering of the final grade!

Presentation:

A presentation based on the film and reading. Each student will lead the discussion about the film we watched. This involves bringing a handout for each student (plus me) and creating discussion questions for the group. The goal is to get us talking about how the particular film depicts urban/rural/natural setting.

Final essay (4 pages minimum, i.e. 1.400 words):

On a chosen topic that corresponds to the material covered in the course; the usage of one obligatory reading is expected. The final essay cannot cover the same film the student presented on. The students will present their final paper drafts May-07. Due: May 14, 2014

Course web page:

Note:

petra.dominkova@gmail.com

Detailed syllabus available upon request in FAMU International office.

The course grade will be calculated as follows:

Participation in discussions and presence (33.3%) = 333 points

Presentation (33.3%) = 333 points

Final essay (33.3%) = 333 points

Schedule for winter semester 2013/2014:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Fri	místnost 241 Učebna 3 (Lažanský palác) DOMINKOVÁ P. 11:30–13:05 (přednášková par. 1)
Thu
Fri

Date	Day	Time	Tutor	Location	Notes	No. of paralel
	Fri	11:30–13:05	DOMINKOVÁ P.	Učebna 3 Lažanský palác		přednášková par. 1

Schedule for summer semester 2013/2014:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Fri	místnost 241 Učebna 3 (Lažanský palác) DOMINKOVÁ P. 11:30–13:05 (paralelka 1)
Thu
Fri

Date	Day	Time	Tutor	Location	Notes	No. of paralel
	Fri	11:30–13:05	DOMINKOVÁ P.	Učebna 3 Lažanský palác		paralelka 1

The subject is a part of the following study plans:

• Photography EN - Bachelor (optional subject)
• Photography EN - Master (optional subject)
• Erasmus (optional subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Cinematography (optional subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Screenwriting (optional subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Directing (optional subject)