Politics in Film Syllabus (Fall 2023)(1)

Course: POLI 339 – 901 (CRN: 46128); Politics in Film Semester: Fall 2023 Course Modality: On-line, Synchronous --> this means one should expect to meet via Zoom class sessions every Thursday from 4 p.m. – 6.40 p.m.  Course Zoom meeting link: https://vcu.zoom.us/j/86959533503 Instructor: Dr. John M. Aughenbaugh (John or Aughie work just fine)  If you want to learn more about the course instructor, see: Canvas home; Course Documents module; Musings Volume 213  Office Location: Room 304, Founders Hall (827 West Franklin St.) Richmond, VA 23284  E-mail: jmaughenbaug@vcu.edu  Office Hours:  On-line (Zoom): By appointment  On-campus: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.  And by appointment Course Description From the University Bulletin: Addresses how political ideas and concepts are created and propagated in film. Views the film industry as a critically important agent of political socialization. Motion pictures have existed in some form since the late 1800s. It is a medium designed to permeate the consciousness of the viewer, as both sight and sound are engaged. Films about politics arose early in cinematic history, and as a number of political scientists have noted, film has been, in many powerful ways, more important in inculcating political values and beliefs than elected officials, government institutions, and other political socialization agents. Myths are created or developed, lies exposed and ridiculed, and aspirations championed and glorified in film. It is the above that has driven your professor to offer this course. The approach he has taken is one of addressing seminal elements of the study of politics of the past 100 years and highlighted how they have been treated in film. He is unabashedly a lover of film, and he wants to share that love with students in the course. However, he also wants film watchers to think critically of how politics, in whatever subject is the focus, is portrayed in the movies – the myths, the lies, the truths, and the aspirations . This course approaches movies from an academic point of view – meaning: we will analyze them as rigorously as we would a book, a journal article, or a lecture. Our shared film watching experience will draw upon various assigned articles and well-established political science sub-disciplines (U.S. politics, international relations, comparative politics, theory, public policy, etc.). This semester the focus of the films will be: 1) U.S. foreign policy; 2) elections; 3) local politics; and 4) politics and the media . Please be aware what this course is and is not. It IS more than just watching some movies and getting credit for doing so . If that is your interest, then see the course instructor and he will give you a list of movies you can watch on your own time. Thus, it IS NOT an easy 3 credits toward your degree – it will require one to apply political science concepts critically in both class discussions and written essays . Moreover, it IS a course that presupposes that much of the film experience is heightened by the collective watching and discussing together. As this course is an on-line, synchronous course, you will be asked to watch the films before and then participate in class Zoom sessions . There will not be a class participation element to one’s final course grade, but there will be random quizzes to ensure students are watching the motion pictures, doing the assigned reading, and attending and paying attention during the Zoom class sessions. Lastly, WARNING : some of the films are R-rated and deal with difficult subject matter. The professor spent countless hours vetting which of the hundreds of movies to assign, and cannot/will not assign others. If some of the subject matters might be troublesome for you, he strongly encourages you to consider dropping the course.

Learning objectives for this course:  Develop our knowledge of how political ideas and concepts are created and propagated in film;  As this is a writing-intensive course , there will be multiple opportunities to develop one’s critical writing skills, especially regarding political ideas/phenomenon in motion pictures;  As the course is conducted in a seminar manner (translated: students will be expected to have completed the assigned readings before each class session and be prepared to actively discuss them), students will be given the opportunity develop their critical oral communication skills; and  By semester’s end, students will be able to perform the most essential practitioner functions within the political science discipline – think, write, and speak critically of how politics is portrayed in film; Required Readings:  See the course outline timeline (below) for the readings that are assigned for each week’s movie. These are required readings, unless specified otherwise, and should be read before the weekly class Zoom session.  There are no required textbooks to be purchased. As such this is a zero cost course material course . Grading Scale: Grades will be determined through the following: Assignment Percentage of Final Grade Points First Critical Analysis Paper 25% 50 Second Critical Analysis Paper 25% 50 Third Critical Analysis Paper 25% 50 Five Random Quizzes, each worth 10 points 25% 50 Total Points 200 The following scale strictly determines final grades in the course: A= 180 – 200 points B= 160 – 179.5 points C= 140 – 159.5 points D= 120 – 139.5 points F= 119.5 points & fewer You should NOT assume the following :  That by doing the assigned readings, attending class sessions, and watching the films that you deserve a particular grade in this course – doing the above is the bare minimum of what is expected of each student;  That because one has a certain grade point average or needs a certain grade in the course to achieve a particular grade point average has no bearing on the instructor’s evaluations of a student’s work or what final course grade is determined. All grades will be determined by the quality of the work submitted to the instructor; and  That the instructor will round up to a higher grade. For example, one may earn 179.5 points in the course and still not earn an “A” grade in the course. As VCU does not allow instructors to give +/- grades, the above grading scale will be strictly applied. 2

If the collective’s participation is lacking in a given class session, the instructor reserves the authority to dismiss the class session on the assumption that the enrolled students already know the material and will not benefit from discussing the assigned material with their peers. Important Policies: University policies relevant to course: Students should visit https://faculty.provost.vcu.edu/faculty-resources/syllabus-statements/ and review all syllabus statement information. The full university syllabus statement includes information on safety, registration, the VCU Honor Code, student conduct, withdrawal and more. Students enrolled in this course are expected to have read and comply with those policies. Classroom conduct: Students are expected to act and speak in a civil and courteous manner toward all students and the instructor. The instructor hopes that disruptive behavior (such as, but not limited to, arriving late, and ringing cell phones) does not become an issue. It should also be noted we will discussing topics that often generate heated debates/discussions as they touch upon important liberties, rights, and values. Let us all aspire to keep things civil and respectful. Additionally, the instructor preference is that students turn on their cameras during Zoom class sessions, but does understand if a student does not due to privacy concerns. Expectation of when assignments will be graded and returned : While the instructor will endeavor to grade all assignments as quickly as possible, students should be aware that he is teaching four other courses, all of which have significant writing assignments. Additionally, until all students have completed a particular assignment, no work will be graded and returned – this reduces any number of Honor System violations and ensures that all students receive the same consideration of her/his work on a particular assignment by the instructor. If any of the above is problematic for you, please consider dropping the course. Use and distribution of instructor notes: The instructor makes his lecture notes available on Canvas. The provision of these notes is to aid students in their comprehension of what is discussed during class sessions and to prepare for the completion of course assignments. Any sale or public posting of those notes or notes taken by students during class sessions without the instructor’s explicit written permission is considered to be a violation of VCU’s Honor Code (see below), and the instructor will avail himself of the Code in this regard. Communication: It is the student’s responsibility to check daily the course site on Canvas and to monitor their VCU e-mail account. The instructor posts on Canvas (course documents folder) his lecture notes, all assignment instructions, and additional/relevant readings. Additionally, the instructor will e- mail students via their VCU e-mail accounts any changes to the syllabus, follow-up thoughts on class discussions, and important announcements. Thus, regular monitoring of both VCU e-mail accounts and Canvas is necessary. Course Timeline (Please note, the following may be changed at the discretion of the course instructor. He will notify students via e-mail as soon as any change is made): Recommended study and course activity suggestions to do well in the course :  It is best to do the indicated readings and watch the movies before a given class session, so the readings and class sessions can reinforce one another. Additionally, as stated above, we will have random quizzes to “encourage” you doing both of these activities; and  Please contact the course instructor if you have questions on the readings or what was discussed in class sessions or particular assignments. He is a resource to aid in your comprehension of the course material – use him. Class 1 (08/24/2023): Introduction  Students should expect the class session to last approximately 2 hours 4

 Introductions o See Musings column that instructor wrote for POLI FB site a few years back (on Canvas) and his Curriculum Vitae  Assigned Reading: o Course Syllabus (on Canvas) o Introductory Reading RE politics in film  Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas)  http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/climate_desk/2014/01/movies_ that_influenced_political_views_all_the_president_s_men_malcolm_x.html  http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2015/03/12/films-can-have-a-major-influence- on-how-people-view-government/ Part I: U.S. Foreign Policy Class 2 (08/31): Casablanca (1942)  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/423297D722E9E035? referrer=direct  Assigned reading for discussion: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o Projecting Politics, Chapter 6 (on Canvas) o https://registerforum.org/3049/arts-entertainment/a-classic-love-story-and-a-political- allegory-in-casablanca/ o (Recommended but not required): https://www-jstor- org.proxy.library.vcu.edu/stable/f2bd1cf7-1909-38b6-8a5c-bd4cc12d6c63?seq=5 Class 3 (09/07): Thirteen Days (2000)  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/78895202EEFC98EF? referrer=direct  Assigned reading for discussion: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/6858/doc_6860_290_en.pdf o https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/thirteen-days-and-its-ageless-lessons-tomorrow Class 4 (09/14): The Big Lebowski (1998)  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/CA4A85F54E58AA15? referrer=direct  Assigned reading for discussion:  Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas)  http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/dvdextras/2008/09/walter_sobchak_neocon.html  https://medium.com/@billrosethorn/the-dude-in-the-post-cold-war-era-the-big- lebowski-and-the-new-left-f6fc16a21e00 o First Critical Analysis Assignment Posted & Discussed Part II: All Politics Is Local Class 5 (09/21): Chinatown (1974)  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/B60DC5607A2FD78E? referrer=direct  Assigned reading for Discussion: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) 5

 Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/28D536B2AE2B08A8? referrer=direct  Assigned Reading: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/09/40-years-later-is-the-candidate-still- satire/501389/ o o https://collider.com/the-candidate-cautionary-tale-explained/  Last day to withdrawal from fall semester courses and receive a “W” on one’s transcript is Friday, October 27 th . Class 11 (11/02): Wag the Dog (1997)  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/F5332A63A904035B? referrer=direct  Assigned Reading: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o Introduction, Edelman’s Symbolic Uses of Politics (on Blackboard) o https://blogs.stlawu.edu/weeklymedialiteracyreflections/2015/11/07/wag-the-dog-spin- strategies-in-washington-d-c/ o https://ourpolitics.net/political-communication-theory-in-wag-the-dog/  Third critical analysis assignment posted and discussed Part IV: Politics & Media Class 12 (11/09): Good Night and Good Luck (2005)  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/D5D3A63876A1B9F9? referrer=direct  Assigned Reading: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o https://www.summitdaily.com/news/good-night-and-good-luck-connects-the-dots-from- mccarthy-to-today/ o https://www.filminquiry.com/nominated-film-missed-good-night-good-luck/ Class 13 (11/16): All the President’s Men (1976)  Third critical analysis essay is due to the instructor as an email attachment by 9 a.m. EST on this date. Late critical analysis essays will NOT be accepted.  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/1A48EEFF5649B9E9? referrer=direct  Assigned Reading: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o https://film-cred.com/all-the-presidents-men-relevant-woodward-bernstein-nixon/ o https://aspectfilmjournal.web.unc.edu/2021/10/ryan-wilcox-drama-in-the-dull- journalistic-process-and-moral-ambiguity-in-all-the-presidents-men/ o https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/william-goldman-turned- reporters-into-heroes-in-all-the-presidents-men There is no class on Thursday, November 23rd due to the Turkey Day holiday. Class 14 (11/30): Network (1976) 7

 Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/B605BF41639E66CF? referrer=direct  Assigned Reading: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20161125-network-at-40-the-film-that-predicted-the- future o https://thoughtcatalog.com/david-mcmillan/2010/05/network-mad-as-hell-speech- youtube-analysis/  Fourth critical analysis assignment is posted/discussed. Class 15 (12/07): Absence of Malice (1981)  Instructor’s closing remarks  Movie Link: https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/vcu363309/watch/FE19D1DE41CD1B25? referrer=direct  Assigned Reading: o Instructor’s lecture notes (on Canvas) o NY Times v. Sullivan (1964)  http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1963/1963_39 o https://medium.com/outtake/this-movie-questions-the-line-between-alternative-fact-and- reality-6e7111446d47 o TBA Fourth/final critical analysis assignment is due to the instructor as an email attachment at 9 a.m. EST on Thursday, December 14th. Late papers will NOT be accepted. 8