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DMS 213 IMMIGRATION AND FILM

State University of New York at Buffalo


Department of Media Study
Fall 2010
T/R 11-12:50 CFA 232/112

Instructor: Alba Jaramillo


Office: CFA 287
Office Hours: 1:20-2:20 T
albajara@buffalo.edu

By looking at representative examples of American and foreign films, this course will
critically examine the role of cinema in the construction and exploration of the racial, ethnic,
cultural and social aspects of immigration. Initially, we will look at the history of
immigration in relation to film industry as well as early portrayals of immigrants. We will
come across a wide range of film genres and take a closer look at stylistic and narrative
choices and how they visually construct immigrant identity in relation to family, society,
race, and gender. Throughout the course we will consider the position of cinema in the
debate between assimilation and multiculturalism as well as recent visual narratives that
delve on the issues of globalization and its close relationship to immigration.

Course Objectives

Students will become versed in an overview history of immigration in United States and how
the patterns, behavior and treatment of immigrants are portrayed in film. Students will learn
concrete skills of film analysis regarding how images are constructed to create meaning and
how this information permeates history, culture and art within the immigration purview.
Students will learn how to support their work with visual and theoretical evidence of critical
inquiry relating to immigration. The aim of the course is to provide the student with an
opportunity to develop your critical thinking and writing skills through class discussions,
close readings of films and critical literature, as well as writing assignments.

Course Texts
Texts will be available online in PDF format at the course’s blog.
http://dmsimmigrationandfilm.blogspot.com/.

Evaluation

DMS 213 Immigration and Film is a theory-oriented course for which accuracy and mastery
are essential. In general grades will be calculated as follows:

• Attendance and Participation


o Attendance is mandatory - both physical and mental. This means that while
in class you will work in a diligent and professional manner showing respect
to your instructor and your peers. You are allowed three unexcused absences
only. Any more than three unexcused absences will lower your grade by one
letter. You will be responsible for making up all assignments and being
briefed on any presentation of material. Excused absences must be
documented in writing and brought to my attention before class.
Chronic tardiness is entirely unacceptable and will be punishable at my
discretion

o Participation will be evaluated in several ways. There will be weekly in-class


informal discussions where you will be divided into groups of 5 or 6 to
discuss a particular aspect of the visual and textual material. You must be an
active contributor to these discussions. Come prepared to class by having read
the material and have thoughtful input.

o There will also be weekly assignments posted on the course’s blog


http://dmsimmigrationandfilm.blogspot.com/
where you will respond to a specific question I post or you will ask a question
about the assigned texts. Please check the blog often for any updates, news,
links and information about the class. Keep in mind that in many instances, in
class discussions will be related to your posts, so make sure your posts
demonstrate critical observation of the texts and films. You are allowed to
miss only 2 of the assigned posts during the whole semester without having
your grade suffer.
 Troubleshooting: If you are unable to access the website or cannot
open a document, please email me with enough anticipation so I can
take into account your comments and/or forward you the material.

• Midterm: An in-class midterm will evaluate the student on concepts covered during
the first half of the semester.

• Oral Presentation: You will be divided in groups of 3 or 4 and present for 30-40
minutes (10 minutes each) on the film assigned for that week. You must send me with
anticipation (2 hours before class at the latest) an outline of your presentation. All
group members must participate equally in the making of the presentation. Although
it will be up to you to meet outside of class, I may designate in some cases some class
time to coordinate work distribution among the group.

• Final Paper: You will complete a 6-8 page final paper on material covered during the
second half of the semester (you may also do for example, a comparative analysis on
a film screened during the first half of the semester and one screened during the
second). I encourage you to look over the material in anticipation and meet with me
during office hours to discuss the topic of the paper or email me any questions you
might have. You must submit the paper topic by November 30th at the latest and must
have a draft by December 7th, in which you will pair up in class and review each
other’s papers. Final paper is due December 14th before 12 pm in my office.

Attendance and Participation: 25%


Midterm 25%
Oral Presentation 25%
Final Paper 25%

Grading Scale in percentages

94.100 A 80-82 B- 69-65 D


90.93 A- 77-79 C+ 64-0 F
87.89 B+ 73-76 C
83-86 B 70-72 C-

Course Policies

NOTE: If you begin to experience inordinate difficulties with the course, or have
issues regarding the class that you want to discuss, please see the instructor as soon as
possible. If notifying the instructor does not seem appropriate, seek assistance from
the Academic Advisor for the Department of Media Study. If you wait until the end
of the semester, the possibilities of being helped are less promising.

General:

• Students who require special accommodations because of a diagnosed


disability should bring relevant documentation to the instructor and/or to the
Chair, who will oversee arrangements with assistance from the Office of
Disabilities.

• Student athletes must provide an official letter with the dates of their meets
and travel days during the first weeks of classes. Make up quizzes and exams
that fall during those days must be rescheduled with the instructor at least 3
days before departure. As a rule of thumb, we will administer make-ups and
move work deadlines to the day before the student leaves town.

• Students are expected to turn off and put away cell phones, pagers, iPods, CD
players and computers before entering class.

• Students are not permitted to enter the classroom with any type of food.
Please eat before or after class.

• Students are expected to follow the guidelines for appropriate behavior


outlined in the University Catalog. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.
• If you need to depart early, do so quietly after having cleared it with your
instructor at the beginning of the class session.

• The grade of incomplete will be given only to students who have some
serious, well-documented medical condition or in cases of family tragedy, etc.
and who have satisfied the attendance policy and are missing only one major
assignment. No incomplete will be given to substitute for a poor or failing
grade or for any other reasons. A written agreement must be drafted and
signed by the instructor and the student. The instructor reserves the right to
request completion of the incomplete prior to the 12 months set by the
University.

• Final grades are final. Once grades are submitted, they will not be changed.
Thus, students should refrain from cajoling instructors (via email, phone, in
person, etc.) into changing the final grade, which goes against University
policy.

Class work:

• Students are expected to do their own work on all assignments and course work.

• Academic dishonesty will result in a grade of F and disciplinary actions by the


university. Examples of academic dishonesty are: copying the work from the
internet or a book, having someone else do the work for you, or copying during an
exam or quiz.

• Be prepared for class each day by having done the assigned readings, etc.

• Homework will be assigned during each class by the instructor.

• It is the student’s responsibility to bring any questions on the homework to the


attention of the instructor.

• Homework will be turned in to the instructor on the designated date.

Each student will be required to meet with the instructor for a progress report before the end
of the resignation period. Students who are failing the course will be encouraged to resign
the course before the deadline designated by the university.
RE: STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you have a disability (physical or learning) which may make it difficult for you to carry out the course
work as outlined, and/or requires accommodations such as recruiting note takers, readers, or
extended time on exams and assignments, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 25 Capen
Hall, 716-645-2608, http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/ods/ , and also your instructor during the
first two weeks of class. ODS will provide you with information and will review appropriate
arrangements for reasonable accommodations.

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RE: PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is theft and a betrayal of trust. The term is derived from the Latin word for kidnapper
and refers to the act of signing one’s own name to words, phrases, or ideas which are the literary
property of another. Plagiarism comes in many forms, all to be avoided: outright copying, or
paraphrase, or a mosaic or disguised use of words and phrases from an unacknowledged source. To
avoid plagiarism, make it your habit to put quotation marks around words and phrases, or to isolate
and indent longer passages that you are using from someone else’s writing. And be sure to cite the
source, in a footnote or endnote or within parentheses in your text. The penalties for plagiarism can
be severe: from an F for the particular assignment, to an F for the course, to referral of the case to
the Dean of Education for administrative judgment. If you are unsure about how to use and
document sources, please consult with your instructor.
PLAGIARISM ALSO INCLUDES THE UNAUTHORIZED USE OF VIDEO / AUDIO / DIGITAL
IMAGES OF OTHERS! FOR THIS CLASS, YOU MUST PRODUCE ORIGINAL MATERIAL!

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RE: WEAPONS AS PROPS

WARNING!!!

IF you are planning a student production which involves using any prop which could be
interpreted to be a weapon [toy gun, BB gun, knife, etc.]
AND you are planning to shoot on the UB campus or any other public place,
you MUST obtain WRITTEN permission from the University Police or the equivalent
authority before you shoot.
If you do not, you will face serious problems, including possible expulsion from the
University.
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RE: SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sexual Harassment of employees and students, as defined at


http://undergrad-catalog.buffalo.edu/policies/conduct/nondiscrimination.shtml , is contrary to
University policy and is a violation of federal and state laws and regulations.
WEEK 1

Tuesday August 31st

Introduction/ Overview
Screen Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer
Homework: Read Carlos E. Cortés “Them and Us: Immigration as Societal
Barometer and Social Educator in American Film”
Email top 3 choices of films for oral presentation

Thursday September 2nd


Discuss Cortes
Screen The Immigrant
Narrative sequences and film form, explain format of oral presentation.
Homework: Daniel Sembroff Golden’s “The Fate of La Famiglia: Italian Images in
American Film” and Carlos E. Cortés’ “Italian-Americans in Film: From
Immigrants to Icons

WEEK 2

Tuesday September 7th


Screen Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather II/ Discussion of Sembroff and Cortes
.
Thursday September 9th- No Classes (Rosh Hashanah)

WEEK 3

Tuesday September 14th-


Screen Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet
Homework: Read Jun Xin’s “Cinematic Asian Representation” and “The Family
Dramas”

Thursday September 16th-


Oral Presentation, group 1
Discuss Jun Xing
______________________________________________________________________

WEEK 4

Tuesday September 21st-


Screen Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger than Paradise
Homework: Read Alan William’s Intro to Film and Nationalism

Thursday September 23rd-


Oral Presentation, group 2
Discuss Williams

WEEK 5

Tuesday September 28th


Screen Alan Crosland’s The Jazz Singer
Homework: Read Michael Rogin’s “Blackface, Whitenoise: The Jewish Jazz Singer Finds
his Voice” from Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot.

Thursday September 30
Oral Presentation, group 3
Discuss Rogin

WEEK 6

Tuesday October 5th


Screen Martin Scorcese’s Gangs of New York
Homework: Read Robert Burgoyne’s “The Ethnic Construction of Nation in Gangs of New
York” from Film Nation: Hollywood Looks at U.S. History

Thursday October 7th


Oral Presentation, group 4
Discuss Burgoyne

WEEK 7

Tuesday October 12th

Finish Screening Gangs of New York


Session with Humanities Librarian, guidelines for final paper

Thursday October 14th


Discussion of Gangs of New York and Burgoyne.
Review for midterm.

WEEK 8
Tuesday October 19th
Screen first part of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing
MIDTERM

Thursday October 21
Finish screening Do the Right Thing
Oral Presentation, group 5
Homework: Read Ella Shohat and Robert Stamm’s “Stereotype, Realism and the Struggle
over Representation” and Bell Hook’s “Counter Hegemonic Art”

WEEK 9

Tuesday October 26th


Discuss Shohat & Stamm and Hooks.
Screen Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Ali Fear Eats the Soul
Homework: Read Judith Mayne’s “Fassbinder and Spectatorship”

Thursday October 28
Oral Presentation, group 6
Discuss Mayne

WEEK 10

Tuesday November 2nd


Screen God Grew Tired of Us
Homework: Read Edward Said’s “Reflexions on Exile” and T. Minh-Ha Trinh’s
"Documentary Is/Not a Name." October, Vol. 52. (Spring, 1990), 76-98

Thursday November 4
Oral Presentation, group 7
Discuss Said and Minh-Ha

WEEK 11

Tuesday November 9th


Screen Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Sartrapi’s Persepolis
Homework: Read Hamid Naficy. Article TBA

Thursday November 11th


Oral Presentation group 8
Discuss Naficy
WEEK 12

Tuesday November 16th


Screen Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala
Homework: Read Binita Mehta’s “Emigrants Displaced Twice: Race, Color and Identity in
Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala” and Salman Rushdie’s “Imaginary Homelands”

Thursday November 18
Oral Presentation, group 9
Discuss Mehta and Rushdie

WEEK 13

Tuesday November 23
Screen Michael Haneke’s Code Inconnu
Homework: Read Samir Dayal’s Diaspora and Double Consciousness

Thursday November 25th – No Class (Fall Recess)

WEEK 14

Tuesday November 30th


Oral Presentation, group 10
Discuss Dayal

Thursday December 2nd


Screen Gregory Nava’s El Norte
Homework: Read Camilla Foja’s “Urban Frontiers; Border Cinema and The Global City”
from Border Bandits: Hollywood on the Southern Frontier

WEEK 15

Tuesday December 7th-


Finish screening El Norte
Discuss Fojas
Pair up and discuss drafts of final paper.

Thursday December 9th-


Conclusion
Fill out teaching evaluations
State University of New York at Buffalo
Department of Media Study

I have read the DMS _________________ syllabus and I am aware of the program’s
requirements and policies including the attendance policy. I understand that I should keep
the syllabus and course policies for my records.

Date:_________________________

Semester:______________________

Print name:________________________________________________

Signature:__________________________________________________

Student person number:_____________________________

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