Syllabus

Writing 139W: Composing Hitchcock

Summer 2012—Course Code 25245—Section A

Class Time and Location: MW 4-6:50pm, HG 2320

Instructor: Leo Hoar                                                                         E-mail: lhoar@uci.edu

Office Hours: MW, 3-4pm                                                            Location: Murray Krieger 553

Course listserv: 25245-Y12@classes.uci.edu

Course Description:  As recently as 2003, a film critic called any academic inquiry into Alfred Hitchcock’s work an act of “lunacy.”  There is something to this claim: theoretical approaches to Hitchcock’s films tend to work within a single framework.  Some see his output as bearing the stamp of its author—what is known as auteur theory.  Others approach individual films in terms of the genre they represent: horror, detective, suspense, etc.  Yet another camp insists that the films are best understood in the context of the production company responsible for each; when Hitchcock moved from London to Hollywood, these critics would argue, the work felt the distinct touch of its producers and financiers.  When restricted to a single academic lens, something gets lost.

Hitchcock’s irreducibility to any one critical perspective renders his oeuvre ideal for examination in one academic discipline: composition and rhetoric.  In this wing of humanistic inquiry, we ask questions like: How does a text build up a message or argument from its many distinct parts?  What material techniques (in this case, camera work, dialogue, music) does the text employ?  What kind of relationship does the text cultivate with its audience?

It just so happens that these are major preoccupations of Hitchcock’s work, as well.  As we’ll see, writing in all its forms—inscription, transmission, publishing, reading—is a persistent theme throughout Hitch’s corpus.  The films self-reflexively contemplate what it means to communicate with someone.  In other words, they are films about film in general.  Take the first example we’ll be watching, The Lodger (1927).  In the opening scene, we are treated to a close-up image of a woman’s face, followed by an illuminated sign.  Words shine out of the darkness.  In the very next scene, as police and bystanders gather around the fresh murder scene, the camera turns not to the victim, but to cops and reporters—all of whom are writing furiously!  And how do they link this latest murder with the others?  The killer leaves behind a note!  Throughout the course, we will attend to the way Hitchcock’s films constitute a unique kind of inscription, and the way academic writing does (and does not) complement and unfold these fascinating works.

Required Text:

David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction (Eighth Edition, Paperback; ISBN 0073535060)

·          I have deliberately chosen an older edition to save you money.  Please follow the hyperlink above for Amazon.com, or visit good sites for used books like half.com and abebooks.com.

Course Goals and Expectations

1.            Informed discussion and spirited debate.  Let’s be up-front.  This is not a lecture course.  Every class will involve sustained discussion.  Silence is not an option.

2.            Thoughtful reading and viewing.  One reason discussion is so important in any writing and critical reading class is the discursive nature of the thinking we do: we’re constantly considering and reconsidering.  As you view each film and read each text, your standing assignment is to come up with a brief statement of what you think the it means, and be prepared to persuade your classmates to adopt your point of view. 

3.            Analytical writing.  One skill we will develop in the course that has broad application outside this class and outside the university is the ability to formulate an argument about a whole text by carefully analyzing its parts and the relationships between them.  Writing across all academic genres might begin as a “brainstorm,” but ends as a carefully-reasoned argument.  So by practicing this brand of careful analysis, we will work on writing strong argumentative essays.

Course Policies and Procedures:

Attendance: Regular attendance is not only a requirement; it is the key to success in the course.  Class is where ideas for papers will germinate, difficulties with texts will be tackled, and material for the final and quizzes will arise.  I will take attendance in every class session.  Since you are responsible citizens of an academic community, you are allowed ONE absence, no questions asked (though you are still responsible for assignments due that day). Every absence beyond the first ONE will result in the loss of half of a letter grade, per absence, from your final grade (for instance, B+ to B).


What counts as an absence or lateness?

>Arriving to class late three times will be counted as 1 absence. 

>You are considered late if you arrive to class after discussion has begun.
> Lateness in excess of 30 minutes will be counted as an absence.

Technology in the Classroom: Laptops and audio-visual devices can (obviously) be tremendously productive complements to the study of film, and we will use them for specific in-class exercises.  However, both reading and class discussion require that you engage with the specific (printed) editions of the texts assigned.  You don’t just read literature as you read a website.  You work on it: writing annotations about words and phrases, tracking themes, bookmarking key plot-moments, and just recording your reactions.  Since the texts are the focus of the class, texting, emailing, or other use of electronic devices not related to work in-class will result in a mark of “absent” for that class.

ADD/DROP Policy: The Add/Drop Policy for all courses in the School of Humanities states: A student may add or drop a course in the School of Humanities up to the end of the second week of classes.  To add or drop the course, you must obtain an authorization code from the instructor.  Requests to add or drop W139 after the second week will be granted only in exceptional circumstances and must be approved by the W139 course director. After the 6^th week, students need the dean’s permission to drop.

Second-day rule: The School of Humanities also has a “second-day” rule. If you are not in class on the second day of the quarter (and do not have an emergency to account for your absence) you may lose your place to a student on the waiting list. You are still responsible for dropping the course through the usual procedures. If you know ahead of time that you will be unable to attend on the second day, you should notify your instructor.

Academic Honesty & Plagiarism:  Be sure to cite all ideas and quotations that are not your own to their proper sources, using MLA format.  Also, all papers must be submitted to turnitin.com (see below).  Offering someone else’s ideas or writing as your own is plagiarism, and is grounds for failure of the assignment and/or the course.  All students are responsible for reading the UCI Academic Honesty Policy, available at this URL: http://www.senate.uci.edu/9_IrvineManual/3ASMAppendices/Appendix08.html.

Submitting Papers and Assignments

Format: All assignments will follow MLA format for layout and citation practices.  Page requirements for papers assume Times New Roman 12 point font, double-spacing, and 1” margins.  Submission in any other format will entail loss of a full letter grade.

Lateness: All assignments, including drafts, are due at the beginning of class on the day indicated.  For each day each part of the assignment (draft and final) is late, the final grade on that assignment will be penalized by a half grade (e.g. a late final, B to B-; a late draft and a late final, B to C+).

Turnitin.com: All papers and drafts must be submitted to Turnitin.com before the class on which they are due.  The assignment is not complete until the paper is submitted to Turnitin.com, and will be considered late until it is submitted.