MCS 446 | Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Name

Film History and Aesthetics

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
MCS 446	Fall/Spring	3	0	3	6

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Elective
Course Level	First Cycle
Course Coordinator	-
Course Lecturer(s)	-
Assistant(s)	-

Course Objectives	The objective of this course is to trace the major developments in world cinema from the beginnings of feature length films to the 1990s.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; trace the historical developments of world cinema and identify the causes and effects of those developments. demonstrate how the individual histories of national cinemas have affected international trends in producing, distributing, and exhibiting films. describe how the uses of the film medium have changed and standardized over time. explain how sociopolitical, technological, economic, and cultural circumstances have influenced the aesthetics of cinema at given junctures in history.
Course Content	The course is structured chronologically and focuses on moments in the cinema’s development that are particularly relevant from a historical perspective, be it aesthetic, political, technological, cultural, or economic. ACADEMIC CAUTION Academic honesty: Plagiarism, copying, cheating, purchasing essays/projects, presenting some one else’s work as your own and all sorts of literary theft is considered academic dishonesty. Under the rubric of İzmir University of Economics Faculty of Communication, all forms of academic dishonesty are considered as crime and end in disciplinary interrogation. According to YÖK’s Student Discipline Regulation, the consequence of cheating or attempting to cheat is 6 to 12 months expulsion. Having been done intentionally or accidentally does not change the punitive consequences of academic dishonesty. Academic honesty is each student’s own responsibility. Plagiarism is the most common form of academic dishonesty. According to the MerriamWebster Online Dictionary, to plagiarize means to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own. The easiest and most effective way to prevent plagiarism is to give reference when using someone else’s ideas, and to use quotation marks when using someone else’s exact words. A detailed informative guideline regarding plagiarism can be found here.

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses
	Supportive Courses	X
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	Hand out syllabus and discuss the nature of the course as well as the syllabus itself; take attendance; assign reading.
2	Introduction: Film art and film history.	The Cinema Book The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Dreyer
3	Types of filmmaking, types of films.
4	Introduction to elements of film.	As film Studies: The Essential Introduction
5	Pioneer cinema	The Cinema Effect
6	Narration and narrative form	The cinema book
7	Mise-en-scene	Mise-en-scene
8	Cinematography	cinematography
9	Lighting and editing
10	Genre	The cinema book
11	Film style
12	European cinema	Cinema & Nation
13	Sound in cinema	Cook, pp. 777 / 782
14	Time and space in cinema
15	Experimental and animated films	Articles will be assigned
16	Review

Course Textbooks

The Cinema Book, edited by Pam Cook, 1985 The Cinema Effect, Sean Cubitt, The MIT Press, 2004 AS film Studies: The Essential Introduction Sarah Casey Benyahia, Freddie Gaffney and John Whit, Routledge, 2006 Cinematography, Kris Malkiewicz, Prentice Hall Press, 1973 Mise-en-Scene,Film Style and Interpretation, John Gibbs, Short Cut Series, Wallflower, 2002 Various articles on the film art and history will also be assigned. This course combines film viewing with discussion; therefore, please come prepared to think and respond. Attendance is mandatory, and lateness will be penalized (e.g., if you come 1 hour late for a class, you will be considered absent for the whole 3 hours we meet), as will be your not returning to class after a break. Anyone missing over 30% of the classes (4 classes), for any reason will automatically fail the course. TERM PAPER: Papers are to be typed, carefully proofread, and turned in on time; no late papers will be accepted. Percentage of your final grade=45%. Length: 35-40 doublespaced pages. Due in a week after the classes end. The topic of the paper will be assigned in the 9th week of the term.

References

Raul Ruiz, Poetics of Cinema, éditions dis voir, 1995 Cahiers du Cinéma, the 1950s. Neorealism, Hollywood, New Wave, Harvard University Press, 1985, edited by Jim Hillier Garret Stewart, Framed Time, University of Chicago Press , 2007 Movies and methods: an anthology edited by Bill Nichols University of California Press, 1997 Cinema and Nation, Mette Hjort and Scott MacKenzie, New York : Routledge , 2000

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Requirements	Number	Percentage
Participation	1	20
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Homework / Assignments	1	35
Presentation / Jury
Project	1	45
Seminar / Workshop
Portfolios
Midterms / Oral Exams
Final / Oral Exam
Total

Contribution of Semester Work to Final Grade		100
Contribution of Final Work to Final Grade
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Course Hours Including exam week: 16 x total hours	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours Including exam week: 16 x total hours	16
Study Hours Out of Class
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Homework / Assignments	1	26
Presentation / Jury
Project	1	46
Seminar / Workshop
Portfolios
Midterms / Oral Exams
Final / Oral Exam
		Total	120

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#	Program Qualifications / Outcomes	* Level of Contribution
#	Program Qualifications / Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to critically discuss and interpret the theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of media and communication discipline.					X
2	To have the fundamental knowledge and ability to use the technical equipment and software programs required by the mediaproduction process.	X
3	To be able to use the acquired theoretical knowledge in practice.		X
4	To be able to critically interpret theoretical debates concerning the relations between the forms, agents, and factors that play a role in the field of media and communication.					X
5	To be able to critically discuss and draw on theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of other disciplines complementing the field of media and communication studies.					X
6	To be informed about national, regional, and global issues and problems; to be able to generate problemsolving methods depending on the quality of evidence and research, and to acquire the ability to report those methods to the public.			X
7	To be able to gather, scrutinize and use with scientific methods the necessary data to for the processes of production and distribution.		X
8	To be able to use and develop the acquired knowledge and skills in a lifelong process towards personal and social goals.				X
9	To be able to follow developments in new technologies of media and communication, as well as new methods of production, new media industries, and new theories; and to be able to communicate with international colleagues in a foreign language. (“European Language Portfolio Global Scale,” Level B1)
10	To be able to use a second foreign language at the intermediate level.
11	To be able to use computer software required by the discipline and to possess advancedlevel computing and IT skills. (“European Computer Driving Licence”, Advanced Level)		X