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124220 SE Cultural and Media Studies Seminar (2016S)

Classic Western Movies

11.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 09.03. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 16.03. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 06.04. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 13.04. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 20.04. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 27.04. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 04.05. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 11.05. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 18.05. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 25.05. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 01.06. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 08.06. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 15.06. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 22.06. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Wednesday 29.06. 14:00 - 16:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Aims: The aim of the course is to familiarize students with some famous Western movies and with how this genre has, over time, developed its own imaginary, film language, ethos (good, bad, ugly?), and configuration of (often stereotyped) characters (the gunman, the rustler, the sheriff, the madam, ...).

Content: In this seminar we will watch and discuss a "fistful" of "classic" (trendsetting, paradigmatic, also revisionist) Western movies (some in full, some only in brief extracts):
- Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
- The Virginian (Stuart Gilmore, 1946)
- High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)
- Shane (George Stevens, 1953)
- The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
- A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari, Sergio Leone 1964)
- Hang 'em High (Ted Post, 1968)
- Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah, 1973)
- Geronimo (Walter Hill, 1993)
- Tombstone (George P. Cosmatos, 1993)
- Wyatt Earp (Lawrence Kasdan, 1994)
- Appaloosa (Ed Harris, 2008)
- True Grit (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010)

While we will discuss the filmic language(s) of these works, the main focus of the seminar will be on typical Cultural Studies questions, such as:
- how are the political and social realities of the (post-Civil War) Western territories depicted?
- how are "non-white" ethnic populations (esp. Native Americans and Mexicans) portrayed?
- how is masculinity (all that gunslinging!) constructed?
- how are the female characters presented?

Methods: Multidisciplinary discussion of movies and literary texts and presentations of students' papers in class.

Assessment and permitted materials

Regular attendance, participation in class discussions of set texts and screenings, oral presentation of an 'academic' essay (on one of the movies) of 5,000 words and a shorter research paper (on a different topic) of 1,500 words, final written test.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics

all the material covered in class

Reading list

paperbacks:
- Jack Schaefer, Shane (1949)
- Charles Portis, True Grit (1968, a 14-year-old girl avenges the murder of her father)
eBooks:
- S. M. Barrett (and Geronimo), Geronimo's Story of His Life
- Pat Garrett, The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid (1882)
- Owen Wister, The Virginian (1902, considered the first Western novel ever written)

Association in the course directory

Studium: UF 344, BA 612, MA 844;
Code/Modul: UF 4.2.4-322; BA 09.2; MA6, MA7
Lehrinhalt: 12-0405

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33