CMS 570 A: Media Lab

Spring 2023
View in MyPlan View in Time Schedule
Meeting:
M 1:30pm - 4:50pm / CMU 218D
SLN:
12442
Section Type:
Seminar
Instructor:
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

CMS 570  QUEER FEELINGS & VIDEOGRAPHIC CRITICISM

Spring 2023: Mondays, MGH 058, 1:30-4:50

Jennifer M. Bean

"I have a lot of frustration with the insistence on content when people are talking 
about homosexuality. People define gay cinema solely by content: if there are gay 
characters in it, it's a gay film. It fits into the gay sensibility, we got it, 
it's gay. It's such a failure of the imagination, let alone the ability to look 
beyond content. I think that's really simplistic. Heterosexuality to me is a 
structure as much as it is a content. It is an imposed structure that goes along 
with the patriarchal, dominant structure that constrains and defines society. 
If homosexuality is the opposite or the counter-sexual activity to that, then 
what kind of a structure would it be?"

                                                                    —Todd Haynes, interview with Justin Wyatt (1993)

This graduate-level Media Lab course is a hybrid of critical film studies, queer theory, and video production, requiring seminar members to engage both conceptually and creatively.  Our approach will employ a queer (and feminist, and *trans) framework for studying and producing new videographic forms of criticism often known as “video essays,” considering how such work produces knowledge and also creates a poetic, or perhaps better a “felt,” impact. 

Assignments will consist of weekly videographic exercises (weeks 2-7) and a final video essay on a topic of your choosing.  No preexisting knowledge of editing software is required, although class members who lack any familiarity with digital video editing programs will need to allot additional time for acquiring basic skills in the initial weeks of the quarter.  We will also view and discuss many examples of video essays, working to both understand the increasing prominence of videographic criticism in Cinema and Media Studies over the past decade, and to envision new possibilities for future scholarly work.  [The peer review journal [in]transition publishes this mode of video-writing, and is worth exploring for those entirely unfamiliar.]

Please know that this is an experimental workshop class. Though we will read a great deal of critical scholarship in the first 7 weeks to form a historical and theoretical foundation in queer and feminist film studies as well as affect theory, we will be watching and producing short video essays in rhetorical forms that are likely new to most, if not all, of you. For this class to succeed, it is important that everyone is willing to take chances with their work (sometimes you will not succeed) and provide feedback to others that is constructive and supportive as well as honest.  

Every member of the class is required to have an external hard drive to store their video projects, and I recommend at least 1TB of space.  However, you do not need to have a personal computer equipped with advanced editing software.  You will be learning to edit with Adobe Premiere, and that editing software is available on a wide array of computers in Odegaard Library and elsewhere on campus.

 

Class Credos

  1. Attendance, attention, participation, listening and careful viewing and reading (of required texts and of your peers' video projects). I expect the very best you can give.  
  2. Good faith and good humor towards all members of the seminar.  Disagreements are expected and encouraged, but personal attacks and intimidation are not acceptable under any circumstances. Follow the Golden Rule (see #10 below). Encourage basic questions as well as advanced ones.
  3. Your job as an active class participant is to listen actively to what others say and advance the discussion.  If you are a confident contributor use your confidence for good and not evil.  Help brings others into the discussion, refer to other members of the cohort by name, and be positive about the contributions of those who do not say as much. In like manner, if you are a confident video editor, use your skills to help those less familiar rather than to show off your mastery of technique.
  4. While personal anecdotes are allowed and even encouraged (the course is titled "Queer Feelings" after all!), keep in mind this is an academic seminar. Others may disagree with your interpretation of your experience.  This is also encouraged and allowed.  If you are not comfortable with this credo, do not share your story.  If you share your story and then decide you are uncomfortable with others discussing it, just ask us to stop and we will move the discussion along.
  5. Awkward silences and hesitation are okay. Don’t feel you need to rush to speak and don’t worry if you need a little time to articulate something.  Contributing to  discussion in seminar meetings is more than the frequency of the times you speak and the number of words you say. If you are struggling to articulate something, that’s probably a sign that you are saying something that is new and not obvious.
  6. Difficult subject matter: Please know that I will never do anything intentionally to shock or traumatize you. At the same time, we will discuss difficult subjects in this class, and nobody can predict the effect some materials may have on someone.  I will try and give previews of the kinds of content you will encounter before you encounter it.  If I forget, feel free to ask.  If you are having difficulty dealing with a class discussion or a reading or viewing, you may raise the issue as part of the discussions, or contact me separately as needed.
  7. It is everyone’s job to imagine a better world: any critique of how something is raises the question of how it ought to be. You will be asked to think carefully and imaginatively about alternatives to the way things are.
  8. More than one thing can be true: cultural and aesthetic analysis only works if it is possible to hold onto apparently contradictory ideas at once and explain how they can both be true in specific circumstances.
  9. You have the right to be wrong: part of learning, and one of the most lucrative elements of professionalization, is the ability to change one’s  perspective. This is only possible in a community where ideas can be expressed and challenged, and when people are able to change their minds.  
  10. Follow the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.

Finally, a word of advice.  (Perhaps this is credo #11?)  To quote Oscar Wilde: "Be Yourself.  Everyone else is taken."  

Assignments and Grading

Class Participation and Peer Reviews: 30% of final grade

The first half of our class sessions in weeks 2-7 will be devoted to digging into required films and readings; in the second half of class during those weeks we will watch the videographic exercises you have completed related to those films/concepts.  Closer to the end of the quarter we will screen rough cuts of your final projects and discuss them together.

There are two forms of preparation that will enable you to participate actively.  First, make certain to bring a QUESTION about a film or reading required for that day.  Be specific.  Underline a passage in the respective reading, or bring a time cue for a scene or moment in the film you want to discuss.

Also be prepared to engage your peers' videographic projects both critically and constructively.  At times, I will offer you specific peer review questions to address when watching your peers' work; at other times, you will be asked more generally for feedback.  See "Class Credos" above.  Together, we can form a powerful, collaborative community.

Videographic Exercises: 35% of final grade

There are 6 videographic exercises in this course (weeks 2-7), which you will create to learn the respective editing technique and also to explore the required films for the course.  The first 5 exercises will be screened/discussed in class each week, and are due on Canvas each Sunday evening by 5:00 p.m.  The 6th exercise, an Abstract Trailer of your final project, is due on Sunday, May 14, by 5:00 p.m. and will be screened/discussed in class the following day.  See weekly schedule below for details.

You will not receive written feedback on your videographic exercises, although we will have time to discuss them together.  Here’s how the numbers break down:

5  Excellent.

4  You’re doing well, but stay focused.  Remember the formal parameters for each exercise.

3  Your video exercise is incomplete. 

2  Are you watching/reading the required course materials?  If you’re confused, please schedule an office hour visit.

1 You likely forgot to read the assignment parameters, or you missed the deadline.

0 Not submitted.

Final Videographic Project 35% of final grade

A detailed overview of the parameters for your final project will be posted on the course canvas "assignment" page by week 4 of the course, and the final, polished version will be due Friday June 2, 11:59 p.m..   You will have ample time to develop this project by creating an Abstract Trailer in Week 8, a Rough Cut in Week 9, and then the revised, polished version by the end of week 10. Overall, you will aim for a professional, academic video essay that might be suitable for publication in a peer review journal of videographic criticism (such as [In]Transition or NECSUS, etc.).

 

Academic Integrity

Unless otherwise directed by your instructor, you must complete all assigned work on your own. You are expected to be familiar with the University’s policies concerning Academic Misconduct as outlined in the Student Conduct Code.

Evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonestly will result in an automatic failure of the assignment, and may result in further disciplinary action.

UW Statement on Access and Disability Resources

If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to your professor at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions.

Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructors, and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Religious Accommodations

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy.  Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

 

Weekly Module Schedule 'At-A-Glance'

This schedule/syllabus is subject to revision throughout the quarter.  We will do what seems to work best for our group—which may mean additional discussion of concepts/films, or study of existing video essays, or workshops on tricky elements of Adobe Premiere, or individual appointments—and we will adapt/adjust the format and expectations accordingly. 

Note: the below schedule include a few links, but you will find all the reading/viewing materials as well as exercise descriptions and other prompts for you on the MODULE page.  As of week 2, the home page for our Canvas site will be MODULES.

Week 1 Queer Failure (and other Feelings) March 27

  • Sarah Chin, "Queer Feelings, Feeling Queer: Conversation with Heather Love about Politics, Teaching, and the 'Dark, Tender Thrills' of Affect," Transformations (2011/12), 124-131 (7 pages)
  • Michele Aaron, "Introduction" to New Queer Cinema (Edinburgh University Press, 2004), 3-12 (9 pages)
  • Teresa de Lauretis, "Queer Texts, Bad Habits, and the Issue of a Future," GLQ (2011), read 243-248 (first 5 pages)
  • “Queer Media Manifestoes,” GLQ (2013), skim
  • There are 2 video essays assigned for this first week; both are available in the course module.
  • Your first videographic exercise, the PechaKucha Exercise, will be assigned for next week.  Bring your external hard drive to class if you would like a digital file of the films.  If you do not have experience with Adobe Premiere, start working on the Lynda.com tutorials to help learn the platform, or follow the Adobe Premiere Guide posted in exercise 1 in module 1.  

Week 2 Melancholy (and PechaKuchas) April 3

  • Watch All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar, 1999) and Goodbye Dragon Inn (Tsai Ming-Liang, 2003)
  • Optional, Happy Together (Wong Kar-Wai, 1997)
  • Read David Eng & David Kazanjian, intro to Loss: The Politics of Mourning (2002)
  • Read Joshua Chambers-Letson, “Compensatory Hypertrophy, or All About My Mother,” Social Text (2014), special issue on Jose Munoz ****PLEASE NOTE, Chambers-Leston will be giving a talk at the Simpson Center next week on April 13.  For anyone not attending SCMS, mark your calendars!
  • Read, excerpt from Cruisy, Sleepy, Melancholy: Sexual Disorientation in the films of Tsai Ming-liang, Nicholas De Villiers (University of Minnesota Press, 2022)
  • View and discuss Pechakucha exercises; assign Voiceover exercise.

Week 3 Trauma (and Voiceovers) April 10

  • Watch Hedwig and the Angry Itch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001) and Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson, 1994)
  • Read Ann Cvetkovich, introduction and chapter one from an Archive of Feelings: Trauma, Sexuality, and the Lesbian Public Sphere (Duke UP, 2003).
  • Read Susan Stryker, “My Words to Victor Frankenstein, on Performing Transgender Rage” (1993)
  • View and discuss Voiceover exercises; assign Epigraph exercise.

Week 4 Longing (and Epigraphs) April 17

  • Watch Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015) and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma, 2019)
  • Optional, The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook, 2016) and A Single Man (Tom Ford, 2009)
  • Read Allen Daigle, "Of Love and Longing: Queer Nostalgia in Carol" (2017)
  • Read Madeleine Spelling, "Recentring Peripheral Queerness and Marginal Art in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)" (2021)
  • Watch Allen Daigle, Of Love and Longing (2018)
  • view and discuss Epigraph Exercises; assign Multiscreen exercise

Week 5 Shame (and Multiscreens) April 24

  • Watch Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, 1998) and Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016).  Optional viewing: ep. 1-4, Six Feet Under (HBO, 2001)
  • Read Sally Munt, from intro to Queer Attachments: The Cultural Politics of Shame
  • Read Michael Warner, "The Ethics of Sexual Shame,"  intro to The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics and the Ethics of Queer Life (NY: Free Press, 1999)
  • Read Chad Bennett, “Fanning the Flames: Shame and the Aesthetics of Queer Fandom in Todd Haynes’ Velvet Goldmine
  • Read Arzu Kurduman, "Hush, Hush, I'll know when I know: Post-Black Sound Aesthetics in Moonlight," Liquid Blackness (fall, 2017)
  • View and discuss Multiscreen exercises, assign Algorithmic exercises

Week 6 Happiness (and Algorithmic Features) May 1

  • Watch Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) and Bound (Wachowskis, 1996)
  • Optional Appropriate Behavior (2014) and But I’m a Cheerleader (Jamie Babbitt, 2000)
  • Read Heather Love, “Compulsory Happiness and Queer Existence”
  • Read Sarah Ahmed, “Unhappy Queers” from The Promise of Happiness
  • Read from C. Keegan, Lilly and Lana Wachowski (University of Illinois Press, 2018)
  • Read B. Ruby Rich, "Ang Lee's Lonesome Cowboys," in her New Queer Cinema: The Director's Cut (Duke UP, 2013)
  • Watch and Discuss Algorithmic exercises

Week 7:  What Makes a Good Video Essay? (May 8)

*please note there is no videographic exercise assigned for this week; begin research on your final projects instead.  Every member of the seminar will also bring a "model video essay" to class to share and discuss, ideally one that represents a "form" (not content, but form) of videographic criticism that inspires your final project.

Week 8: Abstract Trailers (May 15)

  • screen and discuss abstract trailers of final projects

Week 9 Rough Cuts (May 22)

  • screen and discuss rough cuts of final projects

Week 10 Final Projects

 5/29: UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY/Memorial Day; we will not meet as a class during the final week of spring quarter.  Instead, focus on completing your final video essays.  We will discuss together whether or not we want to arrange a screening of final projects at the end of this week or first of final's week.

Final Video Essay, plus 2 page Creator's Statement, due Friday, June 2, by 11:59 p.m.

 

Catalog Description:
Practical approaches to cinema and media studies. May include archival research, production of videographic or audiographic criticism, film programming, public scholarship, or hands-on work with media devices and technologies. Offered: AWSp.
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
April 19, 2024 - 9:32 am