POS 305

Politics and Film: Asia

Fall 2005

Line #24602

 

Warning:

***Some Movies have an “R” Rating***

 

 

Class Meets:                 Th 5:40 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Coor 199

(Note the time!  With discussion, some films will take the class beyond 8:30 PM.  This is considered a study time, and you are expected to remain for the entire film.)

 

Instructor:                     Professor Youngblood

                  Office Hours: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday; and by appointment. Office: 6684 Lattie F. Coor Hall.  Phone: (480) 965-2912;

                  Email: Bob.Y@asu.edu

 

Teaching Assistants:      Kai He

                                    Office Hours: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday; and by appointment

                                    Office: 6779 Coor Hall.  Phone: (480) 965-6551

                                    Email:  Kai.He@asu.edu

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Films produced in Hollywood have penetrated society to such an extent that many Americans receive much of their information about other countries, cultures, peoples, and foreign historical events via motion pictures. This course examines selected aspects of politics, history, and culture in East and Southeast Asia within the context of how they are portrayed in American films.  Students will learn not only to analyze how Asian peoples, cultures, and events are depicted in American films, but will also have the opportunity to compare the messages conveyed by these films with the actual political situations, institutions, and leaders in Asia.  In addition the course examines how Asians have been depicted in Hollywood feature films and how Asian Americans have been treated by the Hollywood film industry.

REQUIRED TEXTS

*Burdick, Eugene and William J. Lederer. The Ugly American. New York: Fawcett Books, 1987 (First published 1958).

 

* Greene, Graham, The Quiet American.  London & New York: Penguin Books, 1955, 1973.

*Crichton, Michael. Rising Sun. New York: Ballantine Books, 1993.

*(Available at the Student Book Center, 704 South College Ave., Tempe).

REQUIRED COURSE PACKETS

+Course Packet: Wong, Eugene F. On Visual Media Racism: Asians in the American Motion Picture. Boulder: University of Denver, 1978. Available at UniPrint, Inc.

+Course Packet: Many of the assigned readings consist of selected book chapters and short articles. These readings are in a course packet available at UniPrint, Inc.

+(Available at UniPrint, Inc., 710 S. Forest, Tempe).

MOVIES FOR THE COURSE

Below is a list of films for the course in the order of the lectures and assignments. 1) "Lost Horizon" (1937), 2) "Mask of Fu Manchu"* (1932), 3) "Charlie Chan at the Opera"* (1937), 4) "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999), 5) "The Good Earth"* (1937), 6) "Red Corner"* (1997), 7) "Paradise Road" (1997), 8) "Rising Sun"* (1993), 9) "The Ugly American"* (1963), 10) "The Quiet American” (2002), 11) "Platoon"* (1986), 12) "Beyond Rangoon"* (1995), 13) "The Killing Fields"* (1984), 14) "The Year Of Living Dangerously" (1983).

All of the films will be shown Thursday nights in class.  The films listed above with an asterisk (*) are on reserve in ASU’s Video Resources library located at the main check out desk in Hayden Library.  If you miss a viewing of a film in class and find it inconvenient to view it in Hayden Library, most of the films, with the possible exception of the "Mask of Fu Manchu and "Charlie Chan at the Opera," should be available at either your local library or Blockbuster or Hollywood Video stores.  For example, the Hollywood Video store at 5350 South McClintock Dr., Tempe, AZ 85283, located on the northwest corner of Guadalupe and McClintock, has all of the films except the “Mask of Fu Manchu and "Charlie Chan at the Opera" (in either VHS or DVD).  Because some video stores do not have the older films, you should check early in the semester as to their availability.  You cannot substitute other movies for those assigned.  

Another option for viewing the films is to purchase them from http://www.amazon.com/ or another video vender. 

Blackboard Enrollment

 

All students enrolled in the course must have an active ASURITE I.D. and password (if you have an ASU email address, then you should know these) in order to access this course via myASU at: http://my.asu.edu/.  If you do not already have an ASURITE I.D. and password  and an ASU email address, you can acquire one by going to the Computer Commons Building (or another remote site) and using a self-subscription computer to sign up.  Assistance is available at the Computer Commons, and instructions are available at: http://www.asu.edu/it/fyi/accounts/ under “Creating an ASURITE account.”    

Once you have an ASURITE I.D. and password, go to http://my.asu.edu/ and enter your ASURITE I.D and password.   When the myASU screen appears, select the “Courses” tab and find POS 305 Politics and Film: Asia for the Fall Semester 2005.  Follow the instructions in Blackboard to access the course.  (If you have paid your fees you should be automatically enrolled.)  Essential course materials such as lectures, examination study guides, and discussion questions are (or will be made) available online.  You will also find a copy of the course syllabus in Blackboard.  If you have any difficulties accessing the course contact Dr. Youngblood immediately. 

IMPORTANT:  myASU and Blackboard assume you are using your ASU email address for all communications.  (Unless you are using an alias – as I am with Bob.Y@asu.edu – your email should be your firstname.lastname@asu.edu.)  However, if you are using a commercial email provider, such as hotmail or yahoo, YOU MUST REDIRECT YOUR EMAIL MESSAGES TO BOUNCE FROM ASU TO THE EMAIL ACCOUNT YOU REGULARLY USE.  To change your ASU account to have your email from me or a teaching assistant forwarded to your other address, you MUST make the appropriate change in your ASU account.  Instructions on redirecting ASU email are located at http://is.asu.edu/islab/faq/forwardemail.htm.  ANY PROBLEMS WITH EMAIL TRANSMISSION USING A NON-ASU EMAIL ACCOUNT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.  The deadline for redirecting your email, if you are not using your ASU account, is September 8, 2005.  Failing to redirect may result in missing important messages, etc. that could adversely effect your grade.  Here are some instructions that should help you set up your email account properly:

The Use of Blackboard

You should check your email daily for messages about the course as well as click on Blackboard’s "Announcements" button for information from Dr. Youngblood or a teaching assistant.  Clicking on the "Staff Information" button accesses our office location, phone numbers, and email addresses.

The syllabus, lectures and synopses of the films are available on Blackboard by clicking on the "Lecture" button and then clicking on the folder that corresponds to a course section (listed below in the syllabus). Many of the folders have descriptions of film clips that you may want to view in order to place a particular section or film/s in a broader comparative perspective. PLEASE READ THE LECTURE AND SYNOPSES PRIOR TO VIEWING THE FILM.

The main characters and actors for each film are listed in Blackboard under the "Course Documents" button. Reviewing the character-actor list prior to seeing the movie will help you in following the plot and in taking notes.

Discussion questions on each movie are listed in Blackboard under "Assignments."

You can check your grades and access an online Blackboard manual by clicking on the "Tools" button.  You are responsible for taking the time to learn Blackboard.  If you have any difficulty, please contact Dr. Youngblood or a TA.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

·        Discussion Questions:

The week following the showing of a film, time at the beginning of the class will be devoted to discussing the previous week’s film.  Students are expected to review the questions before class and be prepared to discuss the questions based on the having viewed the film and having read the lecture and the assigned reading for the week.  Students may also be required – especially if class discussion suggests the reading assignments have not been done – to submit written answers to the discussion questions each week.  Answers are to be double spaced, typewritten, using 10-or 12-point font and handed in at a time specified by Dr. Youngblood, usually within one week (7 days) after a film is scheduled.  Reading the discussion questions prior to viewing the film should assist you in answering.

·        Short Review Papers:

Students are required to write two short review papers of two different movies shown during the semester, excluding The Ugly American, The Quiet American and Rising Sun (see below). One of these papers must be done on one of the first seven films and the other must be done on one of the last seven films.  These papers must be no more than 500 words (Two (2) typewritten pages).  They are to be double spaced, typewritten, using 10-or 12-point font.  All papers must be handed in within one week (7 days) after a film is scheduled.  Your short review papers should analyze the film based on the assigned readings, the lecture, themes or issues discussed in class, or on relevant issues you have gleaned from other readings.  In your paper you MUST reference that week's readings; for a week with multiple readings, reference at least 2 of the assigned readings. 

You should write your papers using correct grammar and punctuation.  Two helpful manuals for checking or improving your writing are: William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style and Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual.  If you have any doubt about the importance of correct punctuation, I recommend you read a recent #1 New York Times bestseller, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Tryuss.  New York: Gotham Books, 2004. 

·        Longer Comparative Papers:

Students are required to write one paper of no more than 1,000 words (Four (4) typewritten pages), using the same specifications listed above on spacing, etc. Your longer paper will compare the novel Rising Sun with the movie based on it or will compare the novel The Ugly American with the movie based on it or will compare The Quiet American with the movie based on it.  The comparative paper will be due two weeks after the film is shown in class.  Like the short reviews, this paper is also expected to present arguments with supporting evidence and/or detail.  Beyond comparing the book with the film, you are also expected to reference at least one of the other readings assigned for that week in your paper.  Again, attention to correct grammar and punctuation is expected.  Remember:  You are responsible for the material in the two other novels for which you do not write a long review.

Important Note on Short Review Paper Due Dates:  Pace yourself in the course so that you complete one of the short review papers by October 20, 2005, roughly by the time half of the films have been shown.  Any first short review papers received after October 20, 2005, will be counted late.  The second short review paper is due on or before December 6, 2005.  Short review papers will not be accepted after that date.  No incomplete grades will be given because students wait until late in the semester to complete the written assignments. 

Important Note on Long Review Paper Due Dates:  Long reviews on The Rising Sun are due on or before October 27, 2005.  Long reviews on The Ugly American are due on or before November 3, 2005.  Long reviews on The Quiet American are due on or before November 10, 2005. 

·        Quizzes: A number of quizzes on the films, lectures, and readings will be given throughout the semester.  The quizzes will be a mixture of true/false and multiple choice questions.  Generally, the quizzes will be given online using Blackboard.           

·        Final Exam: A final examination will be given following the last film, "The Year Of Living Dangerously" (1983).  The format of the final examination has not yet been determined, but may include one of the following or a combination of them:  short answer, essay, true/false, multiple choice, matching.

GRADING

Discussion questions………………...15%

Quizzes………………………………20%

2 Short Reviews………….………….20%

1 Comparative Reviews ………….....15%

Final Exam…………………………..30%

TOTAL……………………………..100%

Note:  Blackboard is not programmed to calculate your final course grade.  That is done on an Excel spreadsheet using the above percentage weightings for each part of the course.

Class Etiquette and Academic Honesty:

 

All students are expected to be on time and attend class, not disrupt class by talking, leaving in the middle of the lecture or discussion, or reading the newspaper or doing other work while in class.  Students are also expected to be prepared for discussion sessions.  According to ASU rules and regulations, students are not to consume food or drink in class. 

 

Students are to adhere to ASU’s policies on academic honesty.  Please review the student academic honesty policy at: http://www.asu.edu/studentlife/judicial/integrity.html and the academic honesty policy of the Department of Political Science at the end of the syllabus.  Academic dishonesty may result in an “E” grade for the course. 

CLASS SCHEDULE

Section I - Course Introduction

Week I, Aug 25: Course Introduction: Read Syllabus, Learn to Navigate the Course on BlackBoard by accessing the course in myASU.   If you have difficulty with Blackboard contact either Dr. Youngblood or a TA.

Section II - Romantic Asia and Early Racist Stereotypes

Week 2, Sep 1: Film: "Lost Horizon" (1937). Excerpts: "Seven Years in Tibet"(1997).

Reading: Wong, Preface, pp. 1-55.

Week 3, Sep 8: Films: "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (1932) and "Charlie Chan At The Opera" (1936). Excerpts: "Mr. Wong in Chinatown" (1939), "Mr. Moto, Detective" (1937), and "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" (1933).

Reading: Wong, pp. 56-119.

Week 4, Sep 15: Film: "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999). Excerpts: "Go For Broke!" (1951), "You Only Live Twice" (1967), "The Teahouse Of The August Moon" (1956).

Reading: Wong, pp. 120-188.

Section III - China

Week 5, Sep 22: Film: "The Good Earth" (1937). Excerpts: "The Last Emperor" (1987).

Reading: Theodore White and Annalee Jacoby, Thunder Out of China, pp. xi-xvi; Ch.2, Ch.11, Ch.13.

Week 6, Sep 29: Film: "Red Corner" (1997). Excerpts: "The Last Emperor" (1987), "To Live" (China, 1994).

Reading: Wong, Ningkun Wu, A Single Tear, Ch.11-12.

Section IV - Japan

Week 7, Oct 6: Film: "Paradise Road" (1997). Excerpts: "Three Came Home" (1950), "Empire of the Sun" (1987), "Bridge On The River Kwai" (1957), "Gung Ho!" (1943).

Reading: Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking, Introduction, Ch.4, Ch. 10, Epilogue.

Week 8, Oct 13: Film: "Rising Sun" (1993). Excerpts: "Black Rain" (1989), "Gung Ho!" (1986), "Mr. Baseball" (1992).

Reading: Michael Crichton, Rising Sun (entire book); Karl Van Wolferen, The Enigma of Japanese Power, Ch.10, "Power in the Guise of Culture"; Robert Christopher, The Japanese Mind, Ch.1, "The Oddest Couple: Japan and America"; Ch.9, "The Gaijin Complex."

Section V: The Vietnam Conflict

Week 9, Oct 20: Film: "The Ugly American" (1963). Excerpts: "The Green Berets" (1968), "Apocalypse Now" (1979), "Operation Dumbo Drop" (1995).

Reading: Eugene Burdick and William Lederer, The Ugly American (entire book); George Herring, America’s Longest War, Ch.5, "On the Tiger’s Back: The United States at War, 1965-1967"; Stanley Karnow, Vietnam, Ch. 7, "Vietnam is the Place."

Week 10, Oct 27: Film: "The Quiet American" (2002). In the past I have shown “Rambo: First Blood Part II” (1985) so the excerpts are linked to: "Uncommon Valor" (1982), "Flight of the Intruder" (1991); "BAT 21" (1988).

Reading: Stanley Karnow, Vietnam, Ch. 14, "Tet"; Admiral James Stockdale, In Love and War, pp. 161-177; Senator John McCain, "Surrogates," The New Republic, May 13, 1996, pp. 25-28 and "To Hell and Back", The Washingtonian, pp. 64-67, 108-114; Colonel Robinson Risner, The Passing Of The Night, pp. 84-114; Captain Howard Rutledge, In The Presence Of Mine Enemies, Ch. 6, "Alcatraz."

Week 11, Nov 3: Film: "Platoon" (1986). Excerpts: "Go Tell The Spartans" (1978), "Full Metal Jacket" (1987), "Hamburger Hill" (1987), "Casualties of War" (1989), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989).

Reading: Mark Baker, Nam, pp.81-128; Daniel Lang, Casualties of War (entire book, if you can find it); Stanley Karnow, Vietnam, pp.442-487, Mark Baker, Nam, "Casualties," pp. 269-296; General Norman Schwarzkopf, It Doesn’t Take A Hero, Ch. 10.

Extra Credit Movies to Be Viewed Outside of Class: Film: "The Deer Hunter" (1978) or “Rambo: First Blood Part II” (1985).  The extra credit films – “The Deer Hunter” and “Rambo: First Blood Part II” – accompany excerpts from these films: "Distant Thunder" (1988), "Coming Home" (1978), "Taxi Driver" (1976), "In Country" (1989), "Birdy" (1985).  (Note: If you view one of these films and write a short review, I will average it with you’re your other two short review grades.)

Reading: James McPherson, "War in the Mind," The Atlantic Monthly, March 1998, 110-112; Mark Baker, Nam, "Homecoming," pp.239-296; Ronald Glasser, 365 Days, "I Don’t Want to Go Home Alone," pp. 257-288.

 

Section VI: Southeast Asia - Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia

Week 12, Nov 10: Film: "Beyond Rangoon" (1995).

Reading: Alan Clements, Burma: The Next Killing Fields? Ch.2; Aung San Suu Kyi, Freedom From Fear, Ch.5, 6, & 24; Aung San Suu Kyi, Letters From Burma, pp.179-209.

Week 13, Nov 17: Film: "The Killing Fields" (1984).

Week 14, Nov 24:    THANKSGIVING RECESS

Reading: Haing Ngor, A Cambodian Odyssey, pp. 180-250.

Week 15, December 1: Film: "The Year Of Living Dangerously" (1983).

Reading: Clark Neher and Ross Marlay, Democracy and Development in Southeast Asia, Ch. 5.

Regularly Scheduled Final Examination Day, December 8, 2005, 5:40-7:40 PM

To check other final examination days in other courses go to: http://www.asu.edu/registrar/registration/finals.html 

HAVE A GREAT BREAK!!