Lars von Trier
Course Guidelines

"The childish fascination with the everyday miracle is a
very good place to start when you make a film [. . .]"
Lars von Trier, interview with Lars Schwander (1983)

the basics / diversity / content & communication / course goals / texts / path 1 / path 2 / miscellany

THE BASICS

English 372, sections 01, 02: Film Directors
directorial focus: Lars von Trier
class location: sec 01 (9:40-11:00 a.m. / 21.238), sec 02 (12:10-1:30 p.m. / 186.C102)
instructor: Dr. Paul Marchbanks
e-mail: pmarchba@calpoly.edu
office: 805-756-2159 / building 47 (the "maze"), hallway 35, office A / available hours

DIVERSITY, ACCOMODATION, & ACCESSIBILITY

• This course will present an array of challenging ideas for discussion purposes, some of which you may instinctively applaud, and others which you might find repelling (thematically, stylistically, or ideologically). I encourage you to articulate your own sensibility and perspective--both in the classroom and through your written work--while respecting dissenting positions. I regularly award the highest scores to those students who bolster their arguments with ample evidence, clarity, and solid reasoning--even when I personally disagree with their position.
• Recognizing that every student learns differently, I attempt to employ multiple teaching methodogies as I move through each course I teach. If you like something I do, let me know and it might just reappear before the quarter ends!
• Convinced that the classroom environment should enable instead of disabling each student learner, whatever their background and abilities, I have adopted various Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. If your own circumstances require additional consideration, please let me know.

CONTENT & COMMUNICATION

The films and literature I teach run the gamut of human experience, from the ecstatic and joyful to the degrading and sordid.  Many visual and literary artists regularly exercise this kind of topical license, operating under the assumption that representing even the most difficult material can serve a beneficial purpose.  One viewer or reader might actually become sensitized to social problems they had hitherto ignored when they encounter such problems dramatized in art.  Another might find in a tale’s situations and dialogue helpful analogues for painful things they have themselves experienced: the story, that is, might provide them a voice—useful words and strategies for expressing their own grief and suffering.

Others, however, might be re-traumatized by watching something that hits too close to home because they’re not yet ready to re-experience their pain—even through the medium of fictional art.  Or, they might fundamentally disagree with the creators’ representation of challenging subject matter—might be offended by the representation and quickly point to other, more politic and sensitive portrayals of such difficult material.  They might even hold that the creator has no right to represent what they have placed in their art because that creator’s own identity factors do not closely enough mirror the factors they have chosen to represent.

Recognizing that even detailed content warnings have limited value, I’d like to supplement them with an open invitation to exercise your freedom during class to disagree with the perspective of others (incl. myself), to approach me during office hours or via email with concerns, and to just leave the classroom for a few minutes if you become upset or disturbed.  If this happens, please do keep the lines of communication open, and let me know if a particular issue or representation bothers you: you needn’t explain why it bothered you unless you wish to do so.

COURSE GOALS

• English dept. learning objectives
• to hone critical thinking and argumentation skills
• to improve students' writing ability and visual literacy
• to explore Lars von Trier's work in a modern, Scandinavian context
• to deepen students' comfort with public speaking through class discussion
• to familiarize students with effective interdisciplinary approaches to argumentation
  
  

• A Rhetoric of Film (2015), a free OER (open educational resource) text. Download PDFs of chapters here: one, two, three, four, five.
• $ to cover either renting or purchasing assigned "Path 1" films not available through Kanopy or YouTube.
• Euripedes' Medea. Dover Thrift Edition. ISBN-13: 78-0486275482. Students order themselves.
• 19 fifteen-question scantrons, two blue books, and a notebook for notetaking (a tablet is fine if you write and don't type)
• assorted "Path 2" films available through Kanopy (accessible online through the Cal Poly library)

PATH 1: In-Class Discussion and Exams

• daily quizzes (30 pts): 17 ten-question scantron quizzes to take place at the beginning of most class sessions. Quizzes will customarily require a 15-question scantron. Missed quizzes cannot be made up; the lowest two quiz grades (including zeroes from missed quizzes) will be dropped. Scantron quizzes will loosely follow the following formula:
  • Tuesday quizzes
    • 2-3 qstns derived from Dr. M's online, pre-screening intro. (subscribe to Digging in the Dirt to ensure you don't miss these.)
    • 3+ qstns concerning the week's assigned film, related to online study questions
    • 3+ qstns concerning the week's assigned film, unrelated to online study questions
    • 1+ qstns concerning the previous week's film
    • also possible: 1+ qstns concerning other material, mini lectures, etc.
    • exception: wk 4 quizzes will cover text of Euripedes' Medea as well as LvT's own adaptation of Medea from a screenplay by Carl Dreyer
  • Thursday quizzes
    • 5+ qstns concerning the week's assigned Rhetoric of Film chp.
    • 1+ qstns concerning the previous week's Rhetoric of Film chp.
    • 1-3 qstns concerning the week's assigned film
    • 0-2 qstns concerning other screened films
    • 0-2 qstns derived from Dr. M's online, pre-screening intro. (subscribe to Digging in the Dirt to ensure you don't miss these.)
    • also possible: 1+ qstns concerning other material: previously screened films, mini lectures, etc.
    • note: once we have completed A Rhetoric, all material in it is fair game on subsequent quizzes
• participation & class discussion (15 pts--3 grades of 5 pts each, awarded at three, six, and ten weeks); students most commonly earn 4-4.25 pts. Lower scores will be given to those who rarely contribute to discussion without being prompted, and higher scores awarded those who consistently:
  • contribute thoughtful, organized reflections to class discussion and group activities
  • actively participate in writing workshop activities
  • manifest intimate familiarity with assigned films and bring relevant notes (particularly on PFR's) to class
  • arrive to class and film screenings on time, and infrequently depart during class and screenings
  • successfully avoid messaging, internet surfing, and and like during class and screenings
  • stay abreast of course updates (via the website and email)
  • report, via email, any errors (broken links, typos, etc.) on the course website
• attendance
  • class sessions: given the relative infrequency with which we meet, and the brief duration of the quarter system, missing class will begin to hurt your grade almost immediately. You get one "free" absence (though recall that you cannot makeup missed quizzes). Your second absence will cut 1 pt from your final grade, your third absence will cut 3 more pts from your final grade, your fourth absence will cut 5 more pts from your final grade, etc. In other words, 3 absences will remove 4 pts from your final grade, 4 absences will remove 9 pts from your final grade, 5 absences will remove 16 pts from your final grade, etc. Absences will also impact your participation grade (see above). Excused absences require written from and contact information for a doctor, etc.
• exams: performing well on essay exams requires familiarity with pre-screening comments from Dr. M, the films themselves, points of reflection, lectures, and material from group exercises. Please note that you are responsible for all "points for reflection," whether we have time to discuss each of them in class or not. I recommend reviewing them before each screening, then answering them immediately afterwards.
  • midterm exam (15 pts): an in-class, cumulative exam comprised of one essay (blue book required). For the essay, students respond to 1 of 3 prompts (a GWR opportunity). Date: Thurs., Feb. 3.
  • final exam (15 pts): a cumulative exam comprised of one essay (blue book required). For the essay, students respond to 1 of 3 prompts (a GWR opportunity).
    • sec 01 (class: 9:40-11:00 a.m. TR) / final exam: Thurs., Mar. 17, 10:10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
    • sec 02 (class: 12:10-1:30 p.m.) / final exam: Thurs., Mar. 17, 1:10-4:00 p.m.
  • to pass the GWR, you must:
    • have earned 90 units before the current quarter begins
    • earn at least a C in the course (not a C-), whether or not you're taking the class credit/no credit
    • receive at least 75% on one of the two exam essays
      

PATH 2: Outside Research and Writing

• path 2 groups: each student will eventually belong to a Path 2 group of three classmates assigned to a particular topic which will involve comparing and contrasting one film by Lars von Trier and another by one of his cinematic antecedents.
• 60-min. paper conference for term paper (5 pts): students will construct a 2-3 page outline of their argument which identifies a working thesis statement, each of their main points, and supporting claims and evidence. Outlines will be sent to Dr. M and those students in your group prior to the joint paper conference. 15+ minutes will be allocated to discussion of each student's paper, during which time students will demonstrate their familiarity with not only their own argument but the two films in question. Go here to find, together, an available slot (look for the gray cells), and email me your group's preferred time. Be sure to show up on time, and actively, thoughtfully contribute to the discussion. Students who do not complete these requirements cannot turn in their term paper. Paper conferences will occur between Fri., Feb. 25 and Fri., Mar. 4.
• term paper (20 pts): an argument which engages the two films assigned to each group. Go here for details. Completed and polished, 4-6 page term paper (a required Works Cited page and Appendix with screen captured images will constitute additional pages) due the evening of Mon., Mar. 14, by midnight. Send Word document directly to Dr. M via email. Late papers will lose two points per day.

MISCELLANY

Grading

Contact
Take advantage of my office hours. Go here to find an open slot, then email me to reserve that time for an office visit. The fastest way to contact me if you have a quick question is via email. You can also reach me in my office at 805-756-2159, or in the evening (before 10 p.m.) at 593-0192.

Writing Lab Center
Experienced writers at the University Writing & Rhetoric Center (now in Kennedy Library, Room 11C) offer free assistance with writing assignments for any course. Using this service will improve even the best writer’s output. Visit their website to schedule an appointment in advance of your desired date, or simply drop by between 10a.m. and 8 p.m. MTWRF (reduced hrs on weekend). If writing remains a challenge for you, you might consider enrolling in ENGL 150, a one-credit writing support course.

Plagiarism and the Honor Code
I encourage you to improve your writing with the help of peers, instructors, and myself. Remember, however, that all work you submit must be your own. Any paper containing borrowed but undocumented thoughts or words will receive a failing grade, and I am obligated to report all instances of plagiarism to the Vice President of Student Affairs. Let me know if you have further questions concerning this important issue.

Spring View Chair (2015)
Poul Anker Bech

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu