Assignments

GC2Y 2000 Global Horror Films, Spring 2025

Section 14: 1:30-3:10 p.m., Arts & Sciences 340A

Section 33: 3:30-5:10 p.m., Arts & Sciences 270

In Class Activities

1. Understanding a Film Movement

Let's break into five groups of 4-5 members each and then summarize the key points of Telotte's "German Expressionism" and analyze significant scenes from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, Nosferatu, and Waxworks. Here are the groups, article sections, and film scenes:

1. Telotte, Expressionist Origins (15-17) and Nosferatu, Orlok on the ship (57:55-59:45)
2. Telotte, The Expressionist Problem (17-8) Nosferatu, Orlok drains Ellen (1:24:05-1:30:05)
3. Telotte, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (18-21) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Caesare abducts Jane (45:00-49:00)
4. Telotte, Waxworks (21-24) and Waxworks, Spring-Heeled Jack (1:18:00-1:23:00)
5. Telotte, Metropolis and Conclusion (24-27) Metropolis, the revolutionary crowd (2:09:15-2:14:05)

Here are the questions:

1. Summarize the 2-3 main points from the assigned section of Telotte's article.
2. Select a key passage from the assigned section of Telotte's article.
3. Describe what happens in the assigned scene.
4. Describe the composition and camera work of the assigned scene.
5. Describe the style of the scene, noting aspects such as lighting and production design.
6. What is the main idea of the scene and how is that idea expressed via style, narrative, and technique?

Article Summary

Written Summary

You will write an article summary and post it to GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Article Summary two days before we are scheduled to discuss the article so I have time to read your response before class. The article summary should

• be 2-3 pages long, formatted in MLA style, and submitted in docx or rtf format,
• summarize the article's argument,
• quote and explain 1 or 2 significant passages,
• define key terms, if any,,
• and include 2 or 3 questions for class discussion.

Informal Presentation

You will also be responsible for a brief, informal presentation. The presentation should introduce the essay by defining key points and terms (without simply reading your written summary) and broaching issues for class discussion.

Due Dates

1. Your written assignment will be due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Article Summary two days before we are scheduled to discuss an article. Summaries will be penalized one letter grade for each day, not class period, that they are turned in late. It is your responsibility to check the sign up schedule and complete the assignment on time.
2. Your brief, informal presentation will be due on the day we discuss the essay in class. This date is approximate for we will sometimes fall a day behind. Failing to present the article to the class without providing a valid absence excuse will result in a two letter grade penalty.
3. Your graded assignment will be returned to you in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Article Summary approximately one week after we discuss the article in class.
4. For example, we are scheduled to discuss Kavka's "The Gothic on Screen" on Monday, February 10. Therefore, someone's article summary will be due in GeorgiaVIEW on Saturday, February. In class on Monday, February 10, that student will informally present the main ideas of Kavka's essay. The graded article summary will be returned to that student the following week in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Article Summary. Here's how to calculate your course grade.

Sign Up

Schedule your article summary, film response, and learning beyond the classroom project here.

 

Film Response

Written Summary

You will respond to a film and post it to GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Film Response two days before we are scheduled to discuss the film so I have time to read your response before class. The film response should

• be 2-3 pages long, formatted in MLA style, and submitted in docx or rtf format,
• respond to the key conflicts, issues, and themes of the film,
• react to an important shot or scene,
• and include 2-3 questions for class discussion.

Informal Presentation

You will also be responsible for a brief, informal presentation. The presentation should discuss the highlights of your response (without simply reading your written summary) and broach issues for class discussion.

Due Dates

1. Your written assignment will be due in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Film Response two days before we are scheduled to discuss the film. Responses will be penalized one letter grade for each day, not class period, that they are turned in late. It is your responsibility to check the sign up schedule and complete the assignment on time.
2. Your brief, informal presentation will be due on the day we discuss the film in class. This date is approximate for we will sometimes fall a day behind. Failing to present the response to the class without providing a valid absence excuse will result in a two letter grade penalty.
3. Your graded assignment will be returned to you in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Film Response approximately one week after we discuss the article in class.
4. For example, we are scheduled to discuss The Mummy (1959) on Monday, February 10. Therefore, someone's film response will be due in GeorgiaVIEW on Saturday, February 8. In class on Monday, February 10, that student will informally present the main points of their response. The graded film response will be returned to that student the following week in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Film Response. Here's how to calculate your course grade.

Sign Up

Schedule your article summary, film response, and learning beyond the classroom project here.

Learning Beyond the Classroom Project

The article summary compels you to read actively and to abstract informally the key ideas from an article. The film response compels you to view actively and to respond informally to significant scenes and meanings of a film. The comparison/contrast essay requires formal, drafted, reviewed, and revised analysis of film. The learning beyond the classroom project allows you to work in small groups to apply your understanding of film in creative or critical ways beyond conventional essays. You will record your project outside of class, and we screen your film or listen to your podcast and then discuss your project in class.

 

Film Option (Creative): Create a 3-5 minute horror film that applies the style and/or themes of two films studied in class. Along with the film, submit a two page explanation of how your film emulates the styles and mimics the issues of the in-class films.

 

Podcast Option (Critical): Record a 20-30 minute podcast episode that discusses a non-American horror film not studied in class, subject to professor approval. Be sure to address such issues as film style, film elements (shots, scene, camera, lighting, etc.), conflict, character, and theme.

Parameters

• Length: 3-5 minute film or 20-30 minute podcast
• Format: video or audio file
• Due Date: Your project is due two days before it is scheduled to be discussed in class. Submit either the file or the link to the file to two places: 1) GeorgiaVIEW > Discussions > Learning Beyond the Classroom and 2) GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Learning Beyond the Classroom Project. Note that the GeorgiaVIEW Discussions accepts audio files in either mp3 or m4a format while GeorgiaVIEW Assignments dropbox only accepts mp3; you can either convert or submit a placeholder file in docx, jpg, or txt in the Assignment dropbox.
• Group Policy: Each group member is responsible for staying connected with the group, attending meetings, actively participating in meetings, doing her delegated work, i.e., contributing her fair share to the project. In order to hold singular members accountable in a team project, each group member should individually compose and submit to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > LBTC Project - Individual Evaluation a paragraph that assesses her own performance and her peer's service to the assignment. If it becomes apparent that a group member did not participate (skipped meetings, didn't complete her assigned work, etc.), that member will be assessed individually rather than receive the group grade.
• Grade: While you should strive to produce a watchable film or listenable podcast, your project will not be graded on artistic merit because GC2Y is not a media production course. Rather, as GC2Y is a film analysis course, your project will be assessed in terms of your applied understanding of horror film style, themes, and ideas. Retrieve your graded assignment in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Learning Beyond the Classroom Project approximately one week after you present to the class.

Sign Up

Schedule your article summary, film response, and learning beyond the classroom project here.

Comparison/Contrast Essay

We have looked at a number of early horrors films (The Phantom Carriage, Haxan, Nosferatu, Freaks, Bride of Frankenstein, Onibaba) with a variety of horrors (death, witches, freaks, Frankenstein's monster) from a variety of countries (Sweden, Denmark, Germany, United States, Japan). For the first formal paper, you will compare and contrast how horror functions in two films. You have two choices of approach.

• Option A: Compare and contrast how two films that we've viewed so far express a key trait of the horror film genre by integrating ideas/quotes from at least one film history chapter (Weismann) and one film theory articles (Cherry, Carroll, Telotte, Kavka, Balmain) as well as using at least three techniques of film analysis (Sikov) in your examination. How does the expression of the characteristic affect the comparison of the two films' themes; in other words, how does form influence thematic content? For example, according to Smuts's review of Carroll's work, to be considered horror, a film must contain a monster. You could compare and contrast the monsters at the heart of The Phantom Carriage and Haxan, and thus compare and contrast what kind of horror films they are, as well as what kind of themes they have.
• Option B: Compare and contrast the representation of the monster (death, witches, vampires, freaks, Frankenstein's monsters) in a horror film that we've viewed so far with the attitude toward and portrayal of the monster in a horror film of your choice from another country by using at least three techniques of film analysis (Sikov) in your examination. How does the representation of the monster affect the comparison of the two films' themes; in other words, how does form influence thematic content? For example, you could compare and contrast how witches are represented in Haxan (Sweden, 1922) with how they are portrayed in The Blair Witch Project (United States, 1999), and how those expressions lead to their respective themes.

Your paper must use textual evidence from the films such as but not limited to dialogue, title cards, shots, soundtrack, camera angles, and editing. Option A must also quote and cite the text of film history and film theory in class articles. Before you draft the paper, you will submit a thesis statement and outline, which will be reviewed by your peers. The mandatory first draft of your paper will be reviewed by your peers and graded by your professor. The optional second draft grade will replace the first draft grade.

Parameters

• Length: 4-6
• Format: Word format (I suggest using this template)
• Style: MLA style (I suggest completing this checklist)
• Due Dates: There are multiple due dates and different places to submit the paper.
  • Thesis Statement and Outline: The thesis statement and outline is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Comparison/Contrast Thesis on Wednesday, February 12 before class. Failure to submit before class will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final paper grade. Bring your laptop or a print out of your thesis and outline to class.
  • Draft 1 (Professor Copy): The mandatory first draft is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments> Comparison/Contrast Essay Draft 1 at any time on Wednesday, February 19. Failure to submit on time will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final paper grade.
  • Draft 1 (Peer Copy): The mandatory first draft is also due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Discussions > Comparison/Contrast Essay Peer Group # at any time on Wednesday, February 19.
  • Peer Response: The mandatory peer response session will take place on Wednesday, February 26. Failure to participate in peer response will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final grade of your paper.
  • Draft 2 (Professor Copy): The optional second draft of the paper, with major changes highlighted and a one paragraph revision statement included after the Works Cited page, is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Comparison/Contrast Essay Draft 2 at any time on Wednesday, March 5. The second draft grade will replace the first. Failure to submit a revision statement will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final grade of the paper.
• Grade: Your assignment will be assessed in terms of your comparative thesis (Options A and B), your film analysis of the two films (Options A and B), and your integration of articles from class (Option A only). Retrieve your graded assignment in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Comparison/Contrast Essay Draft 2 approximately one week after you present to the class.

Research Essay

TBA Due dates for the first draft annotated bibliography, thesis and outline, peer response, and second draft are available now on the syllabus schedule in bold links.

Peer Response

Goals

The two main goals of our class is for you to learn multiple intellectual approaches to horror films and to develop a global perspective regarding the culture of horror films, and the course approaches these outcomes through analytical and research writing. Peer response sessions extend the writing process by allowing you and your peers to engage in direct oral and written dialogue about matters of analysis and research, with the ultimate goal of improving your formal papers. You have the opportunity to revise your Comparison/Contrast Essay and your Research Paper based upon comments by your peers and professor. You will provide constructive criticism to other members of the class as will they to you. Here are the peer response templates for the Comparison/Contrast Essay and the Research Paper.

 

Note: If a group member does not submit her paper to the GeorgiaVIEW discussion board in a format your computer can read, such as Word, at least two days before the peer response session, the rest of the group is not responsible for responding to her paper. If a group member fails to attend the group response session, the member's paper will not receive feedback.

Comparison/Contrast Peer Response

Here is the peer response process for the Comparison/Contrast Essay:

1. On Wednesday, February 19, writers upload their papers to both
   • GeorgiaVIEW > Discussions > Comparison/Contrast Peer Response > Group #
   • GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Comparison/Contrast Essay Draft 1
2. Read, take notes on, and prepare to respond to your group members' papers before the peer response time.
3. Your peer response group will elect a secretary to record the group's collective response to the Comparison/Contrast peer response sheet for each writer. Your group will spend about 15-20 minutes per paper providing feedback on Style and Gramma, Thesis and Controlling Idea, Comparison and Contrast, and Organization. If groups have time, you can also response to Voice, Successes and Weaknesses, and Quality and Creativity. The secretary will upload the completed sheets for each paper to GeorgiaVIEW > Discussions > Comparison/Contrast Essay > Group #.
4. After your paper is reviewed by your peer response group, and before the end of class, submit a bullet point list of 3-5 things about your paper that you plan to revise, based upon your peers' feedback. Submit to your peer group's GeorgiaVIEW discussion board. Failure to submit will result in a one-third letter grade deduction off the final paper.
5. If you miss the peer response session or do not read your peers' papers before the peer response session, you must complete a peer response sheet for each of your fellow group members. Failure to do so will result a one-third letter grade deduction for the final paper grade.

Wednesday, February 26, 1:30 p.m. Section

• Group 1:
• Group 2:
• Group 3:
• Group 4:
• Group 5:

Wednesday, February 26, 3:30 p.m. Section

• Group 1:
• Group 2:
• Group 3:
• Group 4:
• Group 5:

Research Essay Peer Response

Here is the peer response process for the Research Essay:

1. Upload Your Essay: On Wednesday, April 16, writers upload their papers to both
   • GeorgiaVIEW > Discussions > Research Essay Peer Response > Group #
   • GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Research Essay Draft 1
2. Read Your Peers' Essays: Read, take notes on, and prepare to respond to your group members' papers before the peer response day.
3. Respond to Your Peers' Essays: On Monday, April 21, your peer response group will elect a secretary to record the group's collective response to the Research Essay peer response sheet for each writer. Your group will spend about 15-20 minutes per paper providing feedback on Style and Gramma, Thesis and Controlling Idea, Film Analysis and Evidence, Research, and Organization. If groups have time, you can also response to Voice, Successes and Weaknesses, and Quality and Creativity. The secretary will upload the completed sheets for each paper to GeorgiaVIEW > Discussions > Research Essay > Group #.
4. Submit a Revision List: After your paper is reviewed by your peer response group, and before the end of class, submit a bullet point list of 3-5 things about your paper that you plan to revise, based upon your peers' feedback. Submit to your peer group's GeorgiaVIEW discussion board. Failure to submit will result in a one-third letter grade deduction off the final paper.
5. If You're Absent: If you miss the peer response session or do not read your peers' papers before the peer response session, you must complete a peer response sheet for each of your fellow group members. Failure to do so will result a one-third letter grade deduction for the final paper grade.

Monday, April 21, 1:30 p.m. Section

• Group 1:
• Group 2:
• Group 3:
• Group 4:
• Group 5:

Monday, April 19, 3:30 p.m. Section

• Group 1:
• Group 2:
• Group 3:
• Group 4:
• Group 5:

Essay Exam

TBA The time for the final exam is available now on the syllabus schedule.