FNS Courses

FNST-210 AMERICAN INDIANS AND FILM
Course Syllabus

Lisa M. Poupart Office TH 395
Phone: 465-2185
Email: PoupartL@uwgb.edu

Course Description :

Hollywood and the film industry have had a major influence on American society for over 70 years. Initially designed to provide amusement and escapism, the cinema has broadened its impact by creating images perceived as real and essentialist and also by shaping the cultural values of the dominant society.

In this course, we will explore how American films both construct and appropriate images of American Indians in films. We will explore images of American Indians in films created by non-Indians and compare these constructions (often of inferiority) to the constructions of Indians created by Native film makers themselves. In the latter, we will explore the efforts of contemporary American Indian film makers to reconstruct Indian identities in a way that challenges western notions of domination and inferiority. We will explore how contemporary American Indian film makers produce, direct, and write from a marginalized position in society in an effort to "tell the stories of oppression" and create multiple, new images of Indianness outside of the western framework.

Course Requirements :

1. Take two in-class essay exams (a final exam and a mid-term) to demonstrate your competence in the readings, class assignments and class discussions. Each exam will be worth 100 points, or 50% your final grade.

2. Written Assignments. Drawing upon the readings, films, and class discussions, you are to discuss your responses, thoughts, insights, etc. in response to specific questions. The assignments are intended to demonstrate your competence in the course readings and concepts. All assignments must be typed with correct grammar, course terminology, and spelling. NO late assignments will be accepted under any circumstance! The weekly written assignments will be worth 10 points each, or 50 total points toward your final grade.

3. In-class and small group participation. During each class period you will be expected to participate in formal cooperative group discussions and exercises. At the beginning of the semester you will be assigned to a group with three other participants. Throughout the semester you will meet and work on formal assignments with your fellow group members. Everyone is required to participate equally in their groups. Your participation in class and in your group is worth 50 points.

4. Group Film Deconstruction Project. You and your group mates will choose one Hollywood film which portrays American Indians. You will be expected to meet both in and OUT of class to view the film and develop an analysis or deconstruction of the film. The content of the analysis will be discussed later in the semester. During the later part of the semester, each group will show portions of their film in class and present their analysis 30 minute analysis to the class.Your individual project grade will be based upon (1) the group presentation as a whole, and (2) on your individual contribution to the group project. Your individual grade for the Group Film Deconstruction will be worth the final 100 points of your grade.

ATTENDANCE POLICY : Because group participation comprises a large portion of your grade, your presence in the classroom and in your small group is critical. Therefore, you are expected to attend every class period. At each class, roll will be called or an attendance sheet will be passed around for you to sign in on. You are allowed two (2) absences for the semester. Every additional absence will result in the lowering of your final grade by one grade level. You are expected to attend each film viewing! (Films may not be available outside of class.)

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING : Students are required to do their own work! Cheating and plagiarism will be handled in accordance with UWGB rules governing academic misconduct.

STUDENT SERVICES : Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments should contact Disability Services SS 1500, #465-2841.

COURSE EVALUATION : 400 points possible for course:

Exams:

Mid-term: 100 points Deconstruction Project: 100 points

Final: 100 points

In-class and group participation: 40 points (group =20, class=20)

Written Assignments: 60 points

Grading Scale:

REQUIRED TEXTS :

  1. Kilpatrick, Jacquelyn. 1999. Celluloid Indians. Lincoln , Nebraska : University of Nebraska Press.
  2. Mihesuah, Devon A. 1996. American Indians Stereotypes and Realities. Atlanta , Georgia : Clarity Press.

REQUIRED ELECTRONIC RESERVE READINGS . Additional required readings available only at the Cofrin Library: Noted on the syllabus as "ER."

Topics and Tentative Reading Schedule - revised 9/20

** Denotes a full class period with class ending at 8:50 p.m. All other nights, class will be let out before this time.

Questions for Written Assignments

Assignment #1: Answer each of the following questions in a 4-5 page (double spaced) reflection essay.

  1. Although there is no spoken dialogue in "The Battle at Elderbrush Gulch," how is the stereotypical image still prevalent? Use specific examples from setting, camera, lighting, sound, objects, costume, and makeup.
  2. Explain why the film " Broken Arrow " is often claimed to be a critical film that changed the image of American Indians in the commercial film industry. Use specific examples from the film.

Due: Week 3, in class

Assignment #2 : Answer each of the following questions in a 4-5 page reflection essay.

  1. "Tell Them Willie Boy is Here" reflects a variety of relationships (Indian/white, female/male, Indian/Indian, federal government/tribal, etc.). Which relationship do you consider as most central to the film? Why? Cite examples.
  2. Explain how "Little Big Man" illustrates the inversion of societies. Use specific examples.

Due: Week 5, in class

Assignment #3 : Answer each of the following questions in a 4-5 page (double spaced) reflection essay.

  1. Read the article on reserve at the library by Jorge Noriega entitled "American Indian Education: Indoctrination to Subordination." According to Noriega, explain in detail how western education was used to colonize American Indian people. Be sure to link your answer to the course definition of colonization.
    1. Colonization: To secure political, economic, and social control over a people and their lands.
  2. The class film In the White Man's Image is a documentary that teaches viewers about U.S. federal Indian boarding schools. The film Where the Spirit Lives is a docu-drama that uses a fictionalized story to present historical information about the boarding school experience. Briefly discuss which film you find is most effective in portraying the devastating impact that boarding schools had on American Indian people. Use specific examples from the films to support your answer.

Due: Week 7, in class

Assignment #4 : Answer each of the following questions in a 4-5 page (double spaced) reflection essay.

  1. Read the article on reserve at the library by Buescher and Ono entitled "Pocahontas as Neocolonial Rhetoric." (a) Define "neocolonialism." From the reading discuss the ways in which Disney's Pocohontas (b) legitimates colonization and (c) appropriates contemporary social issues (environmentalism, women's rights) in order to mask racial oppression. (4) Use examples from the film to illustrate your answer.
  2. Read the article on reserve at the library by Rayna Green entitled "The Pocahontas Perplex." (a) Explain what the "Pocahontas Perplex" is. (b) Use examples from the films we have seen this semester to illustrate your answer.

Due: Week 9, in class

Assignment # 5 Answer the following question in a 3-4 page (double spaced) reflection paper.

  1. Using the hand-out "How to Write a Reaction Paper," write a reaction to the in-class film The Missing by Ron Howard. In your reaction paper, compare this film to at least one other in-class film. Do not write a summary of the film and events, discuss them only to the extent that they illustrate your reaction.

Due week 11, in class

Assignment #6 : Answer the following questions in a 5 page (double spaced) essay.

  1. Using the hand-out "How to Write a Reaction Paper," write a reaction to the in-class documentary film Incident At Oglala. In your reaction paper, incorporate the Vanderwall reading "A Warrior Caged" (on reserve). Do not write a summary of the film and events, discuss them only to the extent that they illustrate your reaction.
  2. In the films Thunderheart and Smoke Signals, the main characters in the films experience major transformations of some kind. Describe the transformation of the main characters in these two films (Ray Levoi and Victor). Which transformation do you think is most meaningful? Why?

Due week 13, in class