HPR 412 (3 cr.)

Spring 2005

Kid's World: Childhood in Film
Childhood is frequently a solemn business for those inside it.
— George F. Will

Childhood is a disease—a sickness that you grow out of.
—William Golding

Professor Judith Swift
Class:
 Monday
4:00 - 6:45 pm - Lippitt 203
Screenings:
 Sunday
6:00 - 9:30 pm - Independence 304
(Screening Room for film viewings)
Office Hours: By appointment
Please e-mail with free times.
Office: 874-4408
E-mail: jswift@uri.edu

Web page: http://www.uri.edu/artsci/com/swift

Course Description:
Exploring the evolving rights, responsibilities, freedoms and constrictions of childhood as depicted in cinema. Students will study, discuss and debate the experience of childhood from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, from the mill to the mall. Major sociological, psychological, philosophical and educational principles raised by the films will be discussed in tandem with the cinematic style employed to embrace and explore those principles. We will discuss innocence, friendship, family bonds, the myths,mysteries and magic of childhood. The course will require intensive class participation in both real and virtual time, the completion of writings and/or projects as assigned and a final project to be determined by the students in concert with the professor.
Goals:
At the completion of this class, students should be able to -
Schedule:
Jan. 31
 Introduction: Orientation
Feb. 6

Film: Great Expectations
Feb. 7
 Childhood as a concept - the child as father to the man
Feb. 13
 Film: Paper Moon
Feb. 14
 Rights of children
Feb. 20
 Film:  To Kill A Mockingbird
Feb. 21
 (no class Presidents Day)
Feb. 22
 (Monday classes meet on Tuesday) Children and innocence/insight
Feb. 27
 Film: National Velvet
Feb. 28
 Girls and animals - the ultimate friendship?
March 6
 Film: My Dog Skip
March 7
 Boys and animals - the ultimate friendship?
March 14
 Spring Break
March 21
 Midterm Project DUE
March 27
 Film: The Bad Seed (discussion over pizza to follow) Nature/Nurture
March 28
 No Class
April 3
 Film: Goonies
April 4
 Kids and adventure
April 10
 Film: Stand By Me
April 11
 Friendship
April 17
 Film: My Girl
April 18
 Kids and mortality
April 24
 Film: TBD (class pick)
April 25
 TBD
May 1
 Film: TBD (class pick)
May 2
 TBD
May 9
 Last class: Summary
May 13
 3:00-6:00 PM Final “Exam” (Project)

University Exam Schedule:
http://www.uri.edu/es/calexams/examScheduleSpring2005.html
Assignment Topics:
Each Monday evening following the class, you will receive an email from me outlining the details of the next week’s assignment.
General Notes:
In addition to the films/documentaries, there will be readings in this class. It is equally important that you keep up with the reading as well as be prepared through the film viewings. If you are compelled to miss class with a good excuse, e.g., "I cannot fog a mirror," arrangements will be made for you to access the film either through the University Library Media Room or by borrowing directly from me. If you simply miss the class, the viewing will be your responsibility to arrange through your local Blockbuster or the library media center as available.

Please note: This syllabus is subject to change. I will never change the schedule to make anything due earlier for you but reserve the right to make changes if circumstances warrant. I expect everyone to check e-mail regularly in order that I can communicate efficiently with all of you. I will also use the listserv (hpr_412_kids_world@pete.uri.edu) to increase class discussion by posting additional ideas, observations, questions and insights. You are expected to do the same. If you need to see me, drop by to make an appointment, call or e-mail and I'll get you in as quickly as possible.

Attendance is expected. You are honors students and I assume you want the stimulation of class discussion with your professor and your peers. If you will not attend on a given day, please call or e-mail me. Absences will affect your grade because class participation is an important aspect of my evaluation of your work.
Course Requirements:

All writings will, of course, be word-processed and use correct grammar, spelling, etc., with references and resources properly credited. Length is to be adequate to address the assignment unless otherwise stated. In other words, you determine the length based on your assessment of how best to complete the task. Each task will be addressed in great detail in the Monday evening postings and will contain a list of clear expectations against which you can compare your work prior to submitting it.

Assignments are turned in as attachments via e-mail to jswift@uri.edu

There is no need for hard copy. The proper method for turning in attachment assignments is as follows:

  1. Complete the paper and make sure you have your name, the date and the topic in the heading.
  2. Write the paper in Word with 1.5 spacing, 12 pt. font (Times or Times New Roman). If you use another software package, please SAVE AS... rich text format (.rtf) before forwarding.
  3. Save the paper as YOURLASTNAME.ASSIGNMENT TITLE.DOC (title may be abbreviated).
  4. E-mail as an attachment (not as a paste-in in the body of the e-mail)
  5. In the subject of the e-mail, write YOURLASTNAME.ASSIGNMENT TITLE
  6. Please do not vary from these instructions because I appreciate not having to search through files and papers to be sure you are credited with the proper work.
Grading:
20% In-class projects/discussion
20% Midterm
20% Response papers, listserv postings
20% 4 two-page papers on films of your choice
20% Final Exam / Project

Evaluation will be based on grades of the written and oral projects outlined above and the final project, as well as regular class attendance and participation.
Required Texts:
Honor Code:
I expect each of you to contribute his/her own work; however, I also encourage you to work together to solve problems, achieve solid analyses, critique films, and even to prepare and explore the theses of your papers. I also expect that you will all be direct about crediting yourself and/or others about completed work. There is nothing wrong with assisting each other. The only caveat is to acknowledge that assistance. With regard to group work, you will be required to sign a contract agreeing to be responsible for disclosing the portion of work legitimately credited to you and to be forthright about how much you did or did not contribute. This saves each of you from ever having to be in the awkward position of reporting on or covering for another student. I also know each of you wants to be honorable in your individual or group projects. On the other hand, if a student violates rules pertaining to plagiarism or cheating, I will report that student to the appropriate university authorities. I will do this because it is no favor to cover for a person who acts dishonestly. We call this enabling. It is also unfair to the students in the class who come by their grade honestly.
Special Needs:
If you have any special circumstances arising from a disability, please let me know how I can assist you. As stated in the University Manual: "The student with a disability shall be responsible for self-identification to the Disability Services for Students in the Office of Student Life, providing appropriate documentation of disability, requesting accommodation in a timely manner, and follow-through regarding accommodations requested." In other words, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for any special needs and my responsibility to accommodate them with the assistance of the office of Disability Services for Students.
Philosophy of Teaching:
I are interested in an engaging, active partnership of learning in which we explore and discover aspects of several films, documentaries and accompanying readings as vehicles for examining the experience of childhood for both individuals and society, and the value systems that define the relationships between and among them. Cinematic archetypes will often be the organizational prototype from which we begin our analysis. I am also interested in film as a springboard for the exploration of a wide range of topics from historical events to contemporary issues. The potential for exploring and discovering new paths into the human experience is exciting. However, as I always tell students, just as no one is responsible for our individual happiness but us, no one is responsible for our intellectual excitement. I can bring mine to the classroom but you also need to be prepared to risk exposing and exploring yours. I chose this topic because I think it is absolutely essential for individuals and society to revisit the ways in which they think about social systems. Children are our currency for the future. Today we hear and read a great deal about delayed maturity; the rise in ADD, ADHD and autism; the increased percentage of children living in poverty; the shift in family structure; the pressures on kids in school, sports and the social scene; in brief, the ways in which their world is different. Understanding childhood and its place in our culture may well be one of our most compelling issues as a society.

This class should give us insight into each other's ways of thinking, values, ideas and intellectual curiosity. This should be an enjoyable and stimulating experience and your minds will make it so. To that end, you need to keep the dialogue going with everyone by addressing topics we have discussed or will discuss via e-mail as well as in class. Be prepared to make a regular posting to the class. This will keep us thinking all the time.
Listserv:
There is a listserv for this class at hpr_412_kids_world_seminar@pete.uri.edu. I will use the listserv to post important notices and extended information on assignments. You may also post to the list but realize that it goes to the entire class. The ability to reach the whole class is useful for questions to which everyone might want the answer. The list also allows you to communicate with groups for project work and post points for discussion or "think pieces." Papers will be submitted as attachments but should not be e-mailed to the list. Send them directly to me at jswift@uri.edu. Please use the list considerately so you do not clutter everyone's mailboxes with extraneous materials. In this class, however, humor and ideas are never extraneous. Induldge in both.
Etiquette:
Although I am perfectly happy to enjoy the benefits of an informal classroom in which people feel free to speak without the raising of hands and can sit in less formal arrangements than row-by-row, this informal setting requires a particular adherence to good manners. Quite simply, I expect you all to be respectful of me and of each other. This includes extraneous private commentary between and among students, the use of any telecommunications devices that connect you to the outside world, and the continued courtesy of respectful attention without interruption when others are speaking. We all learned this behavior either at home or in Kindergarten or both. You know not to run with scissors and were taught the value of please and thank you. (If not, I will offer a tutorial on those issues and paste eating.) Consider this experience to be one in which your communication style will be judged and a major part of that judgment is your ability to be courteous on both an interpersonal and group level. I embrace humor; I do not embrace disruption. I am utterly intolerant of any student being harshly judgmental or making fun of a fellow student. I expect you are all courteous people whether through nature or nurture and will have absolutely no difficulty in meeting and exceeding these expectations.
Special Events:
Following the final project, we will have a group get together. I will provide the pizza. You can get your chips 'n' dips recipes ready. We may also have a field trip if there is the release of a worthy film or some other idea that you come up with.
Additional Resources: