FRES 1020 (78-701)
CRIME FILMS, SOCIETY AND LAW
SYLLABUS - FALL, 2004
Instructor Office/Hours
Susette M. Talarico Tuesday/Thursday
Saye Professor of American Government and 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
and Constitutional Law By Appointment
Director, Criminal Justice Studies 542-2057 or 542-7079
221 A Baldwin Hall talarico@uga.edu
Purpose of Seminar
This freshmen seminar directs attention to varied crime films from the 1930's to the present. Films related to criminals, police, criminal courts, and prisons will be viewed and analyzed in class. Specific consideration will be given to the relationships between crime films and society and to the underlying images and models of law. At the end of this two-credit seminar, students should be better able to view crime films critically and to analyze related messages and images about law.
Course Texts
There is one text for this seminar, Nicole Rafter's Shots in the Mirror: Crime Films and Society (Oxford University Press, 2000). Paperback copies are available at the UGA Bookstore. Used copies may be available at off-campus bookstores as well. Class handouts may be downloaded from my website (www.arches.uga.edu/~talarico). Students interested in a writing guide are encouraged to purchase Gregory Scott and Stephen Garrison's The Political Science Student Writer's Manual.
Course Requirements
There are two major course requirements: (1) class attendance and participation for 20% and (2) the completion of three short analytical essays on topics provided for 80%. Attendance will be taken each week. At each class, students are expected to participate, especially when discussing films that have been viewed. Class absence makes it impossible for you to be informed about the film and to participate in discussion. At the mid-term, a short summary evaluation of class attendance and participation will be distributed to each student with a letter grade (A - F). A final evaluation will be issued at the end of the term. The three short analytical essays will be required at different points in the semester and will be evaluated on the traditional A - F scale. Students are required to submit three essays with the lowest dropped in final grade calculation. The paper due dates are (1) September 29th; (2) October 27th; and (3) December 1st. More information will be presented at the first class meeting on August 25th.
Academic Honesty
All students are responsible for maintaining the highest standards of honesty and integrity in every phase of their academic careers. For related information on university policy, see A Culture of Honesty at the University of Georgia issued by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction.
August 25th
introductions
outline of course
format for film viewing and discussion
initial discussion of crime films
Rafter book: Chapter 1
September 1st and 8th
subject: criminals
film: White Heat (1949), Psycho (1960), In Cold Blood (1967), All The President's Men (1976), Chinatown (1974), the Godfather series (1972, 1974, 1990) or Swoon (1991)
Rafter book: Chapter 2
September 15th and 22nd and 29th
subject: police and criminal investigations
film: Double Indemnity (1944), Dirty Harry (1971), Serpico (1981), Shoot to Kill (1988), L.A. Confidential (1997), Training Day (2001), or Mystic River (2002)
Rafter book: Chapter 3
October 6th, 13th, and 20th
subject: criminal courts
film: Twelve Angry Men (1957), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Compulsion (1959), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Jagged Edge (1985), Presumed Innocent (1990), Guilty as Sin (1993), or Trial by Jury (1994)
Rafter book: Chapter 4
October 27th, November 3rd and 10th
subject: prisons
film: Each Dawn I Die (1930), The Big House (1930), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Riot (1969), Short Eyes (197), or The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Rafter book: Chapter 5
November 17th
subject: death penalty
film: I Want To Live (1958), Thin Blue Line (1988), or Dead Man Walking (1995)
December 1st
class dinner
December 8th
subject: concluding class discussion
Rafter book: Chapters 6 and 7
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Schedule 04 - Class Location
FRES 1020 SCHEDULE - FALL, 2004
August 25th
101B Baldwin Hall
September 1st
screening room - 7th floor in Main Library
September 8th
101B Baldwin Hall
September 15th
screening room - 7th floor in Main Library
September 22nd
screening room - 7th floor in Main Library
September 29th
101B Baldwin Hall
October 6th
screening room - 7th floor in Main Library
October 13th
101B Baldwin Hall
October 20th
screening room - 7th floor in Main Library
October 27th
101B Baldwin Hall
November 3rd
screening room - 7th floor in Main Library
November 10th
101B Baldwin Hall
November 17th
screening room - 7th floor in Main Library
December 1st
time/place - tba
December 8th
191B Baldwin Hall