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Survey of Gay and Lesbian Documentary
COMM 516-001
Instructor: Bob Connelly
American University, Spring 2004
Course Objectives
This course will follow the evolution of gay
and lesbian-themed documentary within the historical context of
the gay and lesbian movement. Students will examine the emerging
voice of the gay documentarian, and discuss the topics of these
films as they advance through themes of persecution, activism and
diversity within the gay and lesbian community.
Required Texts
The Rise of a Gay and Lesbian Movement (Revised Edition)
Barry D. Adam, 1995
Between the Sheets, In the Streets: Queer, Lesbian,
Gay Documentary
Chris Holmlund and Cynthia Fuchs, eds., 1997
Course Evaluation
Mid-Term Examination 20%
Paper 25%
Final Examination 25%
Screening Journal 10%
Class Notes 10%
Attendance and Participation 10%
Journal
Students are required to keep a screening journal of the films assigned.
At least one typed or neatly hand-written page of your thoughts,
observations and questions regarding each film is expected. When
watching a film, consider the historical context in which the film
was made, what the filmmaker is attempting to say, and how the images
support the filmmaker’s point of view. In those instances
where a film is available only through a transcript, close attention
to the monologues and/or dialogues of the individuals who appear
on camera are your only means to interpreting the film’s message.
Read them carefully! These journals will be collected at the end
of the semester; however, I may ask to see them during any class
session, so please remain up-to-date in your entries and bring your
journal to each class.
Class Notes
For each week’s reading material, one student will be assigned
to take notes for the entire class (this does not include taking
notes on documentary transcripts; those are part of your journal
assignment). A minimum of one page outlining the key text for the
day, in bullet points if you desire, is sufficient. Please distribute
your notes to me and to your classmates, either via e-mail (attachment
or cut-and-paste) no later than 24 hours before class, or in hard
copy at the beginning of class.
Paper
Students are required to write one research paper during the course
of the semester. This paper must be from 8 to 10 pages in length,
and must include a bibliography, filmography, and endnotes/footnotes.
Papers must be typed, using 12-point Times or Times New Roman font,
and exhibit proper grammar, punctuation, and double-spacing. For
this paper, choose a lesbian/gay-themed documentary which is not
included as an assignment on the syllabus, and analyze its themes
either within the historical context in which it was created, or
within the documentary style it represents. Certainly, you may consult
me for other ideas of how to present an analysis. A one-paragraph
typed or neatly handwritten summary of the film you choose to analyze
is due during the class one week before the paper due date. Here
are some tips to get you started:
1. The Bender Library has an extensive collection
of lesbian and gay-themed documentaries. Check out their website,
for documentary ideas. If you do not see a film that interests you,
come talk to me for ideas.
2. For documentary films produced within the last twenty years,
the Lexus-Nexus Academic Universe is a terrific source of news media
information that can provide newspaper articles and reviews about
the films you are interested in researching. You may access it through
Bender Library computers.
3. Search engines such as Google and Alta Vista also provide pertinent
information. Be sure to include the websites you access in your
bibliography.
Presentations
I am allowing time during the next-to-last class for students to
offer presentations of their papers (or, perhaps, any lesbian- or
gay-themed documentary issue) to the class. Presentations should
be between 10 and 15 minutes in length. This is not a required assignment,
but rather an opportunity for those students who would like to receive
extra credit for their work, or would like practice in public speaking.
Examinations
The mid-term examination is an in-class exam, and will be distributed
at the beginning of the March 4 class. Students will have the full
two-and-one-half hour class time to complete the exam. The final
examination will be a take-home exam, distributed at the end of
the next to last class and due at the beginning of the final class
of the semester.
COURSE OUTLINE – COMM 516-001: Survey
of Gay and Lesbian Documentary
Spring, 2004
Week 1 – January 15
Introduction
Section One: Living on the Fringe of Society
Week 2 – January 22
Read for Today: (1) Between the Sheets, Introduction (pp. 1 - 10)
(2) The Rise of a G&L Movement, Chapter 4: “The Homophiles
Start
Over” (pp. 60 - 80)
(3) Handout: Transcript of The Rejected (1961) [Journal]
In Class Screening: Gay Pioneers (2000; 20 minutes)
Week 3 – January 29
Read for Today: (1) Handout: “Gay Sexualist: Hal Call”
(pp. 59 - 69)
(2) Handout: “The Very Mad Scientist: Frank Kameny”
(pp. 93 - 103)
(3) Handout: “The Rabble Rousers: Barbara Gittings and Kay
Lahusen” (pp. 104 - 126)
In Class Screening: The Homosexuals (1967; 45 minutes) [Journal]
Week 4 – February 5
Read for Today: (1) The Rise of a G&L Movement, Chapter 5: “Gay
Liberation,
Lesbian Feminism”
(pp. 81 - 108)
See for Today: Gay Power, Gay Politics (1980; 60 minutes) VHS 6669
[Journal]
In Class Screening: Silent Pioneers (1985; 40 minutes)
Section Two: Celebrating the Lesbian and Gay Community and Redefining
History
Week 5 – February 12
Read for Today: (1) Between the Sheets, Chapter 6: “Walking
on Tippy Toes:
Lesbian and Gay Liberation Documentary in the Post-Stonewall Period
1969 – 1984” (pp. 107 - 124)
See for Today: Word Is Out (1977; 130 minutes) VHS 4166 [Journal]
Week 6 – February 19
Read For Today: (1) Handout: “The Event: Archive and Newsreel”
(pp. 11 -39)
See For Today: Before Stonewall (1985; 87 minutes) VHS 1935 [Journal]
Week 7 – February 26
Read For Today: (1) Handout: “Narration: The Film and Its
Voice” (pp. 40 - 65)
See For Today: The Times of Harvey Milk (1984; 88 minutes) VHS 284
[Journal]
Week 8 – March 4
Mid-Term Exam
Week 9 – March 11: Spring Break
Section Three: Diversity within an Issue-Oriented
Lesbian and Gay Community
Week 10 – March 18
Read For Today: (1) The Rise of a G&L Movement: Chapter 6: “The
Rise of the
New Right” (pp. 109 - 124)
See For Today: Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989; 80
minutes)
VHS 806 [Journal]
Week 11 – March 25
Read For Today: (1) Between the Sheets, Chapter 2: “Imaging
the Queer South:
Southern Lesbian and Gay Documentary” (pp. 30 - 45)
(2) Handout: “Independent Producers and PBS Programmers”
(pp. 10 - 24)
(3) Handout: “Inside P.O.V.” (pp. 31 - 36)
See For Today: Tongues Untied (1989; 55 minutes) VHS 1327 [Journal]
Week 12 – April 1
Read For Today: (1) Between the Sheets, Chapter 8: “Love,
Death and Videotape:
Silverlake Life” (pp. 144 - 157)
(2) Between the Sheets, Chapter 9: “Autobiography, Home Movies,
and Derek Jarman’s History Lesson” (pp. 158 - 171)
In Class Screening: Silverlake Life: The View From Here (1993; 99
minutes) [Journal]
Paper Summary Due!!
Week 13 – April 8
Read For Today: (1) The Rise of a G&L Movement, Chapter 8: “Queer
Politics”
(pp. 145 - 164)
(2) Between the Sheets, Chapter 1: “Queer Representation and
Oregon’s 1992 Anti-Gay Ballot Measure: Measuring the
Politics of Mainstreaming” (pp. 15 - 28)
See For Today: Ballot Measure Nine (1996; 72 minutes) VHS 5102 [Journal]
Paper Due!!
Week 14 – April 15
Read For Today: (1) Between the Sheets, Chapter 4: “Of Hags
and Crones:
Reclaiming Lesbian Desire for the Trouble Zone of Aging”
(pp. 71 - 89)
See For Today: Golden Threads (1999; 56 minutes) VHS 6610 [Journal]
In Class Screening: Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian
Lives
(1992; 85 minutes)
Week 15 – April 22
In Class Screening: Filmmaker Ryan Butler presents A Union in Waite
(2000;
45 minutes)
Optional Presentations. Journals due. Final Exam Review. Final Exam
Distributed.
Week 16 – April 29
Final Examination due at the beginning of class.
Handouts
Transcript of documentary film, The Rejected (1961);
written by John W. Reavis, Jr.; produced by John W. Reavis Jr.,
and Irving Saraf.
A National Educational Television Presentation
Premiere Telecast: September 11, 1961
KQED, Channel 9, San Francisco
Transcript Contents Copyright 1961 by KQED, 525 4th St., San Francisco
3, Calif.
“This booklet transcribed, designed, composed and published
by
Pan-Graphic Press, 693 Mission Street, San Francisco 5, California
Making History: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal
Rights, 1945 – 1990, by Eric Marcus. New York, NY: HarperCollins
Publishers, Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-06-016708-4.
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd St., New York, NY 10022;
212-207-7528.
Sections Requested:
“Gay Sexualist: Hal Call” (pp. 59 - 69)
“The Very Mad Scientist: Frank Kameny” (pp. 93 - 103)
“The Rabble Rousers: Barbara Gittings and Kay Lahusen”
(pp. 104 - 126)
New Documentary: A Critical Approach, by Stella Bruzzi.
London and New York: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group), 2000.
ISBN 0-415-18296-4 (pbk).
Routledge, 29 West 35th St., New York, NY 10001
Sections Requested:
Chapter 1: “The Event: Archive and Newsreel” (pp. 11
-39)
Chapter 2: “Narration: The Film and Its Voice” (pp.
40 - 65)
Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary
Film, by B.J. Bullert. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press,
1997. ISBN 0-8135-2470-9 (pbk)
Rutgers University Press, Livingston Campus, Bldg. 4161, P.O. Box
5062, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903.
Sections Requested:
Chapter 1: “Independent Producers and PBS Programmers”
(pp. 10 - 24)
Chapter 2: “Inside P.O.V.” (pp. 31 - 36)
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