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Learning Outcomes

TopThis module will provide students with the opportunity to learn and apply five core strategies that underlie successful scholarly research and writing:

assessing the relevance and reliability of multiple sources,
understanding how theory and method inform and produce knowledge,
identifying and articulating exigent research questions,
synthesizing multiple sources to construct and support hypotheses,
revising one’s own thesis, methodological orientation, evidence, and argumentation.

These strategies will be applied as students produce research-based writing on specific issues related to expressions and problematizations of contesting types of masculinities in feature length films.

Prerequisites

TopIEM1201%, UTW1001%

Teaching Modes

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Seminars involving round-table discussions

Interactive movie screenings

Facebook discussion forum on key concepts and potential research topics

Oral presentations of project proposals and project outcomes

Schedule

TopPlease look at the syllabus as it includes the schedule.

Synopsis

TopThe traditional notion of masculinity as homogenous has given way in recent decades to a proliferation of multiple masculinities that questions the relationship between gender and power. This socio-cultural phenomenon is manifested on film. Masculinity can be seen as a contested space where different masculinities fight for dominance, and older forms of masculinity are displaced by new ones. This module invites you to consider social, cultural and historical influences on constructions of masculinity on film, as well as textual contexts such as genre, as you critically reflect on the diversity of masculinities that are represented.

Syllabus

TopUnit 1: Creating the Annotated Bibliography

Week 1	Focus	11 August			14 August
Class viewing: Extracts and trailers from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Diamonds are Forever (1971) Fight Club (1999) Selected advertisements: Folger’s Coffee (1960s) “Walk in Fridge” (Heineken, 2009)	Orientation to the module	Introduction to the course, course objectives, and assignments. Activity on traditional gender roles and traits. Selection of contemporary readings: Abbot, D. (2013, May 16). Demos Twentieth Birthday lecture delivered by Diane Abbott MP. O’Sullivan, J. (2013, May 21). The masculinity debate: No wonder men stay out of it. The Guardian. Penny, L. (2013, May 16). We need to talk about masculinity. The Guardian. Weiss, B. (2013, December 28). Camille Paglia: A Feminist Defense of Masculine Virtues. The Wall Street Journal. Building film analysis skills: Mise en scène and cinematography			Building film analysis skills: Editing and sound What are Socratic questions? Modelling a class analysis: Connell, E.W. (1987) Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. Oxford: Polity Press. 183-189. Brief lecturer presentation Normative masculinity The Oedipus Complex
Week 2	Focus: Hegemonic masculinity		18 August			21 August
Class viewing: North by Northwest (1959)	Planning/Drafting Identifying, understanding, and assessing claims		Interactive viewing of North by Northwest (1959) using http://todaysmeet.com			Group analysis: Cohan, S. (1997) Masked men: Masculinity and the movies in the fifties. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. 1-11, 16-33. Supplementary reading: Cavell, S. (1986). “North by Northwest”. In Deutelbaum, M., & Poague, L. A Hitchcock reader. Ames: Iowa State University Press. 249-264. Brief lecturer presentation: Richard Dyer on stars. Laura Mulvey and the male gaze.
Week 3	Focus: The commodification of the male body		25 August			28 August
Class viewing: Extracts from The Terminator Series Thelma and Louise(1991) Fight Club (1999) Selected advertisements: 007 Aftershave (1960s) “Launderette” (Levi’s 1985) “Gardener” (Diet Coke, 2013) “Concept” (Calvin Klein, 2013) “Hottest Bean Curd Seller” (2015)	Planning/Drafting Understanding methods, frameworks, and/or critical approaches		Group analysis: Chopa-Grant, M. (2013) “I’d fight my dad”: Absent fathers and mediated masculinities in Fight Club. In Shary, T. Millennial masculinity: Men in contemporary American cinema. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. 85-99. Brief lecturer presentation Neale, S. (1983, 2000) Masculinity as spectacle: Reflections on men and mainstream cinema. In Kaplan, E. A. Feminism and film (pp. 253-264) New York: Oxford University Press.			Group analysis: Rehling, N. (2009) Extra-ordinary men: White heterosexual masculinity in contemporary popular cinema. Lanham: Lexington Books. 85-110. Supplementary reading: Jeffords, S. (1994) Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. 24-63. Brief lecturer presentation Postmodernism and masculinity
Week 4	Focus: Postmodernity and the Rogue Hero			1 Sept			4 September
Class viewing: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)	Planning/Drafting Understanding methods, frameworks, and/or critical approaches			Interactive viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) using http://todaysmeet.com Readings in preparation for seminar 8: Gauntlett, D. (2008; 2002). Media, gender and identity: An introduction (2nd; New; 2 ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. 98-124. Howson R. (2006) Challenging hegemonic masculinity. New York; London: Routledge. 55-79			Group analysis: Kord, S. & Krimmer, E. (2011) Contemporary Hollywood masculinities: Gender, genre, and politics (1^st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 159-177. Class Exercise on Writing an Annotated Bibliography, using the texts covered in class. Group work during which groups compile an annotated bibliography entry based on class readings/film covered in class.

Unit 2: Developing a Proposal

Week 5	Focus: Asian masculinities: Chinese masculinities	8 September:	11 September:
Class viewing: The Wedding Banquet (1993) Extracts from Bruce Lee films Jackie Chan films	Understanding the relationship between the bibliography and the proposal Articulating effective research questions	Group analysis: Kam, L. (2002) Theorising Chinese masculinity: Society and gender in China. University of Hawaii Press. 140-158. Class viewing: Bruce Lee Jackie Chan	Interactive viewing of The Wedding Banquet (1993) using http://todaysmeet.com Reading in preparation for week 6: Chan, J. (2001). Chinese American masculinities: From Fu Manchu to Bruce Lee. New York: Routledge. 1-18, 137-152. Class handout: Research Proposal guidelines/template: Understanding the purpose and structure of a research proposal
Week 6	Focus	15 September	18 September
	Revising the Research Proposal	Group analysis: Marchetti, G. (2012) The Chinese diaspora on American screens. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 105-132, 137-138. Supplementary reading: Song, G. and Hird, D. (2014) Men and Masculinities in Contemporary China. Boston: Brill. 1-21. Class exercise on writing the Research Proposal.	Guided peer review of Annotated Bibliography entry. Bring rough copy of your Research Proposal: Identifying gaps in research and designing a research project.
RECESS	WEEK: 22-26 September
Week 7	Focus	29 September	2 October
	Conferences	Sign up for half-hour conferences	Sign up for half-hour conferences
	Planning/Drafting: Proposing an original argument	Student-teacher Conferences: Ideas Conference. Come prepared to talk about your Research Idea	Student-teacher Conferences: Ideas Conference. Come prepared to talk about your Research Idea The final draft of the Annotated Bibliography is due at the end of week 7

Unit 3: Completing a Research Project

Week 8	Focus	6 October	9 October
	Planning/Drafting Applying methods, frameworks, and/or critical approaches	Selecting a critical approach Deciding on a conceptual framework Developing an argument and refining an argument. Guided peer review of Research Proposal	In-class student-teacher meetings
Week 9	Focus	13 October	16 October
	Planning/Drafting Independently developing a research project	In-class student-teacher meetings The final draft of the Research Proposal is due at the start of Week 9	Final Paper Presentations
Week 10		20 October	23 October
		Final Paper Presentations	Final Paper Presentations
Week 11		27 October	30 October
	Sign up for half-hour conferences	Revision conferences	Revision conferences
Week 12		3 November Revision conferences	6 November Wrap-up and Peer Review
The final draft of the Research Project is due at the start of week 14

Total Writing Load: 20-25 pages
Total Reading Load: 250 pages

Class Readings:

Chopa-Grant, M. (2013) “I’d fight my dad”: Absent fathers and mediated masculinities in Fight Club. In
Shary, T. Millennial masculinity: Men in contemporary American cinema (85-100) Detroit:
Wayne State University Press.
Cohan, S. (1997) Masked men: Masculinity and the movies in the fifties. Bloomington and Indianapolis:
Indiana University Press. 1-11, 16-33.
Connell, E.W. (1987) Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. Oxford: Polity Press. 183
-189.
Gauntlett, D. (2008; 2002). Media, gender and identity: An introduction (2nd; New; 2 ed.). New York, NY:
Routledge. 98-124.
Howson, R., & NetLibrary, I. (2006). Challenging hegemonic masculinity. New York; London: Routledge.
1-8
Kam, L. (2002) Theorising Chinese masculinity: Society and gender in china. University of Hawaii Press. 1
-41.
Kord, S., & Krimmer, E. (2011). Contemporary Hollywood masculinities: Gender, genre, and politics.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 159-177
Marchetti, G. (2012) The Chinese diaspora on American screens. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
105-132, 137-138.
Neale, S. (1983). Masculinity as spectacle. Screen, 24(6), 2-16.
Rehling, N. (2009) Extra-ordinary men: White heterosexual masculinity in contemporary popular cinema.
Lanham: Lexington Books. 85-110.

Supplementary Readings:

Brookey, R.A., & Westerfelhaus, R. (2004). At the unlikely confluence of conservative religion and
popular culture: Fight club as heteronormative ritual. Text and Performance Quarterly, 24(3),
302-326. doi:10.1080/1046293042000312788
Cavell, S. (1986). “North by Northwest”. In Deutelbaum, M., & Poague, L. A Hitchcock reader. Ames: Iowa
State University Press. 249-264.
Chan, J. (2001). Chinese American masculinities: From Fu Manchu to Bruce Lee. New York: Routledge. 1
-18, 137-152.
Cohan, S., & Hark, I. R. (1993) Screening the male: Exploring masculinities in Hollywood cinema.
London: Routledge, 1993. 1-22, 230-262.
Dyer, R. (2004) Heavenly bodies: Film stars and society. New York; London: Routledge. 1-16.
Jeffords, S. (1994) Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers
University Press. 24-63.
Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. Screen, 16(3), 6-18.
Robinson, S. (2001) "Emotional constipation" and the power of dammed masculinity: Deliverance and the
                  paradoxes of male liberation. In Lehman, P. Masculinity: Bodies, movies, culture. New York:
                  Routledge. 133-148.
Song, G. and Hird, D. (2014) Men and Masculinities in Contemporary China. Boston: Brill. 1-21.
Peberdy, D. (2011) Masculinity and film performance: Male angst in contemporary American cinema. New
York; Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. 19-33.
Wooden, S. R. and Gillam K. (2014) Pixar’s boy stories: Masculinity in a postmodern age. Lanham:
Rowman & Littlefield. 1-27.

Optional Readings:
Clover, C. J. (1992) Men, women, and chain saws: Gender in the modern horror film. Princeton,
N.J:Princeton University Press. 21-64.
Combe, K., & Boyle, B. M. (2013) Masculinity and monstrosity in contemporary Hollywood films. New
York: Palgrave Macmillan. 195-222.
Connell, B. (2002) Hegemonic masculinity. In Jackson, S.,& Scott, S. Gender: A sociological reader. New
                          York;   London: Routledge. 60-62
Filippo, M. S. (2013) More than buddies: Wedding Crashers and the bromance as comedy of (re)marriage
                          equality. In Shary, T. Millennial masculinity: Men in contemporary American cinema
                Detroit: Wayne State University Press.181-199
Holmlund, C. (2010) Celebrity, ageing and Jackie Chan: Middle-aged Asian in transnational action.
                          Celebrity Studies, 1(1), 96-112.
Kirkham, P., & Thumim, J. (1995) Me Jane. In Kirkham, P.,& Thumim, J. Me Jane: Masculinity, movies
                          and women. London :Lawrence & Wishart. 11-36.
Park, J. C. H. (2010). Yellow future: Oriental style in Hollywood Cinema. Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota Press. 83-124
Pitlcher, J. & Whelehan, I. (2004) 50 key concepts in gender studies. Sage UK. 82-95.
Ryall, T. (1993) One hundred and seventeen steps towards masculinity. In Kirkham, P., & Thumim, J. You
                  Tarzan: Masculinity, movies, and men. New York: St. Martin's Press. 11-34.
Sandell, J. (1996) Reinventing masculinity: The spectacle of male intimacy in the films of John Woo. Film
Quarterly, 49(4), 23-34.
Sharrett, C. (2013) Death of the strong silent type: The achievement of Brokeback Mountain In Shary,
T. Millennial masculinity: Men in contemporary American cinema. Detroit: Wayne State
University Press. 165-180.
Springer, C. (2005) Playing it cool in The Matrix. In Gillis S. The Matrix trilogy: Cyberpunk reloaded.
London: Wallflower. 89-100.
Thumin, J (1995) ‘Maybe he’s tough but he is sure ain’t no carpenter’: Masculinity and in/ competence in
Unforgiven. In Kirkham, P., & Thumim, J. Me Jane : Masculinity, movies and women.
London: Lawrence & Wishart. 234-248.
Tasker, Y. (1993) Spectacular bodies: Gender, genre, and the action cinema. New York; London:
Routledge.132-152.
Whitehead, S. (2006) Men and masculinities: Critical concepts in sociology. New York; London: Routledge.
Whitehead, S. (2002) Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Malden, MA; Cambridge:
Polity Press.

Selected Film Extracts from:

Diamonds are Forever (Guy Hamilton, 1971)
Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
First Blood (Ted Kotcheff, 1982)
North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock,1959)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003)
Police Story (Sheng Ding, 2013)
Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012)
Superman (Richard Donner, 1978)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)
The 40 year Old Virgin (Judd Apatow, 2005)
The Bourne Identity (Doug Liman 2002)
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966)
The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)
The Matrix (Andy Wachowski, 1999)
The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
The Wedding Banquet (Ang Lee,1993)
Thelma and Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
Zorro (Duccio Tessari, 1975)

Practical Work

TopN.A.

Assessment

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Assessment (%): (Please indicate the % breakdown for each continuous assessment [CA] component and for the Final Examination.)	CA components:
	(i) Tutorials/Seminars:	10 %
	(ii) Laboratories:	0 %
	(iii) Tests:	0 %
	(iv) Writing tasks: Annotated bibliography (15%) Research proposal (25%) Research paper (40%)	80%
	(v) Oral Presentation	10%
	Total for CA:	100%
	Total for Final Examinations:	0 %
	Total Assessment:	100%

Preclusions

TopIEM2201%, UTW2001%

Workload

Top0-4-0-0-6

Workload Components : A-B-C-D-E
A: no. of lecture hours per week
B: no. of tutorial hours per week
C: no. of lab hours per week
D: no. of hours for projects, assignments, fieldwork etc per week
E: no. of hours for preparatory work by a student per week