FS 201: “Fact, Fiction and Film in American History”

FSHist 201: “Fact, Fiction and Film in American History”

Spring, 2003

9:30-10:45 TTH

This course explores how America’s history has been portrayed by historians and film makers. Students will view films and read historical accounts of events in our nation’s past. They will compare fictional and film sources to more conventional historical interpretations using some of the basic skills of the historian. Written and oral assignments will focus on evaluating the historical accuracy of filmed accounts. Students will be introduced to the methods of research and writing required of historians: They will be trained in methods of quotation, paraphrasing and citation, and they will learn to evaluate sources and identify interpretations in the works they read and the films they view.

Required Reading:

Carnes, Mark (ed.) Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies.

Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History.

*Please note: All films, with the exception of “Pocohontas”, will be shown from

7:00-10:00pm on the evenings indicated in Arter 111.

Class Meeting Topics, Film Schedule and Assignments:

1/16	Fact, Fiction and Film
1/21	“Pocohontas”
1/23	Disney and the America’s Past	Carnes, pp. 11-28
1/28	Library Resource Tour—Meet at the Library
*1/28	“The Last of the Mohicans”	Carnes, pp. 82-85
1/30	Native American History	Student-led discussion of “TLOTM” (Ass. #1 due)
2/4	The French and Indian War
2/6	How to develop a Research Paper Topic
2/11	The American Revolutionary Era
*2/11	“1776”
	Carnes, pp. 90-93
2/13	Founding Fathers and Film	Student-led discussion of “1776” (Ass. #2 due)
2/18	Hollywood and History	Research Paper Proposals due.
2/20	no class
2/25	Race and American History
*2/25	“Glory”
	Carnes, pp. 128-131
2/27	Depictions of the Civil War	Student-led discussion of “Glory”(Ass. #3 due)
3/4	History and War
*3/4	“Hester Street	Carnes, pp. 178-181
3/6	Immigrants and the American Past
3/11	Women and the American Experience
3/13	Developing an Outline
3/25	The 1960s in America
*3/25	“Mississippi Burning”	Carnes, pp. 274-277
3/27	Fact and Fiction about the 1960s	Student-led discussion of “M.B.” (Ass. #5 due)
4/1	Civil Rights and Film
4/3	Citations and Bibliographies
4/8	Presidents, Power and History
*4/8	“All the President’s Men”	Carnes, pp. 292-295
4/10	Watergate and History	Student-led discussion of “ATPM”(Ass. #6 due)
4/15	Post-Watergate America
4/17	Vietnam and Videos	All Research Papers due.
4/22	Feminism and American Films
*4/22	“Erin Brockovitch”

4/24	Women and Film	Student led discussion of “E.B.”(Ass. #7 due)
4/29	Fact, Fiction and Film in America

Course Requirements:

You are to attend all classes, view all required videos, participate in and facilitate class discussions, complete all assignments and write a research paper on a film about American history.

Attendance will be taken. Students with more than two unexcused absences in the course will be penalized when their final grade in the course is determined.

Students must facilitate class discussion on one film (worth 1/5 of your final grade); write at least two short papers on the assigned topics (each worth 1/5 of your final grade); and complete a research paper on an historical film of your choice, subject to the approval of the professor (worth 2/5 of your final grade). There is no final exam in this course.

Office Hours:

Arter 214

M 1:30-3:00pm Office Phone: 332-4309

TTH 8:00-9:15 Home Phones: 333-4234 (PA) M-W

W 8:00-11:00 (330)677-2323 (OH) TH-Sun.

& by appointment email: ptreckel@allegheny.edu

Film Discussion Sign-Up Sheet

1/28: “The Last of the Mohicans”

2/11: ”1776”

2/25: “Glory”

3/4: ”Hester Street”

3/25: “American Graffiti”

4/8: “All the President’s Men”

4/22: “Erin Brockovitch”

FSHist 201 Writing Assignments

Below are the writing assignments for this course. All assignments should be submitted in hard copy with your signature indicating compliance with the College's Honor Code.

You must write at least two assignments from this list and submit them in class on the dates indicated below. You may write one additional assignment if you choose to do so. I will count your two highest grades on these papers when calculating your final grade in the course. These papers require additional research about each film and the era, people, or circumstances it depicts. The papers should be around 3-5 pages in length and contain endnotes and a list of sources used. Each assignment is worth 1/5 of your final grade in the course.

Assignment #1: due in class on 1/30.

You have viewed two films that depict Native Americans--Disney’s “Pocahontas” and Michael Mann’s “The Last of the Mohicans.” Analyze how Native Americans are presented in each film. Discuss the interaction between whites and Natives as depicted in these films. How are these films historically “accurate” or “inaccurate”? How do they reflect the values of the times in which they were made? Finally, what lessons about race relations, cultural conflict, and national identity are viewers supposed to “learn” from these films?

Assignment #2: due in class on 2/13.

“1776”, a musical about the American Revolution, captures the energy and dedication of the men who engineered our independence. How is it successful in its depiction of the men who met in Philadelphia in 1775-1776? How does it fail the viewer in accurately portraying the events of that era? Why do you think the play on which the movie was based earned a Tony Award? Why do you think it is it being revived today on Broadway? What lessons about our nation’s birth is the viewer supposed to learn from this film?

Assignment #3: due in class on 2/27.

“Glory” is a powerful film about African American soldiers’ participation in the Civil War. How is this film a product of the time in which it was made? How are African American men depicted in the film? In what ways is this film accurate in its portrayal of race relations and the experience of African American men during the Civil War? What problems are inherent in the film’s focus on the 54^th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry? Finally, what lessons about the Civil War is the viewer supposed to learn from this film?

Assignment #4: due in class on 3/6.

America is a nation of immigrants. In “Hester Street,” an adaptation of a story written in 1896, filmmaker Joan Silver tells the tale of Jewish acculturation in turn-of-the-century New York. Why was it difficult for the filmmaker to “sell” this movie to Hollywood? How is this film a product of its time? What were the most memorable scenes in the movie? Why? How are women depicted in this film? Finally, what messages is the filmmaker conveying about American immigration, cultural assimilation, and gender roles in this movie?

Assignment #5: due in class on 3/27.

The struggle for civil rights has become sacred in American history. “Mississippi Burning” depicts the events of the summer of 1964 when nearly a thousand volunteers, most of them white, joined with veteran black activists to bring justice to the south. How does this film portray the people involved in this struggle: northern whites, African Americans, southern whites? How does the film depict the U.S. government’s involvement in this struggle? In what ways is this film historically accurate? In what ways does it do a disservice to the men and women who fought for their lives and for justice during this period in our nation’s past? Finally, what message about the civil rights movement is the viewer supposed to learn from this film?

Assignment #6: due in class on 4/10.

“All the President’s Men” is the tale of how journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward uncovered the story of Watergate. Their work provided evidence that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. Analyze how these journalists are portrayed in the film. What values do they represent? How are politicians depicted in the film? How is the government of the United States portrayed? How does this film reflect the era in which it was made? How might our distrust of the media, including journalists, be traced back to this period in American history? Finally, what messages about the media and our government do you think the filmmaker intended to convey in this film?

Assignment #7: due in class on 4/24.

“Erin Brockovitch” is a film about a tenacious unemployed single mother who brings down a major corporation, guilty of despoiling the environment and destroying people’s lives. A product of post-feminist America, analyze how the film depicts women—as homemakers, mothers, workers. How does it view corporate America? Why, do you think, was this movie a box-office success? How does it reflect the values of turn-of-the-millennium America? In what ways does the film perpetuate stereotypes about women, about lawyers, about corporate America? Finally, what message do you think the filmmaker intended to convey in this film?


FSHistory 201 Syllabus—Prof. Treckel