This special topics course introduces students to the use of film as a medium for expressing political themes.  More specifically, the course explores the topics of state-society and interpersonal relations under conditions of authoritarian rule and challenges to political authority.  The course is offered for credit in the comparative politics sub-field in political science and examines non-U.S. political topics using primarily foreign-made films.  The course focuses on the regions and countries of Europe (Soviet Union, Georgia, Greece, and Germany), Latin America (Cuba, Argentina, and Mexico), and Africa (Kenya, Algeria, Cameroon, and Senegal).  In addition to developing an understanding of the substantive material, students are expected to hone their critical skills in analyzing how filmmakers shape popular perceptions of politics.

Required Texts:

Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth.
Reserve readings.

Requirements:  Your course grade will be determined by your performance on three examinations (30 percent each)  and class participation (10 percent).  Failure to complete any course assignment will result in a failing grade for the entire course.

Grading:  Each course assignment will be graded on a 100-point scale. The standard grading scale will be:

                100-90    A        69-60           D
                  89-80    B        59 or less      F
                  79-70    C

The course will not be graded on a curve.

Academic Accommodation:  All students are expected to meet the requirements for this course.   Students with learning disabilities who need accommodation should discuss the matter with their instructor during the first two weeks of class and provide documentation verifying need.

Attendance:  On-time attendance at each weekly class meeting is mandatory.   Roll will be taken in class every week.  Excused absences must be cleared with the instructor in advance.  Each unexcused absence will result in the deduction of 7 points from the student's course grade.  Students also are expected to read carefully all assigned materials in advance of each class session.  Students must come to class each week prepared to discuss the films and readings.

Makeup Exam Policy:  Permission to make up an exam will be granted only under very specific or dire circumstances.

1. Any student who will miss an exam due to required participation in a University-sanctioned activity, e.g., membership on a University athletic team in scheduled competition, must notify the instructor in advance of the absence and provide documentation of the absence at that time.  The date and time of the makeup exam will be determined at the time that the student informs the instructor of the impending absence.

2. If a student is unable to take an exam due to an emergency, the student or their responsible designee must notify the instructor in person or by telephone within 24 hours of the exam or paper submission deadline.  E-mail notification is unacceptable.

3. The makeup exam must be taken prior to the graded original exam being returned to students in the class.  In extreme circumstances, e.g., a student's prolonged absence due to hospitalization, the instructor may administer a makeup exam after the original exam has been returned.  This decision is at the sole discretion of the instructor and his decision shall be final.

4. Proper documentation of the circumstances surrounding the student's absence from the original exam must be provided prior to the makeup exam being administered.  Failure to provide proper documentation shall be construed as the student's failure to take the relevant examination and in accordance with the policy stated on the course syllabus shall result in the student receiving a failing grade for the entire course.  Examples of proper documentation include the following:

·  for absences due to medical reasons, a doctor's excuse specifically covering the time during which the exam was scheduled or paper was due;

·  for absences due to funeral attendance, a copy of the relevant obituary;

·  for court appearances, copies of court documents showing the required date and time of appearance;

·  for automobile accidents, copies of relevant police reports and towing bills showing the exact date of the accident.

5. Any exception or change to this policy or other course policies shall be at the sole and final discretion of the instructor.

Copyright:  All teaching materials, lectures, and exams are copyright © 2007 by Charles Dannehl.  All rights are reserved.  No person may record any class session, by electronic or other similar means, without the express written permission of the instructor.

Revised Schedule:

Reserve readings are marked with an "*".

Week 1 (1/30) -- Course Introduction; How to Study Film; The Russian Revolution

Week 2 (2/6) -- Stalinism

Week 3 (2/13) -- CLASS CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Week 4 (2/20) -- Tyranny in Georgia

Week 5 (2/27) -- Greece Under the Colonels

Week 6 (3/6) -- EXAM I; Extremism in 1970s West Germany

Week 7 (3/13) -- Argentina and the "Desaparecidos"

Week 8 (3/27) --Rebellion in Chiapas

Week 9 (4/3) -- Castro's Cuba

Week 10 (4/10) -- EXAM II; The Mau Mau in British Colonial Kenya

Week 11 (4/17) -- Struggle for Algerian Independence

Week 12 (4/24) -- Cultural Imperialism in French West Africa

Week 13 (5/1) -- Contemporary African Authoritarianism

Week 14 (5/8) -- EXAM III; The Israeli-Palestinian Dispute