AJ17079 The Sociocultural Mirror of North-American Horror Film

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2021
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jan Čapek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Jana Chamonikolasová, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 18:00–19:40 G31
Prerequisites
AJ01002 Practical English II
The course explores core concepts in chosen works of North-American horror cinema. The succession of lectures is chosen chronologically with the recommended films chosen rather in order to most effectively illustrate the discussed topics. The concepts will be illustrated by films along with secondary theoretical texts. The students will be encouraged to engage in a conversation during the class.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 1/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 13 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course explores core concepts in chosen works of North-American horror cinema. The succession of lectures is chosen chronologically with the recommended films chosen rather in order to most effectively illustrate the discussed topics. The concepts will be illustrated by films along with secondary theoretical texts. The students will be encouraged to engage in a conversation during the class.
Learning outcomes
The goal of this course is to introduce the students to the history of the north-American horror film, focusing on the changes in reflection of the socio-cultural phenomena surrounding it. The successful students will gain a thorough understanding of one particular area of cultural production, the horror film genre. They will understand the significance of the films in relation to the issues they accentuate in their respective cultural contexts. They will gather basic knowledge of the variety of lenses for analyzing film.
Syllabus
  • Week 1: Introductory lecture - introduction into the syllabus, explanation of evaluation, identification of primary positions and attitudes towards the horror genre.
  • Week 2: Gothic Horror - explanation of the concept of uncanny, forbidden “Promethean” knowledge. Film: From Beyond (1985)
  • Week 3: The fear of invasion - exploring the theme of invasion from McCarthyism to the fear of invasion of the suburbia. Film: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
  • Week 4: The Haunted House - exploring the theme of the place of evil. Film: The Haunting (1963)
  • Week 5: Zombie - exploration of George Romero’s creation of the gruesome canon. Film: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  • Week 6: Vampire - from Vampire to the New Vampire. Film: Interview with the Vampire (1994)
  • Week 7: Body horror - Introduction to the primal horror of the flesh as a direct reaction to the sexual revolution of the 1960. Film: Naked Lunch (1991)
  • Week 8: Slasher and revenge horror - horror as a warning and the conservative propaganda. Film: Last House on the Left (1972)
  • Week 9: The return of the Native Americans - the sprawling after the Native Land lawsuits. Film: Poltergeist (1982)
  • Week 10: Scifi horror - the neo-Gothic aspect of the trespass of the “final frontier”. Film: Event Horizon (1997)
  • Week 11: The Other Invasion - Non-Christian mysticism versus the Christian United States. Film: Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
  • Week 12: Found footage horror - the impression, expression, and immersion of the affect. Film: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
  • Week 13: Past, present, and future of Horror film - a discussion on the genre and its current aesthetic tendencies. Film: Detention (2011)
Literature
    required literature
  • Chosen chapters from Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares, Volumes 1 & 2., ed. S.T.Joshi.
Teaching methods
This course lasts one semester and ends with an essay. There will be one seminar per week. Students missing more than two seminars per semester automatically fail the course unless they write an additional, shorter essay on a different subject matter, delivered with their final essay. The students will be responsible for watching the films on their own. Please come to the seminars having read the assigned reading and having viewed the films. The standard of your preparation will be tested by means of short response papers submitted before some classes. Please note that this schedule is subject to change dependent on the specific needs of the group.
Assessment methods
Evaluation: 1500 word essay, MLA format (60%), response papers (20%), class discussion (20%)
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2019, Spring 2020.
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