African Cinema

MDLG 233-32/Fr. 233-03

Prof. S. Lee

Office : SEA 40A2
A packet of articles which constitutes the reading for the semester will be available in the Modern Language Dept. Office in SEA 45A.

  

  

January

20

Introduction to the course

 

22

The Little Girl who sold the Sun  (1999) VID 2641by Diop Mambety from Senegal + Reading: Introduction by Josef Gugler

 

27

Yaaba/ Grandmother (1989) VID 2233 by Idrissa Ouedraogo from Burkina Fasso Reading: Yaaba by Gugler and the Interview of Ouedraogo

 

29

Reading: Critical Paradigms by Melissa Thackway

February

 

3

Yeelen/Brightness (1987) VID 1912 by Souleymane Cisse from Mali Reading: A Political Fable of the Komo Blacksmith/Sorcerers by S. MacRae

 

5

Reading: Recovering African Past by Gugler

 

10

Finzan/A Dance for the Heroes (1990) VID 1326 by Cheick Oumar Sissoko from Mali Reading: Interview of Sissoko + “The Exploited and neglected Peasantry” by Gugler + Representation of Female Circumcision in Finzan by Deluca and Kamenya

 

12

Women with Open Eyes (1994) VID 1926 by Anne-Laure Folly from Togo Reading: Interview of Folly

 

17

Faat Kine (2001) VID 3084 by Ousmane Sembene from Senegal.  Reading: African Women and Film by Melissa Thackway pp.147-157

 

19

Reading: Interview with Sembene Ousmane by Niang and Gadjigo

 

26

Xala (1975) PAL 0047 by Ousmane Sembene + Reading: Gugler

March

2

Hyenas (1992) VID 1798 by Djibril Diop Mambety from Senegal Reading: Hyenas: The Message and the Messenger by Rayfield

 

4

Reading: The Mature and Older  Women of African cinema by S. MacRae

 

9

Tableau Ferraille/Scrap Heap (1997) VID 2405 by Moussa Sene Absa from Senegal + Reading: Betrayals of Independence by Gugler

 

11

MID-Term

 

 

Vacation

 

23

Mapantsula/Hustler (1988) VID 1294 by Oliver Schmitz from South Africa Reading: The struggle for Majority rule by Gugler

 

25

Documentary on Cinema in South Africa

 

30

Everyone’s Child (1996) VID by Tsitsi Dangarembga from Zimbabwe

April

1

Bab-el-Oued City (1994(VID 2548) by Merzak Allouache from Algeria

 

6

Reading; The Locus of Tension: Gender in Algerian cinema by Ratiba Hadj-Moussa

 

8

The Silences of the Palace (1996) VID 2302 by Moufida Tlatli from Tunisia

 

13

Reading:

 

15

Bent Familia (1997) VID 2651 by Nouri Bouzid from Tunisia

 

20

Reading: On Inspiration by Nouri Bouzid

 

22

Ali, Prince of the City (2000) by Nabil Ayouch from Morocco

 

27

To be announced

 

 

 

Requirements for the course:

 

We will see and discuss a film per week. Students are required to view the film on their own before coming to class. All films are on reserved in the library. Students must be prepared to discuss the weekly reading and will come to class with at least three questions or comments on the reading and three questions or comments on the film.

 

Class attendance and participation in discussion is considered a basic requirement of the course and will be part of the final grade.

 

Weekly critical essay of the films (2-3 pages) will be due each week on Friday by 5 p.m. Late papers will not be accepted.

 

A Mid-term testing the comprehension of the readings and the films viewed for class.

A 10-15 page term paper due the day of the final exam - May 3rd before 5p.m. A rough draft or a detailed outline of the paper is due by April 15th.

 

 

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