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Philip's Fil-ums: Notes on Indian Popular Cinema

Upperstall: A Better View of Indian Cinema

Spring 2014

Class:

MWF 1:50-2:50 PM

John R. Howard Hall 203

Films:

W 6:00-10:00 PM

Miller Center 105

Email: fritzman@lclark.edu

Class email: 14sp-core-107-21@lclark.edu

Phone: 503-768-7477

Office: Howard 223

Hours: MWF 10:30-12:00, MW 3:30-4:30, and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

August in Bombay: a month of festivals, the month of Krishna's birthday and Coconut Day; and this year [1947] ... there was an extra festival on the calendar, a new myth to celebrate, because a nation which had never previously existed was about to win its freedom, catapulting us into a world which, although it had invented the game of chess and traded with Middle Kingdom Egypt, was nevertheless quite imaginary; into a mythical land, a country which would never exist except by the efforts of a phenomenal colllective will -- except in a dream we all agreed to dream; it was a mass fantasy shared in varying degrees by Bengali and Punjabi, Madrasi and Jat, and would periodically need the sanctification and renewal which can only be provided by rituals of blood. India, the new myth -- a collective fiction in which anything was possible, a fable rivaled only by the two other mighty fantasies: money and God.

-- Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children

This section of Exploration & Discovery will focus on the changing ways in which India's national identity, as well as that of India's citizens, are constructed and contested in Hindi cinema (Bollywood) through its representation of self and other.

This course will be taught in English. All of the films we will study have English subtitles.

There are two required texts in this course:

Tejaswini Ganti,

Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema, 2nd Edition

Routledge, 2013

Paperback

ISBN-10: 0415583888

ISBN-13: 978-0415583886

Retail: $30.95

New: Starting at $21.72

Used: Starting at $24.67

Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema is available through the College Bookstore, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.

Rajinder Dudrah and Jigna Desai, editors,

The Bollywood Reader

Open University Press, 2008

Paperback

ISBN-10: 0335222129

ISBN-13: 978-0335222124

Retail: $37.00

New: Starting at $32.88

Used: Starting at $29.75

The Bollywood Reader is available through the College Bookstore, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.

All but one of the films we will watch will be shown at 6:00-10:00 PM on Wednesdays in Miller Center 103. The final film will be shown during the final examination period in our class room.

Attendance for all films is mandatory! Your final grade will drop one letter for each unexcused absence and you will fail the course if you have three or more unexcused absences!

In preparation for each class meeting, you should have seen the film we will be discussing and have read the assigned material. You should arrive in class with prepared questions or comments about something in the assigned reading.

In addition to learning about Indian national identity and Bollywood, a major goal of this course is to cultivate intellectual abilities which have general application. This course aims to provide the resources which will enable you to develop intellectual survival skills, question what passes as common knowledge and accepted wisdom, evaluate your own and others' positions, and formulate new ideas. Such skills consist in the ability to summarize the assigned material, and to write pieces in which ideas and arguments are articulated, criticized, defended. Such skills also involve developing the ability to think critically about the views of ourselves and others. Critical thinking consists in understanding several sides of a debate, and seeing both the advantages and limitations of an opinion. Learning to question your opinions is as crucial as arguing for them. If you only learn to give reasons for opinions already held, you merely are giving rationalizations for prejudices. You need to learn to think for yourself, developing, defending, and criticizing your beliefs.

In this connection, I am especially concerned that you develop the ability to discuss issues cogently and to write intelligent, reflective pieces in clear, grammatical English. It is important that you learn to think, in a disciplined way, about the books and issues they raise. Part of that discipline consists in being able to analyze, evaluate, and formulate arguments. This involves knowing how to identify basic assumptions, develop a line of reasoning, recognize the steps that lead to a conclusion, and determine whether an argument is sound. In this way, hopefully, you will develop intellectual curiosity and the competencies to reason logically, evaluate critically, communicate effectively, imagine creatively, and appreciate aesthetic and creative expressions of humanity.

You are encouraged to share your questions and observations with the rest of the class, and to engage critically with the material, myself, and each other. By participating in class discussions, you will encounter directly differing interpretations of the material, become aware of the history of these views, and be encouraged to develop your own critical perspectives. In interacting with the material and each other, you will acquire a knowledge and appreciation of self, society, human cultures, and the natural world. I intend that you discover what has been written and said concerning, in the words of Socrates, "the most important things" -- questions about human character and the conduct of life. Such skills will enable you to succeed in subsequent courses and in endeavors outside of the classroom. Those abilities also will contribute to your development as educated citizens in a democratic society.

Each student will write a précis for almost every reading assignment, and an assessment on the reading assignments.

Each student will write a precis on almost every reading assignment, complete various research exercises that teach research skills, and write and present in class an assessment on a specific reading assignment, a criticism of a film, and two argumentative research papers (which will include prospectuses,drafts, and mandatory rewrites).

The précis and research exercises will count for 20% of your final grade. The assessment will count for 20% of your final grade. The criticism will count for 10% of your final grade. The first argumentative research paper will count for 20% of your final grade. The second argumentative research paper will count for 30% of your final grade. The grading scale is as follows:

A = 93%-100%

A- = 90%-92%

B+ = 86%-89%

B = 83% 85%

B- = 80%-82%

C+ = 76%-79%

C = 73%-75%

C- = 70%-72%

D+ = 66%-69%

D = 60%-65%

F = 0%-59%.

A précis will be due almost every class session. Each précis will be one typed page -- never longer -- double-spaced, with 1 inch margins on the right & left sides and the top & bottom. It must be at least 3/4 of a page in length. Use a 12-point Times or Times Roman font. There will be no spelling or grammatical errors in your précis. Your name will be typed in the upper right-hand corner. In each précis, you will summarize -- in your own words, without using any quotes -- the assigned reading's main claims, as well as the reasons which are given to support those claims. You will not include any opinion, evaluation, or commentary. At the bottom of each précis, or on the back, you will write one question that you have about the reading; this question may be handwritten. You will receive 1 point for each précis which meets all of the above requirements, and 3 points if the précis is excellent. I never will accept a late précis, but I will allow you to drop one.

An assessment should be approximately 1500 words, typed, double-spaced. Except for the length, the assessment should follow the same format requirement as the précis. You will sign up for a dates on which you will present your assessments. Except for the length, the assessment should follow the same format requirement as the précis (see the additional helps at the end of this syllabus). On the day you present, you will distribute copies to all of the persons in this class. This will require, of course, that you have enough copies made so that each member of the class has one. You first will read your assessment, and then you and I will serve as the main resource persons for fielding questions concerning the material. Since the class discussion will be centered around the assessment, it is crucial that you distribute the assessment the class session when you present it, and that you actually be in class to read your assessment. The primary purpose of the assessment is to summarize, consolidate, and explicate the central issues, main points, and key motifs of the assigned reading in order to facilitate class discussion of the material. It is important that the assessment contextualize the reading by describing briefly both how the reading is a continuation and development of material which has come before, and how it contributes to the overall trajectory of the thinker's thought. It is crucial that you critically engage the reading. You might argue that a claim that the author makes is incorrect, for example, or that a criticism in the secondary literature is incorrect. Alternatively, you might argue that an interpretation advanced in the secondary literature is incorrect. The assessment should reflect an acquaintance with the requisite secondary literature. This means that you must incorporate at least three secondary sources you consulted while writing your assessment.

A student presenting an assessment will not submit a précis of that material.

In a criticism of a film, you will lead a class discussion of a film on a Friday following the Wednesday night viewing. You will discuss how this film constructs and contests the identies of the Indian nation and its citizens. It is crucial that you critically engage the film. You will need to consult several secondary sources.

The Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and Summit's entries on "Motion Picture India" and "Motion Picture Industry India" will be helpful.

The Philosopher's Index, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy may also be useful.

The Chicago Manual of Style's Citation Quick Guide is online.

The argumentative research papers will be on the assigned reading material and the lectures. The final paper will focus on the reading material on which you did the assessment. Each paper should be approximately 1500 words, typed, double-spaced. Except for the length, the papers should follow the same format requirement as the precis. They must employ argumentation. You will choose your theses, but they must be based on the readings for this course. These papers may emphasize either a historical or theoretical interpretation. In either case, you should carefully state the problem you intend to treat, explain its significance, assess its possible solutions, propose an hypothesis, argue convincingly for that hypothesis, and eliminate the major (published or imagined) competing hypotheses. Late work will not be accepted!

Before the draft is due, you will submit a prospectus of this paper in which you: (1) indicate the topic and thesis of your paper, (2) fully describe the problem or issue to be treated, (3) outline your anticipated procedure and probable conclusion, and (4) include an annotated bibliography of works to be consulted (a minimum of three books or articles, with at least a paragraph discussing the relevance of each work to your project).

You're welcome to consult the Writing Center, located on the main floor of Watzek Library. The Writing Center is available to help students with all aspects of the writing process, including brainstorming ideas, developing a coherent paper structure, crafting elegant sentences, evaluating support for an argument, and dealing with writer’s block. The Center’s director, John Holzwarth, is available for individual appointments all semester long, and peer tutors are available without an appointment most afternoons and evenings. Visit the Writing Center website for additional information and resources, or contact John at writing@lclark.edu.

Also useful is the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

If you would find it useful to create concept maps, to help write your assessment or argumentative research papers, you can download the software to create them from IHMC Cmap Tools.

All work must be submitted when it is due. Late work -- précis, assessment, criticism, argumentative research papers -- will not be accepted and will receive no credit.

This class will be successful only if there is a high degree of participation and attendance, and so I want you in class participating. The final grade for the course will be lowered by a full-letter grade if you miss four regular class sessions, the final grade will be lowered by two full-letter grades if you miss five sessions, and you will fail the course if you miss six or more sessions. I will not accept make-up work unless you can document the reason for your absence. Documenting the reason for your absence means providing a note from, for example, your doctor explaining why you were absent. Serious illnesses and emergencies will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Throughout the course you are expected to read carefully the assigned material. It is impossible to do well in this course without reading and studying the books. You should spend a minimum of three hours preparing for each class session. I suggest that you read the assigned material at least twice and that you take notes on what you read. You are expected to attend all class sessions, come to class having read thoroughly the assigned material, and to contribute to the discussions.

It would be an excellent idea to write drafts or outlines of your précis and papers, and to have a comrade read them to check on spelling, grammar, development of arguments, and so forth. You are strongly encouraged to discuss the class material, your ideas, your puzzles and difficulties with each other. A word to the wise: Find a study partner to discuss things with outside of class. (To see why this is so effective for creativity and learning, read Malcolm Gladwell's article, Group Think: What Does Saturday Night Live Have in Common with German Philosophy?, The New Yorker, 2 December 2002).

There's a Bollwood tune for every occasion. Click here.

When it comes to finally writing your précis and essays, though, do your own writing. That is the only way you will get the full benefit of your own efforts. I will be happy to discuss ideas with you, read outlines and rough drafts, and so forth. That is partly why I keep office hours.

A final word to the wise. It is not difficult to do well in this class, but it also is easy to do badly. Let me talk about the bad stuff first. You will receive a major grade reduction -- or fail this course -- if you do not read the material, seldom participate in class discussions, do not write your précis or assessments, do not write the argumentative research papers, plagiarize, cheat, and so forth.

About plagiarizing and cheating. All students are expected to follow Lewis & Clark College's Academic Integrity Policy. Except for highly unusual circumstances, plagiarizers and cheaters will be given an "F" for the entire course (they will not be allowed to drop or withdraw from the course). I also will turn their cases over to the Honor Board; usually, I will recommend that disciplinary penalties be assessed in addition to failing grades. It is never in your interest to plagiarize or cheat!

Now for the good stuff. With a concerted effort you can do well in this class. To do well, you must participate in class discussions, read and study the assigned material, write the précis and assessment, write the argumentative research papers, be in class (almost) all of the time, etc. I do not grade on a curve, and so there is no good reason why you should not get an "A" for the course!

Course policy on disability accommodation. If you have a disability or learning difference that may impact your academic performance, you may request accommodations by submitting documentation to the Student Support Services Office, located in Albany 206 (access@lclark.edu, 503-768-7156). The Student Support Services Office will notify me of the accommodations for which you are eligible.

COURSE SCHEDULE

It was the death of God. Or something very like it; for had not that outsize face, suspended above its devotees in the artificial cinematic night, shone like that of some supernatural Entity that had its being at least halfway between the mortal and the divine?

--Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses

Week 1

Wednesday, 1/22:

Introduction to the course.

Read:

Sam Joshi's "How To Watch A Hindi Film: The Example of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai," Education About Asia 9:1, Spring 2004, pages 22-25.

Malcolm Gladwell's Group Think.

Jim Pryor's Guidelines on Reading Philosophy.

Wikipedia's articles on India and Bollywood.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) directed by Karan Johar;

it's available on YouTube for $0.99 with English subtitles.

Friday, 1/24:

Ganti's Bollywood, pages 1-55; précis.

Discussion of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Week 2

Discussion of (annotated) bibliography, footnotes, reasons for citations, proper quoting (block or in-line).

Monday, 1/27:

Ganti's Bollywood, pages 56-102; précis.

Sign-up for Assessment and Criticism.

Wednesday, 1/29:

Ganti's Bollywood, pages 103-136; précis.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) directed by Aditya Chopra;

it's on YouTube for $2.99 with English subtitles.

Friday, 1/31:

Discussion of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Research Exercise for Monday: Find one book and one article that will be relevant to your Assessment. Provide one block quote from the book and one in-line quote from the article. List the book and the article in proper formats for footnote and bibliography.

Week 3

Discussion of search procedures for articles and books.

Monday, 2/3:

Ganti's Bollywood, pages 137-159; précis.

Wednesday, 2/5:

Rajinder Dudrah and Jigna Desai, "The Essential Bollywood," pages 1-17; précis.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) directed by Karan Johar;

it's on YouTube with English subtitles.

Friday, 2/7:

Discussion of Kabhi Khusi Kabhie Gham.

Criticism: Carlie Rowlett and Burnley Traux.

Research Exercise for Monday: in proper bibliographical format, list three articles and two books that are relevant to your Assessment.

Saturday, 2/8:

Vasant Panchami dinner, 7:00 PM.

Vasant Panchami celebrates the birth of Saraswati,

the goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts. She

is also the consort of Brahma.

Part I: Theoretical Frameworks

Week 4

Discussion on using the Arts & Humanities Citation Index and the Philosopher's Index.

Monday, 2/10:

Rosie Thomas, "Indian Cinema: Pleasures and Popularity," pages 21-31; précis.

Wednesday, 2/12:

Vijay Mishra, "Towards a Theoretical Critique of Bombay Cinema," pages 32-44; précis.

Zanjeer (1973) directed by Prakash Mehra.

Friday, 2/14:

Discussion of Zanjeer.

Criticism: Bernadette Maertens.

Research Exercise for Monday: In proper bibliographical format, list three new articles that you found through the Arts & Humanities Citation Index or the Philosopher's Index that are relevant to your Assessment.

Week 5

Discussion of annotated bibliography and reliability of sources.

Monday, 2/17:

Madhava Prasad, "The Economics of Ideology: Popular Film Form and Mode of Production," pages 45-56; précis.

DRAFT OF FIRST ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER DUE.

Wednesday, 2/19:

Manjunath Pendakur, "In the Throes of Change: Exhibition, Production and Distribution," pages 57-72; précis.

Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) directed by Yash Chopra;

it's on YouTube for $2.99 with English subtitles.

Friday, 2/21: Midsouth Philosophy Conference.

Week 6

Discussion of note taking and perusing for content.

Monday, 2/24:

Ashis Nandy, "Introduction: Indian Popular Cinema as a Slum's Eye View of Politics," pages 73-83; précis.

Assessment: Kenya Granich.

Wednesday, 2/26:

Sumita Chakravarty, "The National-Heroic Image: Masculinity and Masquerade," pages 84-94; précis.

Assessment: Amber Cooney.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) directed by Danny Boyle;

it's on YouTube for $9.99 and on YouTube for free,

both have English subtitles.

Friday, 2/28:

Discussion of Slumdog Millionaire.

Criticism: Simon Anderson and Hannah Mathieson.

Week 7

Discussion of formulating a thesis: prospectus, outlines, drafts, revisions.

Monday, 3/3:

FIRST ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER DUE.

Submit four items: (1) the final rewrite, (2) the draft on which I wrote comments, (3) the draft on which your peer evaluator wrote comments, and (4) the peer evaluation form.

Part II: Recent Trajectories

Wednesday, 3/5:

Parama Roy, "Figuring Mother India: The Case of Nargis," pages 109-121; précis.

Mother India (1957) directed by Mehboob Khan.

Friday, 3/7:

Discussion of Mother India.

Criticism: Marina Smith.

Week 8

Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.

Monday, 3/10:

Lalitha Gopalan,"Avenging Women in Indian Cinema," pages 97-108; précis.

Assessment: Bernadette Maertens.

Wednesday, 3/12:

Monika Mehta, "What is Behind Film Censorship? The Khalnayak Debates," pages 122-133; précis.

Assessment: Maddie Hermann.

Khalnayak (1993) directed by Subhash Ghai;

it's on YouTube with English subtitles: 1, 2, 3.

Friday, 3/14:

Discussion of Khalnayak.

Criticism: Reagan Rodriguez.

Week 9

Monday, 3/17:

Sangita Gopal and Biswarup Sen, "Inside and Out: Song and Dance in Bollywood Cinema," pages 147-157; précis.

Assessment: Simon Anderson.

Wednesday, 3/19:

Nicholas B. Dirks, "The Home and the Nation: Consuming Culture and Politics in Roja," pages 134-146; précis.

Roja (1992) directed by Mani Ratnam;

it's on YouTube for $0.99 with English subtitles.

Friday, 3/21: Sheldon Pollock Lecture at the University of Washington

Week 10

Monday, 3/24: Spring Break.

Wednesday, 3/26: Spring Break.

Friday, 3/28: Spring Break.

Week 11

Monday, 3/31:

Sheila J. Nayar, "Invisible Representation: The Oral Contours of a National Popular Cinema," pages 158-171; précis.

Assessment: Carlie Rowlett.

Wednesday, 4/2:

Patricia Uberoi, "Imagining the Family: An Ethnography of Viewing Hum Aapke Hain Kaun," pages 172-187; précis.

Assessment: Oscar Cojocariu.

Hum Aapke Hain Kaun..! (1994) directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya;

it's on YouTube with English subtitles.

Friday, 4/4:

Discussion of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...!

Criticism: Oscar Cojocariu.

Week 12

Monday, 4/7:

Ashish Rajadhyaksha, "The 'Bollywoodization' of the Indian Cinema: Cultural Nationalism in a Global Arena," pages 190-200; précis.

PROSPECTUS OF FINAL ARGUMENTATIVE PAPER DUE.

Part III: Bollywood Abroad and Beyond

Wednesday, 4/9:

Nitin Govil, "Bollywood and the Frictions of Global Mobility," pages 201-215; précis.

Assessment: Marina Smith.

Devdas (2002) directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Friday, 4/11:

Discussion of Devdas.

Criticism: Kenya Granich and Maddie Hermann.

Week 13

Monday, 4/14:

Brian Larkin, "Itineraries of Indian Cinema: African Videos, Bollywood, and Global Media," pages 216-228; précis.

Assessment: Burnley Traux.

Wednesday, 4/16: American Philosophical Association Pacific Division.

Friday, 4/18: American Philosophical Association Pacific Division.

Week 14

Monday, 4/21:

DRAFT OF FINAL ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER DUE.

Wednesday, 4/23:

Jigna Desai, "Ever Since You've Discovered the Video, I've Had No Peace: Diasporic Spectators Talk Back to Bollywood Masala," pages 229-242; précis.

Assessment: Reagen Rodriguez.

Masala (1991) directed by Srinivas Krishna.

F, 4/25:

Discussion of Masala.

Criticism: Amber Cooney.

Week 15

Monday, 4/28:

Amit Rai, "On the Media Assemblage of Bollywood: Time and Sensation in Globalizing India," pages 264-275; précis.

Wednesday, 4/30:

Rajinder Dedrah, "Queer as Desis: Secret Politics of Gender and Sexuality in Bollywood Films in Diasporic Urban Ethnoscapes," pages 243-263; précis.

Assessment: Hannah Mathieson.

Dostana (2008) directed by Tarun Mansukhani;

it's on YouTube for $2.99 with English subtitles.

Week 16

Monday, 5/5:

FINAL ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER DUE AT 1:00 PM.

Submit four items: (1) the final rewrite, (2) the draft on which I wrote comments, (3) the draft on which your peer evaluator wrote comments, and (4) the peer evaluation form.

During the three-hour examination time, we'll watch My Name Is Khan (2010) directed by Karan Johar.

There will be an in-class test on My Name Is Khan.