Film Studies Syllabus
Instructor: Mr. Plansinis
Email: jplansinis@[Link]
Course Description
Films serve as the most significant touchstones in our understanding of culture, character, and morality; therefore,
it’s important to understand how movies are used to fundamentally shape our thoughts and emotions. In this full-
semester course, you will be exploring the history of cinema and the elements that affect the way stories are told in
film. Our exploration of film history will take us from the beginning of the silent movie era, through the
development of sound, the rise of the studio system, and the factors that led to the current blockbuster era. We will
be examining the influence that cinematography, direction, and editing can have on the way that a story is told and
the messages it conveys.
Units of Study
Unit 1: Reading Films and the Silent Film Era – We’ll explore how watching a film for analysis is different from
watching a film for fun. We’ll also begin our historical overview of film development by looking at some of the
earliest pioneers in the industry and the silent film era.
Unit 2: The Golden Age of Hollywood – In this unit, we’ll explore the development of the major studios and
learn how the style of major Hollywood movies came to be. We’ll focus on some of the most well-known films in
cinema history and discuss why they have endured for so long and how they have impacted pop culture.
Unit 3: Film Noir and the New Wave – Alongside the classics of the Golden Age of Hollywood were darker and
grittier movies that explored the seedy underbelly of American society and the dark impulses of humanity. These
movies were called “film noir,” and we’ll look at how this genre developed and what makes it so unique and
influential. Later, the development of experimental New Wave films pushed the boundaries of what films could be
and the kinds of stories that they could tell.
Unit 4: Narrative Structure and the Blockbuster Era– We’ll end our exploration of film by looking at how
movies began to change the very structure of how stories were told, and we’ll look at the development of the
Blockbuster Era that began in the late 1970s and changed the way films are still made today.
Film Content
This course is designed with high school students in mind; however, cinema was not shaped in a completely
innocent and wholesome way. There will be some assignments where students can choose any movie to work with,
and I have no major restrictions on what students choose to watch on their own time. However, I will not show
anything in class that is graphic or wildly inappropriate for teenagers (nudity, graphic violence, etc.); however, there
may be some content that addresses adult themes or uses adult language.
The films below are the ones that I pick from when selecting films to show in class. We will not watch ALL of these
films since I usually pick some films based upon the interests and abilities of the students in the class. Parents, feel
free to preview any of the films here, and contact me with any concerns that you may have regarding the selections.
City Lights One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Casablanca Raiders of the Lost Ark
Citizen Kane Jaws
Double Indemnity Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Vertigo Contact
Singin’ in the Rain Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Sunset Boulevard Psycho
Regular Expectations
• Watching Films – A big part of this course involves watching movies (shocking, I know). We’re
going to be looking at how to watch movies in a more analytical way and how to discuss them
intelligently. However, you can’t do any of that if you don’t WATCH the movie. You won’t do well if
you’re not paying attention when we watch them in class or not watching parts of the film you missed
when you’re absent. Many of the films we watch will be posted to Canvas or can be found through
iTunes and other streaming services.
• Film Analysis – After we watch a film, we’ll typically send the next one or two days analyzing the film
in class (usually by taking a close look at significant or notable scenes). Sometimes this involves
activities such as creating video clips, storyboards, presentations, or film reviews. In other instances,
we’ll have a class discussion about the film; your contribution in these discussions is an important part
of your grade, so just sitting there and not speaking will earn you a poor discussion grade. If you are
absent for a class discussion, see me about written makeup work.
• Late Work - All assignments must be completed on time for full credit. Assignments will be accepted
late for half credit for a period of three weeks. Large scale assignments (essays, projects, etc.) will be
docked one letter grade for each day late until you reach 50%, at which point you have three weeks to
turn it in for half credit.
• Makeup Work – Making up missed work is your own responsibility. If you’re absent, you need to
speak with me about making up the missed assignment. I will not track you down and hound you for
missing work. As a rule, you have the number of days you missed to make up the work. For instance,
if you missed two days of school, you have two days to make up the work. If you missed three days,
you have three days to make it up.
• Zeros in the Gradebook – Be aware that anytime an assignment is not turned in on time, a zero will
be put in the gradebook regardless of the reason. This is so that you are aware that the assignment is
missing. If you were absent that day and the absence is excused, you will be given full credit for the
assignment once you turn it in. If the assignment is simply late (not due to an excused absence), you
will receive half credit for the assignment once you turn it in.
Classroom Behavior
• Film Viewing Behavior – The same rules for politeness that apply in a movie theater apply when we’re
watching a film in class: no talking, no sleeping, no playing on your phone or iPad, and no other behavior
that disrupts the viewing experience for other students.
• Phone and In-Ear Headphone Use - You may not use your personal phone or earbuds/headphones
during ANY classroom activities. It is expected that your personal phone/earbuds will be put away when
the bell rings for the beginning of the period. If there is free time in class (for example, you’ve completed
an assignment with time to spare), you may use your phone or listen to music with my permission only.
• Being On Time – Arrive for class on time. If you are late, you are expected to have a pass from a teacher.
If you don’t, it counts as a tardy. After five tardies, you will receive a detention or office referral.
• Personal Space – Do not touch another student’s body, belongings, desk, or invade his or her personal
space without that student’s clear permission.
• Bathroom Procedures – During class, get a pass from me and sign out on the clipboard that’s on the table
by the door. Ask for a pass when I’m not in the middle of lecturing or helping students. At the beginning
of class, if you can be back before the bell rings, you do not need a pass. If you will be back after the bell,
you need a pass. You can’t just roll into the room five minutes late and use the bathroom as an excuse.
• Appropriate Language – Even if you swear, yell, and insult other people on your own time, that kind of
behavior is not tolerated here.
• Food and Drink Policy – Food/drinks are permitted ONLY if they aren’t distracting (too noisy, smelly,
etc.), they aren’t being shared or passed around the room, you don’t make a mess, and they don’t contain
allergens. If any of these rules are violated, the entire class will be banned from having food and drinks.
• Cheating – Copying another student’s work or taking it from the Internet counts as plagiarism, no matter
how small the assignment is. You are not permitted to ‘work together’ on assignments unless I have given
you specific permission to do so. If you plagiarize or cheat in any way, you and any other student(s)
involved will receive a zero, and there will be no opportunity to make up the assignment.
Consequences for Inappropriate Behavior
Behaviors that interfere with the learning of other students (violating the rules in red above) will not be tolerated. If
you are doing something that is negatively interfering with the classroom environment or the learning of another
student, I will follow the district's discipline guidelines
• 1stOffense: Verbal Warning - I will warn you not to do it again.
• 2nd Offense: Phone Call Home - I will call home to report what you have been doing and what will
happen if you persist in the behavior.
• 3rd Offense: Teacher Assigned Detention - You will receive an after-school detention to be served in my
classroom until 2:49pm. Parents will be contacted again. The student is responsible for his or her own
transportation home.
• 4th Offense: Office Referral - The student will receive a full write-up to the assistant principal who will
then provide more extensive disciplinary action (in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, etc.)
NOTE: Serious behaviors can be dealt with more severely as per the district handbook. For example, plagiarism (as
noted below), will earn you a detention and a parent phone call on your first offense. Drug use, severe
insubordination, or a physical altercation will get you sent immediately to the main office.
Plagiarism
• Proofread your work and read all assignments fully to assure accuracy
• Do not download a composition from the Internet
• Do not copy another person’s work or give your work to others
• Do not write a paper for one course and turn the same paper in for another course
If you are caught plagiarizing on an assignment…
• 1st Offense: Zero on the assignment with no opportunity to make it up. Your parents will be notified.
• 2nd Offense: Zero on the assignment with no opportunity to make it up. Your parents will be notified. You
will be sent to the office and receive 1 day of in-school suspension.
• 3rd Offense: Zero on the assignment with no opportunity to make it up. Your parents will be notified. You
will be sent to the office and receive 1 day of out-of-school suspension.
My Contact Information
• The best way to contact me is through email at: jplansinis@[Link]
• You can also reach me by calling the school at 412-896-2360, extension 7804.
• I will use the website “Remind 101” throughout the year to contact both students and parents. It’s a one-
way form of communication where I can send a mass text out to anyone who signs up for the class. To
sign up, simply text the code @planman3 to the number 81010.
Sincerely,
Mr. Justin Plansinis