COURSE DESCRIPTION BOOKLET Undergraduate Level Courses

ENGL 216 - CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Staff - 900
Further information unavailable at this time
Time Days Sec Faculty Class#
0930-1045a TR 001 Staff 4770
0930-1020a MWF 002 Staff 4771
Staff - 001
Further information unavailable at this time
Staff - 002
Further information unavailable at this time
ENGL 219 - FILM GENRE -- "COMIC BOOK AND ROCK AND ROLL MOVIES"
Time Days Sec Faculty Class#
0130-0440p T 001 Dixon, W 4137
AIM OF THE COURSE: Comic book movies have been around since the 1920s, and rock and roll movies since
the late 1950s, though they were once relegated to children’s matinee screenings on Saturdays as once-a-week
serials and also feature films. But today, with the continuing rise of Comic-Con, they seem to be more a part of
the mainstream than ever. This course will examine comic book and rock and roll movies from the past and
present, and explore how these films shaped American culture in the post World War II era to the present, and
how they adapted to the changing tastes and mores of succeeding generations. In addition, we’ll ask: why are
comic book movies so popular, especially right now?
REQUIRED TEXTS: There is no required textbook for this course. This course seeks to interrogate the limits of
the rock and roll and comic book based film as a vehicle for social commentary, beyond the traditional limits
ascribed the genre. Thus, since this course deals for the most part in very recent films, directed readings, sent
weekly as links to students, is the most effective way to tackle the material presented here. These readings are a
mandatory part of the course material, in addition to research that you will do at Love Library for the 2nd and 3rd
papers for this course.
REQUIREMENTS: The class requires students to produce three (3) sustained, finished papers of 5 pages
minimum length each, in addition to detailed class discussion of the films we see each week, as well as directed
readings on a regular basis. Attendance is mandatory for every class, and there are NO excused absences. In their
papers, students will demonstrate their understanding and knowledge of film genre, how genre was formed, how it
operates in terms of viewer expectations, and how genre reflects the values and aesthetics of the society in which
it was created.
FILM SCREENED INCLUDE: THE DARK KNIGHT, THE TAMI SHOW, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST
AVENGER, WOODSTOCK, X MEN: FIRST CLASS, GIMME SHELTER, V FOR VENDETTA, THIS IS
SPINAL TAP, 300, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, IT MIGHT GET LOUD, AKIRA and other films, all screened in
class as part of the formal lecture, with running commentary throughout by the professor.
NOTE: Special fee - $30.
10 – UNL DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, SPRING 2014