International Conflict The Origins of Global Fury Afghanistan and the Origins of Global Fury - Spring 07 Afghanistan and the Origins of Global Fury - Fall 06 Cuba and Haiti Religious Revolutions and violence Haiti and the Caribbean Contemporary Issues in International Relations Introduction to International Relations South Asia in a Global and Historical Context Politics of the Third World

Seeing "War of the Worlds": Global politics through Popular films Music of the African Diaspora Worlds of Music Musical Meaning in a Global Context Politics and Literature

Global Political Economy of Oil Understanding Capitalism Foundations in the Political Economy

Ideas and Ideology Love, Hate and Sexual Desire Under Colonialism Junior Year Honors Seminar: Cultural Encounters, 1999-2000

Seeing “War of the Worlds”: Global Politics through Popular. Films

Spring 2007
Tuesday: 5:25-8:05 at Park 281
Thursday: 9:25-10:40 at Williams 317
Office phone: 274-3028
Naeem@ithaca.edu

Naeem Inayatullah
Muller 325
Office Hours: Tuesday 1:15-2:30; Thursday 1:15-2:30, and by appointment

1. Introduction

I play on two overlapping meanings in titling this course “Seeing ‘War of the Worlds.’” On the one hand, I hope that by viewing the film “War of the Worlds,” we go beyond our usual innocent suspension of disbelief. I want to move us to a deeper interpretation of the role of film in culture. On the other hand, I point to the current “war of the worlds” going on between the First and Third World. These films have something to say about that war. We can even regard them as participants in that conflict. This course asks: what do we see when we sit within the overlap between film and war? What does film teach us about cultural encounters and about wars between the 1st and 3rd world? What do we learn about film if we regard films as participating in war and cultural encounter? As important, what do we glean about how we “see” our everyday life by examining the production and consumption of film? Is our seeing primarily a physical activity? Or, is our seeing shaped more by our conceptual, ideological, and cultural forces? Do we select what we see, hear, and read? Or, do books read us, music play us, and film reveal our vision? I am also interested in learning about how film works; I want to understand its forms. How do filmmakers produce the narrative they want us to consider? What effects are produce by cuts, angles, music, dialogue, and the organization of various visual materials? I am keen on these “technical” aspects of film making because, while I am concerned about losing of my filmic innocence, I am confident that learning the techniques and forms of film making, will make me a more critical interpreter of my visual world. As has been my experience with music (I have been teaching courses on music for the last six years), I am wagering that such knowledge, rather than destroying what I love, will enhance my appreciation. You are hereby warned, however, that this wager serves as the premise of the course. You may wish you hadn’t opened this Pandora’s Box (I may not either, we will see). I recommend dropping this course if you do not want your filmic innocence challenged. You should know that this is my first venture into teaching film. I bring no expertise to this venture beyond of having seen hundreds of films. I want to thank Professor Patty Zimmerman (Department of Cinema, Photography, and Media Arts) for shoring up my courage and for helping me select some of the materials. I recommend you take a course with her if you are interested in film and film theory.

2. Readings and Viewings:

• Books available at the Campus Book Store:

Conrad, Joseph, Heart of Darkness, (Norton Critical Edition), W. W. Norton, 2005. Kolker, Robert Phillip, Film, Form, and Culture w/ DVD-ROM, McGraw-Hill, 3 edition 2005. Lindqvist, Sven, Exterminate All the Brutes, New Press, 1997. Nandy, Ashis, The Intimate Enemy: Loss and Recovery of Self Under Colonialism, Oxford, 1989. Wells, H.G., The War of the Worlds, Ann Arbor Media, 2006.

• Course Reader (Please purchase from Gail at Muller 308):

Salama, Sammy and Karen Ruster, A Preemptive Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities: Possible Consequences,” Center for Nonproliferation Studies. August 12, 2004. [14] http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/040812.htm" Boose, Lynda, “Techno-Muscularity and the ‘Boy Eternal: From the Quagmire to the Gulf,’” in eds. Amy Kaplan and Donald E. Pease, Cultures of United States Imperialism, Duke, 1993, pp. 581-616. Grey, J. Glenn, Chapter 2: “The Enduring Appeals of Battle,” The Warriors: Reflections of Men in Battle, Harper, 1970 [1959], pp. 25-58. Maren, Michael, The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity, Free Press, 1997. Chapters 11 (pp.189-202), 12 (pp. 203-215), 13 (pp. 216-38), 16 (pp. 271-80) [total = 55] Edkins, Jenny, Whose Hunger? Concepts of Famine, Practices of Aid, University of Minnesota, 2001: Introduction (pp. xv-xxii), ch. 1 (pp. 1-14), ch. 2 (pp. 15-41), ch 6. (129-52), conclusion (153-59). [total =65] • Films (we will not view all of these):

- Apocalypse Now DVD 496, [153 minutes]
- Battle of Algiers DVD 1041, [120 minutes]
- Black Hawk Down DVD 2845 (2002) [144 minutes]
- Fog of War DVD 1177 CORE [107 minutes]
- Jarhead DVD 2851 [123 minutes]
- King Kong DVD 2866 (2005) [187 minutes]
- Manchurian Candidate DVD 2868 (2004) [129 minutes]
- Minority Report DVD 145 [146 minutes]
- Rashamon DVD 455 [88 minutes]
- Syriana DVD 2852 [128 minutes]
- Thin Red Line DVD 1 [170 minutes]
- Three Kings (Video 6625) [115 minutes]
- War of the Worlds DVD 2867 (2005) [117 minutes]

3. Design of the Course

I think of the design of a course as similar to a style of music. Most courses follow “classical (European) music” in design. That is, the audience hears music pre-determined by the score. The music may change slightly from performance to performance but this change is not usually a part of the design of classical music. In contrast, Jazz, classical Indian music, and West African drumming combine the structure of the piece, the interpretative skill of the players, and the response of the listeners to create a specific structured improvisation. Accordingly, I have designed this course to change from one experience to another according to the interaction of students, instructor, and the reading materials. Thus no two classes or experiences should be the same because the interaction of the three differs on each occasion. This design embraces the necessity of collective improvisation. An anarchic (not to be confused with a chaotic) design has consequences for our sense of time in the course. To some the course will feel less structured and slower than what they might expect. The good news is that the course may also feel like something we create together.

4. Evaluation

I will determine your grade by evaluating the following components.

• 60% will come from two essays of 8-10 pages, due on: 9:25 AM, Thursday, February 15 and, 9:25 AM, Thursday, March 29. Please see my “writing suggestions for essays” (section 6, page 4) on how I would like you to write these essays. • 40% of your grade will be derived from a take-home final essay, due Noon Thursday, May 10, 2007. I would like to see a comprehensive and retrospective essay. I will provide further details in class. Please see my “writing suggestions for essays” (section 6, page 4) on how I would like you to write these essays. Essay topics will synthesize reading materials, lectures, and discussions • An “entry paper” (due: February 1st) and an “exit paper” (due Noon, Friday May 11) are required but not graded. Details will be provided in class

Note Well: If you are unclear about these expectations or feel that they do not suit your style of learning, please see me in my office. I will do everything I can to accommodate you. However, please see me by Thursday, February 8th. After this date, I will assume that you agree to the above arrangement.

Entry paper: 1050 AM, Thursday, February 1.
First essay: 0925 AM, Thursday February 15.
Second essay: 1050 AM, Thursday, March 29.
Final essay: due Noon, Thursday, May 7.
Exit paper: due by Noon on Friday, May 11.