POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
POL4442 Cinema and Politics Fall
Spring
 3 0 3 6
The course opens with the approval of the Department at the beginning of each semester

Basic information

Language of instruction: En
Type of course: Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Course Coordinator : Prof. Dr. EBRU ŞULE CANAN SOKULLU
Course Lecturer(s): Dr. Öğr. Üyesi ARDA CAN KUMBARACIBAŞI
Course Objectives: This course analyzes the main tenets of crucial political events throughout the 20th and the 21st centuries and their representation in cinema. By looking into the connections between major political ideologies and milestone movies in cinema history, the course aims to provide students a better understanding of the events that transpired in recent history and their impacts within a critical framework. The course also makes use of theoretical works by known scholars in the field to deliver an in depth examination of a wide range of notions such as propaganda, war, activism, ethics, rights, role of media, social psychology, authority, ethnic conflict, terrorism, self-determination, mass surveillance, immigration and other international dynamics.

Learning Outputs

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1. Examine the basic approaches to Film and Politics.
2. Grasp the key debates, concepts, approaches, theories and case studies that critique and explain the complex relationship between politics and cinema.
3. Compare films from around the world while looking into historical and contemporary cinema.
4. Analyze interactions between societies, governments and international actors.
5. Recognize the role of different social and political actors (e.g. states, civil society actors, international organizations, supranational structures) in local, national and global contexts.
6. Discuss processes of state development, democratization, inequality, mobilization and global networks.
7. Explore the wider relationship between politics and entertainment, examines cinema’s response to political and social transformations and questions the extent to which filmmaking, itself, is a political act.
8. Develop critical thinking skills.

Course Content

Impact of Film; Propaganda; War and Cinema (Second World War, the Cold War, Vietnam War); Conflict; Fascism; Holocaust; Totalitarianism; Authoritarianism; Political Activism; Socialism; Communism; Neo-Marxism; Cuban Revolution; Nationalism and Self-Determination; Ethics; Rights; Citizenship; Minorities; Ethnicity; Immigration; Feminism and Gender Politics; Role of Media; Terrorism; Globalism.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Introduction Yannis Tzioumakis, Claire Molloy - The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Politics. Andrew Heywood - Political Ideologies.
2) Film and Propaganda Richard Schickel - Charlie Chaplin: A Life in Film. Alexander J. DeGrand - Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. J. S. McClelland - A History of Western Political Thought Neil Pagesm Mary Rhiel, Ingeborg Majer-O'Sickey - Riefenstahl Screened. Jonathan Auerbach, Russ Castronovo - The Oxford Handbook of Propaganda Studies.
3) Totalitarianism and the Second World War Hannah Arendt - Banality of Evil. Primo Levi - The Gray Zone.
4) The Cold War Era Bernard Schaefer - The Lives of Others: East Germany Revisited. John O Koehler - Stasi.
5) Political Activism I (Socialism) G. S. Prentzas - The Cuban Revolution Jon Lee Anderson - Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life Peter McLaren - Che Guevara Paulo Drinot - Che's Travels
6) Political Activism II (Anarchism) Robert Sklar - The Baader Meinhof Complex Julian Preece - Baader-Meinhof and the Novel Steve Giles, Maike Oergel - Counter-Cultures in Germany and Central Europe Christina Gerhardt - The Baader Meinhof Complex Chang Hyun Cho - Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
7) Midterm Exam
8) Political Activism III (Nationalism) Henry Veltmeyer - Imperialism, Crisis and Class Struggle A.P. Thornton - Imperialism in the Twentieth Century John Galtung - A Structural Theory of Imperialism
9) War and Cinema I Bonnie L. Green, et. al. - Trauma Interventions in War and Peace Kenneth Payne - The Psychology of Modern Conflict Martin J. Medhurst - Cold War Rhetoric, strategy, metaphor, and ideology
10) War and Cinema II Michael Taillard, Holly Giscoppa - Psychology and Modern Warfare: Idea Management in Conflict and Competition Patricia Keeton, Peter Scheckner - American War Cinema and Media since Vietnam Politics, Ideology, and Class Ronnie D. Lipschutz - After Authority: War, Peace, and Global Politics in the 21st Century
11) Citizenship and Rights Sarah Gamble - The Routledge Companion to Feminism and PostFeminism Estelle B. Freedman - Feminism, Sexuality, and Politics Margaret Walters - Feminism. A Very Short Introduction
12) Politics and the Media Michael Griffin - Media Images of War Cees J. Hamelink - Media between Warmongers and Peacemakers Rune Ottosen - Enemy Images and the Journalistic Process
13) Terrorism Erin Steuter and Deborah Wills - Dehumanizing the Enemy in post 9/11 Media Representations John Lewis Gaddis - A Grand Strategy of Transformation Johan Galtung - Cultural Violence
14) Developing Nations and Problems of Democracy Adam Jones - Genocide and Mass Killing Scott Straus - Wars Do End: Changing Patterns of Political Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sources

Course Notes: Yannis Tzioumakis, Claire Molloy - The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Politics. Andrew Heywood - Political Ideologies. Richard Schickel - Charlie Chaplin: A Life in Film. Alexander J. DeGrand - Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. J. S. McClelland - A History of Western Political Thought Neil Pagesm Mary Rhiel, Ingeborg Majer-O'Sickey - Riefenstahl Screened. Jonathan Auerbach, Russ Castronovo - The Oxford Handbook of Propaganda Studies. Hannah Arendt - Banality of Evil. Primo Levi - The Gray Zone. Bernard Schaefer - The Lives of Others: East Germany Revisited. John O Koehler - Stasi. Robert Sklar - The Baader Meinhof Complex Julian Preece - Baader-Meinhof and the Novel Steve Giles, Maike Oergel - Counter-Cultures in Germany and Central Europe Christina Gerhardt - The Baader Meinhof Complex Chang Hyun Cho - Der Baader Meinhof Komplex G. S. Prentzas - The Cuban Revolution Jon Lee Anderson - Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life Peter McLaren - Che Guevara Paulo Drinot - Che's Travels Henry Veltmeyer - Imperialism, Crisis and Class Struggle A.P. Thornton - Imperialism in the Twentieth Century John Galtung - A Structural Theory of Imperialism Bonnie L. Green, et. al. - Trauma Interventions in War and Peace Kenneth Payne - The Psychology of Modern Conflict Martin J. Medhurst - Cold War Rhetoric, strategy, metaphor, and ideology Michael Taillard, Holly Giscoppa - Psychology and Modern Warfare: Idea Management in Conflict and Competition Patricia Keeton, Peter Scheckner - American War Cinema and Media since Vietnam Politics, Ideology, and Class Ronnie D. Lipschutz - After Authority: War, Peace, and Global Politics in the 21st Century Sarah Gamble - The Routledge Companion to Feminism and PostFeminism Estelle B. Freedman - Feminism, Sexuality, and Politics Margaret Walters - Feminism. A Very Short Introduction Michael Griffin - Media Images of War Cees J. Hamelink - Media between Warmongers and Peacemakers Rune Ottosen - Enemy Images and the Journalistic Process Stuart J. Kaufman - Ethnic Conflict Adam Jones - Genocide and Mass Killing Scott Straus - Wars Do End: Changing Patterns of Political Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa Erin Steuter and Deborah Wills - Dehumanizing the Enemy in post 9/11 Media Representations John Lewis Gaddis - A Grand Strategy of Transformation Johan Galtung - Cultural Violence
References: Ders Paketindeki Makaleler

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Attendance % 0
Laboratory % 0
Application % 0
Field Work % 0
Special Course Internship (Work Placement) % 0
Quizzes % 0
Homework Assignments % 0
Presentation % 0
Project % 0
Seminar % 0
Midterms 1 % 40
Preliminary Jury % 0
Final 1 % 60
Paper Submission % 0
Jury % 0
Bütünleme % 0
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 40
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 60
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Workload
Course Hours 13 39
Laboratory
Application
Special Course Internship (Work Placement)
Field Work
Study Hours Out of Class 13 107
Presentations / Seminar
Project
Homework Assignments
Quizzes
Preliminary Jury
Midterms 1 2
Paper Submission
Jury
Final 1 2
Total Workload 150

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) Grasp basic theoretical and conceptual knowledge about the field and relations between them at the level of practice.
2) Possess basic knowledge about the causes and effects of political transformations in societies.
3) Possess knowledge about quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods in social and behavioral sciences.
4) Recognize historical patterns while evaluating contemporary political and social developments.
5) Demonstrate interdisciplinary and critical approach while analyzing, synthesizing and forecasting domestic and foreign policy.
6) Conduct studies in the field professionally, both independently or as a team member.
7) Possess consciousness about lifelong learning based on Research & Development.
8) Communicate with peers both orally and in writing, by using a foreign language at least at a level of European Language Portfolio B1 General Level and the necessary informatics and communication technologies.
9) Apply field-related knowledge and competences into career advancement, projects for sustainable development goals, and social responsibility initiatives.
10) Possess the habit to monitor domestic and foreign policy agenda as well as international developments.
11) Possess competence to interpret the new political actors, theories and concepts in a global era.
12) Evaluate the legal and ethical implications of advanced technologies on politics.