Disturbia: American Suburbs in Film and Fiction

elective courses

Course for first degree (BA) students

Classroom

The goal of the course is to interest students in the interpretive possibilities of cinematic and literary representations of the American suburbs, with emphasis on the significance of the genre of the “suburban gothic,” in which the supposedly idyllic suburbs become the settings of brutal crimes, perverse fantasies and different kinds of supernatural phenomena.

The goal of the course is to interest students in the interpretive possibilities of cinematic and literary representations of the American suburbs, with emphasis on the significance of the genre of the “suburban gothic,” in which the supposedly idyllic suburbs become the settings of brutal crimes, perverse fantasies and different kinds of supernatural phenomena. The course begins with a class which introduces the social and historical emergence of the American suburbs, especially their dynamic growth after World War II. The experience of life in the postwar suburbs is contrasted with the mythology of the suburbs, which was created and perpetuated by the popular media, the advertising industry and the developers themselves. The following classes focus on how literary fiction and film deconstruct this mythology. The reading list also includes secondary sources, representing a wide range of critical approaches (including feminism, psychoanalysis and ecocriticism) that make it possible to better understand what happens in the primary texts. Particular emphasis is placed on an analysis of the violence of the suburban gothic as an outlet of repressed tensions, traumas and desires.

Reading & viewing list of primary texts:

1. The Rise of the Suburbs: background readings & viewing of documentary In the Suburbs (1957)

2. Shirley Jackson “The Rebel,” “The Possibility of Evil” (1949), Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966)

3. Bryan Forbes, The Stepford Wives (1975)

4. John Cheever “The Swimmer” (1964), “The Housebreaker of Shady Hill” (1958)

5. The Suburban Horror Film: Halloween (1976)

6. Jeffrey Eugenides, Virgin Suicides (1993)

7. Peter Weir, The Truman Show (1998)

8. Gary Ross, Pleasantville (1998)

9. Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road (2008)

10. Danielle Evans “Robert E. Lee is Dead” (2011), Benjamin Percy “Writs of Possession” (2011)

11. D.J. Caruso, Disturbia (2007)

12. Weeds (S01E01) and Breaking Bad (S01E01)

13. George Clooney, Suburbicon (2017)

Secondary Sources:

1. Bernice Murphy, The Suburban Gothic in American Popular Culture (2009)

2. Robert Beuka, Suburbia Nation (2004)

3. Michel Foucault, “Of Other Spaces”, excerpts from Discipline and Punish (1975)

4. Jean Baudrillard, excerpts from America (1986)

5. Nancy Duncan, excerpts from Landscapes of Privilege (2004)

Knowledge

The graduate knows

K-W02 understand key terminology, well established methods and theories of film and literary studies and culture studies within American studies

K-W04 describe the relation between American film and literature, and historical and cultural processes on an advanced level

K-W09 identify on an advanced level the multiplicity of cultures and their complexity, cultural codes, as well as structural and institutional background of culture, with special focus on American culture

K-W10 describe on an advanced level the geography, history, politics, economy, as well as cultural and societal problems of the USA

Abilities

K_U01 employ the terminology and methodological tools from American literary studies and culture studies

K_U06 identify and implement cultural conventions in intercultural interactions

K_U08 plan and organize working alone and in a team to attain goals

Social competences

K_K05 The graduate is ready to function effectively in social and cultural interactions thanks to the ability to express oneself in a cohesive

and lucid manner.

K_K06 The graduate is ready to value cultural heritage and cultural diversity.

The final grade is going to be based on the following components:

- response papers: 20%

- group presentations: 30%

- final test: 50%

Over 50% in each of the segments is required for passing the class.

A maximum of 3 absences is allowed.

Make-up: Available only to students who did not exceed the maximum number of absences. The make-up is in the form of an oral exam, which covers the final exam questions/other components which the students missed.