PSY 341 – PSYCHOLOGY IN FILM
Spring, 2025
Tuesday, Thursday 4-5:15 pm
Brooke J. Cannon, Ph.D.
Email:
Office Hours: My office is in . Phone: . I use e-mail frequently and it is the best way to communicate with me. All e-mail related to the course will be sent to your official Marywood addresses only, so be sure to check it. The following are scheduled office hours. Other times are available by appointment. Any changes will be posted on my office door and announced in class or via Brightspace:
Tuesday: 10:30 am – 11:30 am Wednesday: 11 am – 1 pm; 3:30 – 5:30 pm
University Mission Statement: https://www.marywood.edu/about/mission-values/
Course Description: This course is designed to develop students’ understanding of foundational knowledge in psychology through the analysis of both classic and contemporary films and to explore the effect popular cinema has on audience attitudes and perceptions. Prerequisite: PSYC 211: General Psychology.
Core Curriculum Requirement: Fine Arts
Delivery Method: Traditional
Marywood Student Learning Outcomes: SLO 2 – Intellectual and Practical Skills
Course Goals:
This course is designed to develop students’ understanding of foundational knowledge in Psychology through the analysis of both classic and contemporary films and to explore the effect popular cinema has on audience attitudes and perceptions.
1) to foster an understanding of basic psychological principles related to human behavior.
2) to create an awareness of the impact of popular film on society.
3) to develop in students the ability to critically evaluate the accuracy of portrayal of psychological topics in film.
4) to instill in students an appreciation for techniques used in film to illustrate psychological concepts.
Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes (Marywood SLO 1):
After actively participating in the course, students will:
1) discern psychological concepts in popular films.
2) demonstrate an understanding of the impact of film on the audience’s attitudes and perceptions.
3) critically analyze films for entertainment and educational value and accuracy of portrayal of mental illness and its treatment.
4) identify methods of filmmaking and screenwriting which foster an understanding of psychological concepts.
Transferable Skills Development:
1) Analytical thinking
2) Oral and written communication
Required Text: Monahan, D., & Barsam, R. (2021). Looking at movies: An Introduction to Film. 7th edition. W. W. Norton & Co. [e-book]
Required Movies:
You will be watching 12 total movies this semester. Movies will be examined in-depth, there will be a movie content quiz, and the movies will be included on exams. They are all highly rated, GREAT films, so not bad additions to your movie collections if you choose to purchase them ☺!
The cost to rent each movie to stream is about $4. Be sure that you pay attention to the release year, as there are some remakes and other movies with the same or similar names. I hope that you can watch them using a good projector or on a large screen television; next choice is a large screen computer; worst and highly discouraged choice is on your phone! (Don’t do that!) If anyone would like to borrow a DVD (I own virtually all these movies), let me know.
| 1) Memento (2000) 1 hr 53 min Peacock, Amazon Prime Video | 7) Seven Samurai (1954) 3 hr 27 min Max, Amazon Prime Video |
| 2) A Beautiful Mind (2001) 2 hr 15 min Amazon Prime Video | 8) 12 Angry Men (1957) 1 hr 36 min Amazon Prime VIdeo |
| 3) Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) 1 hr 48 min Amazon Prime Video | 9) Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) 1 hr 57 min Amazon Prime Video |
| 4) Get Out (2017) 1 hr 44 min Amazon Prime Video | 10) Silver Linings Playbook (2012) 2 hr 2 min Max, Amazon Prime Video |
| 5) Strangers on a Train (1951) 1 hr 41 min Amazon Prime Video | 11) Good Will Hunting (1997) 2 hr 6 min Amazon Prime Video |
| 6) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) 1 hr 39 min Amazon Prime Video | 12) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) 2 hr 13 min Amazon Prime Video |
NOTE! Some of the movies you will be required to view contain instances of violence, sexual content, and/or foul language as would be consistent with an R rating. If this is offensive, or if you are otherwise unable to view such movies, please discuss this with me no later than the last day to withdraw from the course with full tuition refund, to determine if there is possible accommodation.
GRADING
Grade Distribution
Examinations 35%
Film Analysis PowerPoint Project 25%
Discussion Questions/Answers 20%
Movie Quizzes 10%
InQuizitives 10%
Assignments will be graded for content and quality, according to the essential components of each requirement. Grading of exams will be based on a modified “curve,” with the top grade on each exam determining the “A,” or 100%. There is no curve on movie quizzes. InQuisitive grades are up to you; you can keep answering questions until you achieve 100% (A) by the deadline.
| A = 95=100% | B+ = 87-89% | C+ = 77-79% | D+ = 67-69% | F <63% |
| A- = 90-94% | B = 83-86% | C = 73-76% | D = 63-66% | |
| B- = 80-82% | C- = 70-72% |
Be sure to proofread. More than 2 typos/grammatical errors on a written assignment will result in a 5-point deduction. Assignments turned in after the due date/time will be reduced by 5 points per day (e.g., 95 to 90).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Examinations (35%)
There will be two exams covering material in the assigned readings, lectures, and required movies; format will be objective test items and short answer. Exam #1 (15%) covers material up to that date. Exam #2 (20%) includes concepts from the entire semester. That is, you should be able to apply concepts covered in the first half of the semester to movies covered in the second half of the semester. In addition to reviewing PowerPoints (will be posted on Brightspace after lecture) and completing the InQuizitives, each chapter also has flashcards to help learn the keywords. These are linked in Brightspace for each chapter, along with other useful chapter components, such as videos.
Should an emergency necessitate a make-up exam, the resulting raw score will determine the grade; that is, the student will not benefit from the modified curve based on class performance. Therefore, there is a distinct advantage to taking the exam as scheduled.
Film Analysis PowerPoint Project (25%)
It is important that you begin work on this project as soon as the first movie is assigned!
As this is a “visual” course, I have decided to switch it up and, instead of writing film analyses, you will be creating a PowerPoint presentation which is submitted at the end of the semester. Pick 8 of the 12 assigned movies. For each selected movie, you are to have 3 screenshots:
- 1 screenshot of a scene which impressed you (specifically discuss at least two of the following: lighting, the camera angle, frame composition and/or the set design – you must include each of these components at least 4 times across your presentation);
- 1 scene which contained acting that you particularly liked; and,
- 1 scene which reflects the psychological theme/topic of the movie.
Then for each of these slides, you will create an audio file in which you explain in your own words one of the following on each slide (see instructions): why you were impressed by that screenshot (discussing two of the above components), how a specific psychological concept was displayed in that scene, or why you disliked or liked any of the assigned movies during the course (not necessarily only those you selected for this project). Use language from the course and textbook for your commentary. Each of these audio files should be no more than 1 minute, except for the final personal reflection slides which can be longer if you wish.
The required format is as follows:
Slide #1 Opening Title Slide (“title” slide format) – only at beginning of presentation, do not repeat
Title (Give your presentation a title)
Your Name
Slide #2 Movie #1 (“subject header” slide format) – replace “Movie #1” with your selected movie’s title
Title and Year
Director
Slide #3 Movie #1 Scene (“title and content” slide format)
“Movie Title Scene” – goes in title section
Screenshot image goes in content section
Recorded audio icon goes in bottom right corner [Go to “Insert,” then “Audio”, then “Record audio”. Name your audio file something like M1S1 for “movie #1, scene #1”, then click on the red circle and start speaking. Click on the square to stop. Then a speaker icon will show up on your slide. Drag this to the bottom right corner.]
Slide #4 Movie #1 Acting (“title and content” slide format)
“Movie Title Acting” – goes in title section
Screenshot image goes in content section
Recorded audio icon goes in bottom right corner
Slide #5 Movie #1 Psychological Theme/Topic (“title and content” slide format)
“Movie Title Psychological Theme/Topic” goes in title section
Screenshot image goes in content section
Recorded audio icon goes in the bottom right corner
Then repeat the above 4 slides for each additional movie (Slides #6-33).
Slide #34 Personal Reflection (“subject header” slide format)
“Personal Reflection” goes in subject header section
Slide #35 Assigned Movies I Didn’t Like (“title and content” slide format)
“Assigned Movies I Didn’t Like” goes in title section
Names of movies you didn’t like goes in content section
Recorded audio icon goes in bottom right corner
Slide #36 Assigned Movies I Liked (“title and content” slide format)
“Assigned Movies I Liked” goes in title section
Names of movies you liked goes in content section
Recorded audio icon goes in bottom right corner
Tips
Collect the screenshots from each movie as you view it. This way, you have all movies available to you when you select the 8 for the project. Make notes regarding the acting. Apply psychological themes from the whole semester. That is, some themes may be discussed after the assigned movie was viewed, but would apply to a movie we watched earlier.
If you are renting movies, you will not be able to go back to grab screenshots without re-renting the movie. It is recommended that you pause the movie and take the screenshot with your phone while you are watching, or, to avoid disrupted viewing, rewind the film before you get to the end of the credits and take shots of your selected images.
It is highly recommended that you write out your planned audio file and then read it clearly when recording. If you flub up, you can just delete that audio file and re-record. Feel free to ask me for guidance on this project.
Grading for this project is as follows:
| QUALITY RATING | FINAL POWERPOINT PRESENTATION CRITERIA |
| 95-100 | The PowerPoint presentation: 1) is complete and follows the required format. 2) includes audio file which accurately identifies two of the following for each “Movie Scene” slide: the lighting, camera angle, frame composition, and/or set design, using language from the textbook. 3) mentions each of the above scene elements at least 4 times across scenes discussed. 3) includes audio file which provides specific reasons for selecting each “Movie Acting” scene. 4) includes audio file with rationale for “Assigned Movies I Didn’t Like” slide. 5) includes audio file with rational for “Assigned Movies I Liked” slide. 5) accurately identifies the psychological theme(s)/topic(s) in the movie and gives supporting evidence. 6) 7) is aesthetically pleasing with images well-cropped and sized, appropriate font sizes, and a colored or textured background. 8) contains no typos. 9) has audio files which are well-recorded, clear, and without speaking hesitations. |
| 90-94 | The PowerPoint presentation: 1) is complete and follows the required format. 2) includes audio file which accurately identifies two of the following for each “Movie Scene” slide: the lighting, camera angle, frame composition, and/or set design, using language from the textbook. 3) mentions each of the above scene elements at least 4 times across scenes discussed. 4) includes specific reasons for favorite acting scenes. 5) includes rationale for disliked and liked assigned movies. 6) accurately identifies the psychological theme(s)/topic(s) in the movie and gives supporting evidence. 7) is aesthetically pleasing with images well-cropped and sized, appropriate font sizes, and a colored or textured background. |
| 80-89 | The PowerPoint presentation: 1) is complete and follows the required format. 2) includes audio file which accurately identifies two of the following for each “Movie Scene” slide: the lighting, camera angle, frame composition, and/or set design, using language from the textbook. 3) includes specific reasons for favorite acting scenes. 4) includes rationale for disliked and liked assigned movies. 5) mentions each of the above scene elements at least 4 times across scenes discussed. 6) accurately identifies the psychological theme(s)/topic(s) in the movie and gives supporting evidence. |
| 70-79 | The PowerPoint presentation: 1) is complete and follows the required format. 2) includes audio file which accurately identifies two of the following for each “Movie Scene” slide: the lighting, camera angle, frame composition, and/or set design, using language from the textbook. 3) includes specific reasons for favorite acting scenes. 4) includes rationale for disliked and liked assigned movies. 5) includes psychological theme/topic for each movie. |
| 63-69 | The paper is missing two of the five required components above. |
| 0-63 | The presentation was not submitted or was missing three or more of the required components above. |
3. Attendance/Class Discussions (20%)
Regular class attendance is expected. If you are not present, you cannot participate in class discussion, either on scheduled discussion days or on lecture days. Your Discussion grade will be reduced by 3 points for each missed lecture day and 5 points for each missed group discussion day when you are not a designated discussion leader. Missing class when you are a designated discussion leader will result in a 50% reduction of your discussion grade.
If you are going to miss several classes because of illness, a death in the family, or other serious reason, you must take the responsibility to inform the department offering the course. If personal illness, the death of a loved one, or some other serious reason will cause you to miss several classes, please contact me so that I can help you stay on track. You can also contact Retention and Advising staff (advising@marywood.edu) and ask them to contact your instructors on your behalf. If you miss a class due to illness, you will need a medical excuse to avoid the discussion grade deduction.
Each student will lead two movie discussions during the semester. As discussion leader, you are to prepare 6 discussion questions.As discussion leader, your questions MUST be designed to generate discussion. Do not ask questions with short, specific answers. Ask “thinking” questions, with at least some tied to the topics covered so far in class.
Good discussion questions often follow this format:
What is the main theme of X? What if X happened instead? How does X affect Y? What is a present day example of X? Explain why X did Y. What would you do if you were X? What is the difference between X and Y? How could X have done it differently? What affect did X have on the audience? What was the best X and why?
Type up your discussion questions and also your own answers (paying attention to the outline and rubric below) and upload as a Word document or pdf to Brightspace. These should be no less than 2 double-spaced FULL pages of text, using Calibri 11-point or Times New Roman 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. Bring a copy of your questions/answers to class when you are discussion leader to facilitate the conversation. Be a good facilitator – ask others for their thoughts and opinions and allow enough time for others to respond. Only share your answer at the end, if not already covered.
Discussion Questions Paper Content
Name: (Your Name)
Movie Title:
Questions: see directions above
Your Answers: In a complete paragraph, give your thoughts in response to each of your questions. Cite any outside material and provide the full reference.
Following is the rubric for the Discussion Questions and Answers:
| QUALITY RATING | DISCUSSION QUESTIONS/ANSWERS CRITERIA |
| 95-100 | The written discussion questions/answers: 1) follow the required format/length. 2) are well-written. 3) demonstrate good understanding of the movie and assigned readings with accurate answers. 4) prompt critical thinking and discussion. When facilitating class discussion, the student: 1) encouraged participation by rephrasing, prompting, asking follow-up questions. |
| 90-94 | The student’s discussion is missing one of the above 5 required elements. |
| 80-89 | The student’s discussion is missing two of the above 5 required elements. |
| 70-79 | The paper is missing three of the above 5 required elements. |
| 63-69 | The paper is missing four of the above 5 required elements. |
| 0-63 | The paper was not completed. |
Movie Quizzes (10%)
You MUST watch (and pay attention to!) assigned movies before they are discussed in class. To ensure that this happens, there will be a quiz on each of the 12 required movies at the start of the class in which the movie will be discussed. The quiz questions will be related to the movie and can only be answered by watching the movie, not by reading a synopsis.
Textbook InQuizitives (10%)
For each chapter in the e-book there is an online quiz called an “InQuizitive.” This activity is adaptable, allowing you to earn up to a score of 100% by continuing to answer questions correctly and by adjusting your confidence rating to increase the value of points. There is a tutorial quiz to explain how to answer InQuizitive questions, which is required to be completed within 1 week of the start of class. At the time of the related exam, the score you have for each of that exam’s chapter’s InQuizitives will be entered as the final grade for that requirement. Any questions completed after the exam will not count. I highly recommend that you complete the InQuizitives as you read the assigned chapter(s) each week to stay on track. You then can repeat InQuizitives to help study.
POLICIES AND RESOURCES
Office of Student Success
Information about the Writing Center, Tutoring, and Adaptive Technology can be found here: http://www.marywood.edu/success/
Academic Honesty and Student Academic Grievance
The Marywood University community functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, and trust. For this reason, it’s vital that we all, students and faculty alike, recognize the necessity and accept the responsibility for maintaining academic honesty. Our campus policy thoroughly outlines behaviors that are considered “cheating” or “plagiarism” as well as the serious consequences they carry. Please familiarize yourself with them so that you are not caught unaware and contact me if you are ever uncertain (for example, about whether you’ve cited a source appropriately or whether you are allowed to collaborate). Note, also, that if you feel you have been treated unfairly with regard to an academic issue, you always have the right to file a grievance.
Please be aware that, for the purpose of Title IX, a professor is considered a mandated reporter. This means that if a professor overhears information about a possible Title IX violation (sexual violence or harassment), they must disclose it to one of our campus coordinators.
PLAGIARISM OR OTHER FORMS OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Any written material must be in your own words, with appropriate citation for the proper paraphrasing of another’s work. Any direct quotes from another source must be designated with quotation marks and cited according to the APA Publication Manual; the Purdue Online Writing Lab is a useful source for APA format questions. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO UTILIZE CHATGPT/AI FOR ANY COMPONENTS OF THIS COURSE. Any assignments completed through plagiarism or AI will result in a failing grade for the course and recommendation for academic discipline, including possible program dismissal. Ignorance is no excuse.
Academic Accommodation
Marywood University is committed to ensuring an inclusive learning environment that is accessible to all students consistent with the mission of the university and in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you anticipate or experience a barrier in this course due to a chronic health condition, a learning, hearing, neurological, mental health, vision, physical, or another kind of disability (including a temporary injury or pregnancy) please contact The Office of Student Disability Services (SDS). Please be advised that academic accommodation can be requested at any point during the semester, but accommodation is not retroactive. Additionally, accommodation must be renewed each semester for students already established with the office.
For questions or to schedule a meeting to determine eligibility for reasonable accommodations please contact the Office of Student Disability Services by emailing disabilityservices@marywood.edu, by calling 570-348-6211 ext 2335, or by stopping by the office in the Learning Commons Room 217. More information is available here.
Severe Weather Policy
https://www.marywood.edu/policy/doc/severe-weather-policy.pdf
PROPOSED COURSE SCHEDULE:
[Any alterations from this schedule will be discussed in class.]
| WEEK 11 T 3/25 | Editing; Morality and Conformity | M&B Ch. 8 | |
| Th 3/27 | Editing; Morality and Conformity; 12 Angry Men Discussion | Cannon (2007) | Watch 12 Angry Men (1957) Quiz Discussion Q/A due from discussion leaders |
| WEEK 12 T 4/1 Th 4/3 | NO IN PERSON CLASSES Types of Movies; Children’s movies; Identity development | M&B Ch. 3 Cox et al. (2004-2005) Lawson & Fouts (2004) Wahl et al. (2003) | Work on Film Analysis PowerPoint project Watch recorded lecture |
| WEEK 13 T 4/8 | Types of Movies; Children’s movies, identity development, Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse discussion | Watch Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Quiz Discussion Q/A due from discussion leaders | |
| Th 4/10 | Sound; Depression, Suicide, Bipolar Disorder | M&B Ch. 9 Cannon (2008) | |
| WEEK 14 T 4/15 | Sound; Depression, Suicide, Bipolar Disorder, Silver Linings Playbook discussion | Watch Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Quiz Discussion Q/A due from discussion leaders | |
| Th 4/17 | NO CLASS – EASTER BREAK | ||
| WEEK 15 T 4/22 | Acting; Portrayal of Psychopathology and Its Treatment | M&B Ch. 7 Bischoff & Reiter (1999) | |
| Th 4/24 | NO CLASS –RESEARCH DAY | Note – there are 2 movies for next week | |
| WEEK 16 T 4/29 | Acting; Portrayal of Psychopathology and Its Treatment, Good Will Hunting discussion | Watch Good Will Hunting (1997) Quiz Discussion Q/A due from discussion leaders | |
| Th 5/1 | Acting, cont.; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest discussion; Class wrap-up; overview of material to be on Exam #2 | Cannon (2013) | Watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) Quiz Discussion Q/A due from discussion leaders |
| WEEK 17 5/6 | Exam #2 | ||
| 5/8 | NO CLASS MEETING | FILM ANALYSIS POWERPOINT PROJECT DUE |
Readings: (all readings will be posted on, or linked from, Brightspace):
Bischoff, R. J., & Reiter, A. D. (1999). The role of gender in the presentation of mental health professionals in the movies: Implications for clinical practice. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, and Training, 36, 180-189.
Cannon, B. J. (2007). Leadership in the movies: Applying a trait-based model. The Pennsylvania Psychologist Quarterly, 67 (11), 10, 12. https://psychmovies.com/articles/leadership-in-the-movies-applying-a-trait-based-model/
Cannon, B. J. (2008). Motivations for suicide in the movies: External and internal forces. Psinema, 5, https://psychmovies.com/articles/motivations-for-suicide-in-the-movies-external-and-internal-forces/
Cannon, B.J. (2013). Film portrayal of psychopathology and its treatment. In Thomas Plante (Ed.), Abnormal Psychology Across the Ages. Praeger.
Cox, M., Garrett, E., & Graham, J. A. (2004-2005). Death in Disney films: Implications for children’s understanding of death. Omega, 50, 267-280.
Lawson, A. & Fouts, G. (2004). Mental illness in Disney animated films. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 310-314.
Martin, D. (2017). Subtitles and audiences: The translation and global circulation of the films of Akira Kurasawa. Journal of Film and Video, 69, 20-33.
Schacht, K. (2019, February 21). What Hollywood movies do to perpetuate racial stereotypes. Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/hollywood-movies-stereotypes-prejudice-data-analysis/a-47561660
Syverson, R. (2024, August 3). How Seven Samurai changed film history. Japanese Cinema Archives, https://www.jcablog.com/post/how-seven-samurai-changed-film-history
Szasz, T. (2000). Curing the Therapeutic State: Thomas Szasz on the medicalization of American life. REASON Online . http://www.reason.com/0007/fe.js.curing.html
Wahl, O., Wood, A., Zaveri, P., Drapalski, A., & Mann, B. (2003). Mental illness depiction in children’s films. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 553-560.