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Southern Utah University

Fall Semester 2025

Topics in Film: Slasher Films (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 4150-01

Course:	ENGL 4150-01
Credits:	3
Term:	Fall Semester 2025
Department:	ENGL
CRN:	32277

Course Description

ENGL 4150 is an in-depth seminar in a special topic in cinema, film, or screen studies. Topics may include a cinematic genre, a major director, or a related theme, topic, or period. Prerequisites: ENGL 2023 or THEA 1023. This section of ENGL 4150 will explore slasher narratives.

Required Texts

Hendrix, Grady. The Final Girl Support Group. Reprint ed., Berkley, 2022. ISBN: 978-0593201244

Required Secondary Readings

You will also read eight critical essays in the “Critical Readings” folder in the course Google Drive folder:

Clover, Carol J. “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film.” Representations, no. 20, Autumn 1987, pp. 187–228.
Rieser, Klaus. “Masculinity and Monstrosity: Characterization and Identification in the Slasher Film.” Men and Masculinities, vol. 3, no. 4, April 2001, pp. 370–392.
Thomsen, Morten Feldtfos. “Body, Telephone, Voice: Black Christmas (1974) and Monstrous Cinema.” Acta Universitatis Sapientiae. Film and Media Studies, vol. 20, no. 1, 2021, pp. 20–35.
Connelly, Kelly. “From Final Girl to Final Woman: Defeating the Male Monster in Halloween and Halloween H20.” Journal of Popular Film and Television, vol. 35, no. 1, 2007, pp. 12–20.
Kvaran, Kara M. “‘You’re All Doomed!’ A Socioeconomic Analysis of Slasher Films.” Journal of American Studies, vol. 54, no. 4, Winter 2002, pp. 953–970.
Thompson, Jay Daniel, and Erin Reardon. “‘Mommy Killed Him’: Gender, Family, and History in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).” M/C Journal, October 2017. EBSCO, https://research.ebsco.com/c/24jp5w/viewer/html/bv65gtasdr.
Wee, Valerie. “The Scream Trilogy, “Hyperpostmodernism,” and the Late-Nineties Teen Slasher Film.” Journal of Film and Video, vol. 57, no. 3, Fall 2005, pp. 44–61.
Paszkiewicz, Katarzyna, and Stacy Rusnak. “Revisiting the Final Girl: Looking Backwards, Looking Forwards.” Postmodern Culture, vol. 28 no. 1, September 2017. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/pmc.2017.0009.

Required Films

You will also screen eight representative and historical films (chronological order):

Peeping Tom. Directed by Michael Powell, 1960. (Tubi)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Directed by Tobe Hooper, 1974. (Peacock, Tubi)
Black Christmas. Directed by Bob Clark, 1974. (Prime, AMC+, Tubi)
Halloween. Directed by John Carpenter, 1978. (AMC+, Plex)
Halloween H20. Directed by Steve Miner, 1990. (optional)
Friday the 13th. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, 1980. (Pluto)
A Nightmare on Elm Street. Directed by Wes Craven, 1984. ($3.99 rental)
Scream. Directed by Wes Craven, 1996. (Max)
Totally Killer. Directed by Nahnatchka Khan, 2023. (Prime)

Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

Your success in this course will be based on your mastery of the following program learning outcomes. These outcomes will be reinforced through instruction, practice, and formative assessment. Your efforts will be summatively assessed via a number of interrelated assignments and projects.

Learning Outcomes	Learning Activities	Assessment Methods
Learn to analyze works of film from both Western and non-Western cultures perceptively and to evaluate them critically.	Readings, screenings, secondary readings, class lectures and discussions, additional research, and the creating and revising of the final project	In-class assignments, short papers, and the final project
Acquire the ability to place works in historical, cultural, and stylistic contexts.
Form and defend value judgements about film and to communicate film ideas, concepts, and requirements to professionals and laypersons related to the practice of the major field; ability to work collaboratively as appropriate to the area of specialization.
Gain functional knowledge of the history of film, its artistic and technological evolution, and an understanding of basic aesthetic and critical theory.		Short papers and the final project

Course Requirements

Course Assignments

Assignments: [10% of the course grade] You may complete in-class writing assignments and various take-home assignments over the course of the semester. These will not appear in the course schedule but will occur at my whim. You must be in class to complete or receive these pass/fail assignments.

You will also be expected to keep a “reading journal,” either digital or in a notebook, with “about a page” of thoughts, insights, and reflections on each reading assignment and film (16 entries total). These will be informal ruminations, but useful to stimulate seminar discussion. I may occasionally ask to see them.

Seminar Leadership: [20% of the course grade] As I will be running this course somewhat like a graduate-level seminar course, you will—working with a partner—prepare for and direct/lead a brief, 25-minute seminar discussion for one of the scheduled films (above). I will of course also expect you to participate in all of the class seminars, not just your own, which will mean commenting and sharing your ideas and observations during all the seminar sessions.

Papers: [20% of the course grade] You will write three, short (five-paragraph) essays over the course of the semester, one focused on “proto-slasher” films, another on the “slasher canon,” and the final on more post-modern slasher films. These are less formal essays, but they still should be professionally structured and logically argued, with both your own experiences and primary textual evidence for support. You may write about movies not screened for this course.

Final Project Cluster: [40% of the course grade] You will spend the semester creating a final project that presents an insightful cinematic or literary argument about monsters in cinematic texts (not necessarily any of the ones studied directly in this class). Please select and design a project that plays to your strengths and academic/scholarly interests! This final project may be a traditional academic paper, a media-heavy “hybrid” essay, or a multimedia videocast (such as the “Every Frame a Painting” series).

Final Project Cluster continued

Abstract(s): [10%] You will develop two 250-word abstracts/proposals to “pitch” projects, which you may rework and revise for approval (your second may simply be a revision of the first). I recommend you visit with me to discuss your ideas and plans. You will turn one abstract into your term project.

Draft/Plan/Script/Cut: [10%] You will submit a developed draft/plan/script/cut via Google Drive of your project to me for formative assessment and feedback.

Project Presentation: [10%] You will have 8-10 minutes of class time to present a formal version of your term project (reading a 5–6 page version of the paper, presenting a version of your hybrid essay, or playing your videocast), after which your peers may ask questions and provide you with feedback.

Polished Revision: [70%] By the end of the scheduled final exam period, you will submit through Google Drive a revised, edited, and polished version of your term project: an academic paper of at least 10 pages with pertinent screenshots and possibly film clips integrated into the text or a 6–12 minute videocast with video clips and synchronized voice-over analysis. I will expect at least six properly documented secondary sources—including both theory and criticism.

Final Exam: [10% of the course grade] During the scheduled final exam hours, you will meet in our classroom to screen a film not covered by the class and write an informal “rumination” as you watch, addressing a final research question by which you will demonstrate your mastery of the course material.

Course Outline

Tentative Course Schedule

Week 1
Wednesday, August 27
Screening and discussion of the opening scene from Scream VI
Introduction to slasher films (male) and slasher scholarship (female)
Friday, August 29
Discussion of the syllabus, outcomes, Google Docs, and Canvas
Explanation and discussion of papers and final project

Week 2
Monday, September 1
[HEADING-1] LABOR DAY - NO CLASSES
Wednesday, September 3
Discussion of “The Rules” with Dave Zee
Friday, September 5
Class seminar on Clover’s “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film”

Week 3
Monday, September 8
Discussion of proto-slasher films and the invention of the slasher
Seminar on the difference between monsters and psychopaths
Wednesday, September 10
Class seminar on Peeping Tom
Friday, September 12
Student-led seminar on Peeping Tom
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 4
Monday, September 15
Class seminar on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Wednesday, September 17
Class seminar on Rieser’s “Masculinity and Monstrosity: Characterization and Identification in the Slasher Film”
Friday, September 19
Student-led seminar on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 5
Monday, September 22
Class seminar on Black Christmas
Wednesday, September 24
Class seminar on Thomsen’s “Body, Telephone, Voice: Black Christmas (1974) and Monstrous Cinema.”
Friday, September 26
Student-led seminar on Black Christmas
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 6
Monday, September 29
Paper due by 5 p.m.
Discussion of abstract writing
Class seminar on Halloween
Wednesday, October 1
Class seminar on Halloween
Friday, October 3
Abstract 1 due by 5 p.m.
Student-led seminar on Halloween
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 7
Monday, October 6
Class seminar on Halloween H20
Wednesday, October 8
Class seminar on Connelly’s “From Final Girl to Final Woman: Defeating the Male Monster in Halloween and Halloween H20”
Friday, October 10
Discussion of the slasher franchise tradition
A survey of Halloween’s legacy

Week 8
Monday, October 13
[HEADING-1] FALL BREAK - NO CLASSES
Wednesday, October 15
[HEADING-1] TBD
Friday, October 17
Abstract 2 due in class
Discussion of Term Project
In-class “Pitch Sessions”

Week 9
Monday, October 20
Class seminar on Friday the 13th
Wednesday, October 22
Class seminar on Kvaran’s “‘You’re All Doomed!’ A Socioeconomic Analysis of Slasher Films.”
Friday, October 24
Student-led seminar on Friday the 13th
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 10
Monday, October 27
Class seminar on A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wednesday, October 29
Class seminar on Thompson and Reardon’s “‘Mommy Killed Him’: Gender, Family, and History in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).”
Friday, October 31
Student-led seminar on A Nightmare on Elm Street
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 11
Monday, November 3
Paper due by 5 p.m.
Class seminar on Scream
Wednesday, November 5
Class seminar on Wee’s “The Scream Trilogy, “Hyperpostmodernism,” and the Late-Nineties Teen Slasher Film”
Friday, November 7
Student-led seminar on Scream
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 12
Monday, November 10
Class seminar on The Final Girl Support Group
Wednesday, November 12
Class seminar on The Final Girl Support Group
Friday, November 14
Draft of Term Project due by 5 p.m.
Class seminar on The Final Girl Support Group

Week 13
Monday, November 17
Class seminar on Totally Killer
Wednesday, November 19
Class seminar on Paszkiewicz and Rusnak’s “Revisiting the Final Girl: Looking Backwards, Looking Forwards”
Friday, November 21
Student-led seminar on Totally Killer
Open class “synthesis” seminar (with relevant film clips)

Week 14
Monday, December 1
Paper due by 5 p.m.
Project Presentations
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Wednesday, December 3
Project Presentations
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Friday, December 5
Project Presentations
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Finals Week
Tuesday, December 9
Final Exam, 9–11 a.m.
Friday, December 12
Revised Term Projects due by midnight

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Course Expectations, Standards, and Policies

Late/Makeup Work: Generally speaking, I do not accept late work nor will I provide makeup or substitution assignments. I may make exceptions in advance if I choose.

Attendance Policy

Course Expectations, Standards, and Policies

Attendance: I generally do not take attendance, but please come to class! You will learn more and have a better experience if you hear the lectures, engage with your classmates, and participate in the discussions personally. That said, if you are ill (especially if you are contagious), please stay home!

Class Decorum and Behavior: Please listen attentively and engage respectfully in all seminar conversations. You must come to class prepared with your journals so you can participate intelligently in all in-class discussions and activities. Please don’t distract others with your electronic devices!

Course Fees

This course does not include any additional course fees.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

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