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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Topics in Film: Roger Deakins (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 4150-01

Course: ENGL 4150-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: English
CRN: 31576

Course Description

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. [This semester the topic is the cinematographer Roger Deakins.]

Required Texts

  • Reflections: On Cinematography by Roger Deakins 978-1538771501

Required Films
  • 1984 (1984) dir. Radford
  • Defense of the Realm (1986) dir. Drury
  • Passion Fish (1992) dir. Sayles
  • The Shawshank Redemption (1994) dir. Darabont
  • Kundun (1997) dir. Scorsese
  • Barton Fink (1991) dir. Coens
  • No Country For Old Men (2007) dir. Coens
  • Skyfall (2012) dir. Mendes
  • 1917 (2020) dir. Mendes
  • Sicario (2015) dir. Villaneuve
  • Blade Runner 2049 (2017) dir. Villaneuve

And finally, you need to screen and study one Deakins film that is not on this list. I'll send out that list in an announcement.

Learning Outcomes

You can see what learning outcomes (LOs) are associated with which assignments by looking for the LO number (e.g. LO #2) in the full assignment description. These learning outcomes are adapted from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design accreditation standards for film making degree programs.

LO #1 – Communication

Students will demonstrate the capacity to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively, and to communicate with precision, cogency, and rhetorical force.

LO #2 – Cultural Perspective

Students will demonstrate the ability to address culture and history from a variety of perspectives.

LO #3 – Analysis

Students will show a respect for and understanding of work in a variety of disciplines and demonstrate the ability to analyze that work. 

LO #4 – Critical Evaluation

Students will critically evaluate cinematic and critical works from both Western and non-Western cultures.

Course Requirements

Pop Quizzes
I will give quizzes on the day's reading and/or viewing, at random, in class, on paper. You can't make up a pop quiz unless you have an excused absence. If you do have an excused absence, then you'll be given an alternative task.
Notes
You'll keep regular notes on the reading, which you can use on your pop quizzes. The notes will also serve as a space to develop the ideas for your videos. They will be done by hand on paper and gathered in a 3-prong folder that I'll give you. You'll submit these notes for grading regularly during the semester.
Final Presentation
At the end of the semester you will choose one Roger Deakins film that we did not study in class, and you'll prepare a short presentation about that film, walking us through Deakins's contributions to that film and how that film fits into his entire oeuvre. A well-designed slide deck needs to accompany the presentation.

Course Outline

This brief schedule of the course is broken down by week, and it is subject to change. The information contained here is not a substitute for attending. More information on the schedule will be given in class throughout the semester. This plan for the semester is an abstract idea of what will happen. Things will undoubtedly change. When this happens, I'll inform you. 
As I mentioned in the course overview above, the content in this class is not predetermined, except in a general way. The content of class comes in response to our discussions, your individual projects, and me looking for patterns of need. Assignment due dates aren't included here, you can find them at the bottom of the syllabus, attached to the assignments, and in your Canvas ToDo list.

Week 01 – Up & Running
During this first class I'll talk about how class will run, go over important parts of the syllabus, discuss what a seminar is and how you have to come prepared for it to work. I'll talk about effective strategies for screening the films and what the assignments will be, especially the notes. If there's time, I will go over a definition of cinematography.
Week 02 - Deakins's Memoir
Monday is Labor Day, and on Wednesday we'll start discussing the life of Roger Deakins. We'll discuss the prologue and chapters 1 & 2 on Wednesday, from his book to get started, but you should have the whole book in hand by this point. We'll discuss our first film, 1984, next week. Get ready for that. Pop Quizzes will almost certainly commence next week. We'll also tackle the concept of the auteur. Who is the real writer of a film. Maybe the term cinematography can crack this open. 
Week 03 – 1984
During the remainder of the weeks, we'll cover the book on Monday and the film on Wednesday and Friday. This week we'll discuss chapters 3-6 of the book, and our film is 1984. 
Week 04 – Defense of the Realm
This week in our seminars, we'll discuss chapters 7-9 on Monday, then turn our attention to Defense of the Realm on Wednesday and Friday.
Week 05 – Passion Fish
This week in our seminars, we'll discuss chapters 10-13, and our film discussion on Wednesday and Friday is on Passion Fish.
Week 06 – The Shawshank Redepmtion
This week in our seminars, week we'll discuss chapters 14-17 and our film discussion on Wednesday and Friday is on The Shawshank Redemption and Deakins's big studio breakthrough.
Week 07 – Kundun
This week in our seminars, we'll discuss chapters 18-20 and our film discussion on Wednesday and Friday is on Kundun.
Week 08 – Barton Fink
Monday is Fall Break, so we'll have a short week. I'm not assigning any reading here (but you could use the time to catch up if you're behind), so we can use Wednesday and Friday for a deep dive into the strangeness of Barton Fink.
Week 09 – No Country For Old Men
Back to the reading. This week in our seminars, we'll discuss chapters 21-23 and our film discussion on Wednesday and Friday is on No Country For Old Men.
Week 10 – Skyfall
During the next two weeks we'll discuss Deakins's partnership with the British director Sam Mendes. Deakins starts working with flagship IP like James Bond. It's a long way from his independent work. This week in our seminars, we'll discuss chapters 24-27, and our film discussion on Wednesday and Friday is the James Bond film Skyfall.
Week 11 – 1917
This week in our seminars, we'll discuss chapters 28-30 and our film discussion on Wednesday and Friday is on the war film 1917.
Week 12 – Sicario
This week in our seminars, we'll discuss chapters 31-32, and that will bring us to the conclusion of the reading. In addition to our discussion of Sicario on Wednesday and Friday, and Deakins's partnership with Denis Villaneuve, I'll talk about your presentations and how those will work. By this point, you will have selected a film to work on, giving you time to work on the presentation.
Week 13 – Thanksgiving
No class. No assignments. So I guess you're free to watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, or something. I mean it's not a Deakins film, so that's bad advice. Wall-E he advised on that film. It's a crowd pleaser.
Week 14 – Blade Runner 2049
No reading, of course. Our film discussion on Blade Runner 2049 will fill the whole week. I'd also like to discuss the range of films in Deakins's career. 
Week 15 – Presentations
You'll give your presentations this week. Each presentation will be short, about 10 minutes line. To have enough time we'll only have 4 people go each day. This will give us time to transition between each presentation.  

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

Late Work is OK, But With Penalties
my assignments are not due at 11:59 pm, which is simply the Canvas default. Most of the time, assignments are due right before class begins. Be careful to double check each assignment's due date and time in the full write-up.
If you do turn in work late, you'll get a 5% reduction on that assignment's grade for each day that it's late. I will give late work a grade but no feedback.
Assignments will close two weeks after they are due. You may not turn in a closed assignment.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is Required
Attendance is expected in this course. If a situation arises, you must request an excused absence, which is normally done in writing and in advance.
Surprises obviously can't be worked out in advance. In the event of a surprise or emergency, reach out as soon as possible. In any case, start this process by sending me an email describing the situation and why it is unavoidable. Use your SUU email address only, not Canvas.
Each request will be handled on a case-by-case basis. 
There will be no penalty if you are granted an excused absence. If your absence is not excused, then it's a 4% reduction of your final grade.
Students who have accommodations through the Disability Resources Center (DRC), and who follow correct procedures as outlined in their accommodations, will have access to excused absences through a slightly different process.
Official university absences, as defined by SUU policy 6.30, will count as excused absences as long as university policies and procedures are followed. You still have to reach out to me and formally request the excused absence. It's not automatic.

Course Fees

$18.00 course fee.

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.