Palaces: Picturing Power in Modern Media (CEHA0924)

Summer@Brown 2023
Monday, June 26 – Friday, July 7 (8:30 – 11:20 AM)

Sophie Higgerson (sophia_higgerson@brown.edu)

Classroom TBD
Office Hours: 1-2 PM every day in the campus center (main floor)
Canvas site: https://canvas.brown.edu/courses/1091972

Course Description

Contemporary film and television are full of depictions of palaces, real and imagined. Stage sets
and filming locations embody historical architectural styles, but how does their depiction in
popular entertainment set the stage for viewers to encounter deeper themes of power, inequality,
and personhood? Using a global selection of media from the latter half of the twentieth century
to today, this course will combine architectural history and media studies to consider how such
settings influence our understanding of character, plot, and cultural connections between media
and everyday life.

This class thus combines media studies and architectural history to examine how visual media set
in palaces– both historical and contemporary, imagined and real– use their settings to influence
viewers’ understanding of characters, themes, and plot development. Considering such spaces as
crucibles of class conflict, political inequality, and gendered life experiences, our class will study
both the art of set-dressing and the history of architecture to understand the aims and outcomes
of settings that have represented elite spaces over the last seventy years.

Contacting Me

During the duration of our class, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any
questions about the course’s requirements, assignments, or policies. I am available by email at
sophia_higgerson@brown.edu. I will be as responsive as possible but generally do not respond to
emails after 6 PM (except for emergencies). If you would prefer to meet in person, I will also be
available before and after class and outside of our normal meeting hours by appointment– please
reach out in advance to arrange a meeting time.

Course Goals

Our course will introduce both global architectural history topics and media traditions through
case studies on elite spaces in film and television. Through completing this course, I am
confident that you will be able to:

 Derive spatial knowledge from reading architectural plans.

  Recognize major architectural styles and their historical significance.
 Analyze architecture’s connection to social and political context.
 Visualize and describe architecture’s impact on lived experience through reflective work
and media consumption.
 Examine filmmaking techniques from diverse times and places to strengthen historical
and intercultural knowledge.
 Compare different approaches to and develop methods for analyzing the efficacy of set
design choices.
 Develop object-based research and both written and oral communication skills to
investigate connections between course topics and other areas of personal interest.

Canvas and Course Materials

Our Canvas site is the core of our class. Please ensure that you regularly access it (URL:
https://canvas.brown.edu/courses/1091972). The Canvas site hosts at-home assignments and
readings, access to the media we will watch over the course of the semester, and resources,
including the syllabus. There is no textbook for this class, and all assigned readings and viewings
will be available through our Canvas site. If you are struggling to access Canvas for any
reason, please let me know!

A personal laptop, tablet, or smartphone is strongly recommended for you to complete course
viewings at home. If you do not have access to one, please plan to take advantage of a university
computer or coordinate with your classmates for the required at-home viewings. If you are
struggling to access a screen for viewings, please let me know as soon as possible!

At the beginning of our class, an anonymous Google Form will be provided where you can reach
out to me with questions or feedback that you may be uncomfortable asking in person. I
encourage you to take advantage of this throughout the course– suggestions of potential uses are
included throughout the syllabus.

Course Activities and Assignments

The course’s assignments and grade percentage breakdowns are as follows:

Attendance (20%): Attendance at all 10 of our classes is a requirement of the course. Your
presence ensures that our small class will be productive for you and your classmates. Please let
me know as far in advance as possible if you will have to miss one of our classes so that I can
arrange for appropriate accommodations (such as attending remotely via Zoom or participating
asynchronously) and excuse your absence if appropriate. Absences for documented medical
emergencies or unforeseen personal events will be excused, but any unexcused absences will
reduce your final grade by 7 percentage points.

Participation and Discussion (20%): Our class will combine lecture and seminar formats. I will
present in class to expand upon the themes and information from assigned at-home work, and
small-group assignments and discussion activities will allow you and your classmates to delve
more deeply into these topics. Your participation in class discussions is critical to our course’s
success. I encourage you to come to class not only with thoughts about the assigned readings and
media viewing, but also with any questions they may have generated for you. Your participation
will be graded not only on your individual contributions to class (such as responding to and
asking questions in group discussion), but also your collaboration with classmates on in-class
assignments such as mini-presentations and breakout discussions. I also recognize that
participation looks different for everyone, so, if you are comfortable, please let me know if
anything inside or outside of the classroom is affecting your ability to participate. I will also take
your growth over the class into account when assessing participation. Some of the topics we
discuss in class may be intellectually or emotionally challenging for you or your classmates, as
elaborated in the diversity statement below. To that end, please approach our discussion activities
with care and the understanding that some of our discussed themes may be more personal or
sensitive to you or your classmates– we will establish guidelines for course discussions on the
first day of class. As the instructor, I am ultimately accountable for both the content and the tone
of our discussions. You can communicate any discomfort with class discussion or difficult
incidents through the anonymous Google Form circulated at the beginning of class.

Viewing Journal (10%): For the duration of the course, you’ll be asked to keep a viewing
journal on Google Docs. I will share links to your viewing journals at the beginning of the
semester– only you and I will have access to them. As you complete at-home readings, you
should take notes in your viewing journal and record any questions you have about the readings.
Your viewing journal will be graded for completion rather than content, so you can use whatever
note-taking format works best for you. I will use the questions you generate in your viewing
journal to guide our class discussions, so please be sure to use your journal!

Mini-Responses (10%): Periodically throughout the class, I will assign a mini-response

assignment (either completed at home before class through our Canvas page’s Discussions
function or in-person through an informal written response) to encourage further reflection on
our course’s assigned viewings and readings. These mini responses will be assessed for both
completion and quality and will be attached to a prompt related to course material or themes.
Successful responses will address the prompt in the specific terms of related readings and
viewings– further instructions will be attached to each assignment.

Final Project (40% of class grade, breakdown following): In addition to completing this
course’s at-home and in-class assignments, you will complete a short (5-to-7-page double-
spaced) research/design paper on the topic of your choosing. The assignment is designed to
familiarize you with object-based research practices in the context of architectural and film
history. You will select any piece of media not included on the syllabus and either a) research
how a previous film or television series has depicted a palace (broadly defined), or b) propose
how you as an artistic director would create a set for such a space based on non-visual source
material. Certain types of media may lend themselves better to certain kinds of papers. For
example, if you’re interested in unpacking a particular creator’s vision for a television show
you’re already familiar with, you might decide to write a “Type A” research paper. On the other
hand, if you’d like to write about a book that you love that hasn’t yet been adapted, you might
prefer to write a “Type B” proposal paper. For either type of paper, you will submit a 5-to-7-page
double-spaced response with visual references depicting either a) the sets or locations used in the
visual piece you are researching, or b) inspiration or reference photos for the set design you
propose. Best practices for the research necessary to complete this paper will be discussed over
the course of the class. The assignment will be broken down as follows, and the component parts
will carry the following percentages of your final project grade:
 Topic proposal (20% of final project grade, due 5 PM on Wednesday 6/28): Your
topic proposal will introduce me to the topic you are planning to write about. The
proposal should be about 300 words in length and address the following questions:
o What piece of media will be the subject of your paper?
o Who was it created by?
o What is it about?
o What is the palace or elite architectural space depicted in it? What is the role of
this space in the piece, with regards to plot, characters, or context?
o Will you be writing a research-driven paper (focused on a visual work that has
already been created) or a design-driven paper (proposing a set design, either for a
piece of media that has not been visually adapted yet or one you would like to see
redone)?
 One-on-One Meetings (10% of final project grade, in class on Friday, June 30 –
reflection due Saturday, July 1): I will meet briefly with each of you in class on Friday,
June 30 to discuss your specific topic and make recommendations for your research
process. After our meetings in class, you should write a brief 100-word summary of what
we discussed in our meeting and document any new ideas you have about your research
project. Over the weekend, you should also prepare material that documents the research
you’ve included so far (an expanded project proposal/long abstract, any notes from
research material you’ve read, and any conclusions you are beginning to draw about your
topic).
 Peer Review (20% of final project grade, in class on Monday, July 3 – reflection due
Tuesday, July 4): In class on Monday, June 3, you will be grouped in pairs or small
groups (depending on class size) to conduct a peer review of your topic proposal and
your progress so far. Guidelines for peer review will be discussed before class. After your
peer review, you should write an approximately 200-word summary of what you
discussed with your reviewer(s), any new ideas you have for your project, and how you
plan to complete the rest of the project before presenting on Friday.
 Final Paper (25% of final project grade, due 8 AM on Friday July 7): Your 5-to-7-
page double-spaced paper should consider how the chosen setting, either as depicted in
the piece you’ve studied or as proposed in your idea for a new set design, interacts with
the original piece’s themes and plot. Your paper should be supported with quotations (in
the case of a written source work) or detailed visual analysis (in the case of a visual
source work). Both research and design papers should consider what kind of architectural
style or typology was/could be best used for depicting the studied space, what spatial
features were/would be important to the piece’s overall design, how the depicted
architectural space might influence (or, if applicable, change) the viewer’s
understandings of the piece’s themes, plot, and characters, and (if applicable) how the
design of your studied or proposed space differs from previous approaches to the same
space. Thus, while both argumentative and speculative on one hand, your conclusions
 should be couched in close research on your source material. Your paper should thus
address:
o How the setting is described or designed in the piece you’ve researched.
o How the setting’s design might influence the viewer’s understanding of the scenes
unfolding within it.
o In the case of a visual work, strengths or weaknesses of the set design, filming
locations, or the general use of architectural space.
o Whether, in the case of a design proposal, opportunities for a new adaptation
could either redress problems with other adaptations or provide opportunities for
innovations.
 Final Presentations (25% of final project grade, due in class on Friday July 7):
Whether you’ve written a research or design paper, your final 10–15-minute presentation
should walk the class through your research process and conclusions, with attention to the
questions listed above. You should present a visual presentation on PowerPoint, Google
Slides, Prezi, etc. that presents introductory information on your source material, visual
analysis related to your source piece that connects to larger architectural themes, and your
own conclusions.

Class Hours and Take-Home Work: Over ten days, you will spend 20 hours in the classroom and
an estimated 30 hours completing take-home media viewings, readings, and class assignments.
This means you can expect to spend at least three hours a day outside of our class meeting
digesting course material and preparing for the next class. I encourage you to take advantage of
the campus’s many study spaces and to work collaboratively outside of class. Please do not
hesitate to reach out to me if you are struggling to manage your time, complete class
assignments, or have any other concerns about the work required outside of class.

Grading and Feedback

Summer@Brown’s grading system follows Brown University’s four grade scale of A, B, C, and
No Credit. These letter grades correspond numerically to the following ranges: A 100-90, B 89-
80, C 79-70, NC 69-0. My approach to grading is cumulative and holistic in recognition that
many of our course’s assignments are interrelated. Because our time together is brief, I will
factor in your development over the course of the class in grading and favor the higher letter
grade if you land on the cusp between two of them (i.e., rounding a 79 up to a B, etc.)

You will receive brief written feedback on your class progress at the end of our first week with
recognition of your strengths and recommendations for continued development. You will also
receive written and letter-graded feedback on your project proposal and project presentation,
both of which are described in more detail above. I also welcome feedback on my facilitation of
our class, and any suggestions you have for improving our activities and materials. Please feel
free to talk to me in person, by email, or use the anonymous Google Doc circulated at the
beginning of class to provide feedback.

Diversity Statement
As we study the depiction of palaces in global media over the next two weeks, many of the
architectural and visual cultures that we study in this class may be new material not only for you,
but for me as well. To both respectfully reflect on the cultures and stories that we will study and
to create a productive classroom space for you and your classmates, we will establish guidelines
for class discussions at the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, this class’s assigned viewing
will handle subjects that may be difficult or disturbing to you or your classmates, including
colonialism, race-based, gender-based, and sexual violence and discrimination, depression and
anxiety, suicide, and death. As our class’s focus on palaces in media may intersect these topics in
personal or difficult ways for you and your classmates, it is my responsibility to guide our class
in a way that recognizes and respects that. Content warnings for each of our assigned films are
included on the syllabus and will be discussed at the end of each class– I will share these so that
topics that are difficult to witness and discuss don’t take you by surprise. I encourage you to
approach our classroom as a space where you can intellectually explore as an individual and
learn from your classmates as we tackle these topics together. I also ask that you hold me
accountable for the delivery and discussion of this class’s sensitive topics, including not just
what I say but how you and your classmates’ input is incorporated and responded to.

Furthermore, while I endeavor to incorporate the designed and written work of historically
marginalized people into my teaching and this syllabus specifically, there will always be room
for improvement. Please contact me in person or electronically to provide feedback on how I can
better facilitate class discussions and achieve this class’s goal of global representation. You can
use our anonymous Google Form for this feedback if you are uncomfortable discussing in person
with me.

I ultimately want to create a classroom that is supportive for my students and recognizes your
own identities. To this end, please let me know if:

 Your preferred name or pronouns differs from what I can see in your official Brown
records.
 You require academic accommodations or modifications to course assignments due to a
documented or undocumented disability.
 You require support as a multilingual student or English language learner.
 Your experiences or responsibilities inside and outside of the classroom are impacting
your ability to engage with the course’s topics or complete class assignments.
 You are struggling to complete course viewings due to their content.
 You have thoughts on how sensitive topics and difficult conversations can be better
handled, by me or your classmates, going forward.
 There is anything else you think I should know to best facilitate your learning.

Accessibility and Academic Support

If you believe that you require academic accommodations or assignment modifications based on
a documented or undocumented disability, please reach out to me as soon as possible so that I
can coordinate with available Summer@Brown resources. I am committed to connecting you to
the support services that you need and to modifying the course’s requirements to ensure that you
have a productive experience.

While our global survey of palaces in film and television will include media originally recorded
in Korean, Bengali, and Arabic in addition to English, most of our viewings and all our readings
are in English. If you require any form of multilingual support, please let me know so we can
arrange appropriate support for your class experience.

Academic Integrity

Per Brown’s Academic Code, I expect that attaching your name on any exercise turned into the
class (such as a discussion post or your final paper) is an assurance that the work is your own.
While I encourage you to collaborate with your classmates both in class discussions and outside
of class to complete viewings, your submitted work should be in your own words, and any
outside sources you consult or help you receive should be credited in your submission. We will
discuss proper research and citation practices for your final project as the class progresses. If you
have any concerns about academic integrity or properly crediting outside sources, please reach
out to me.

Course Schedule

Our course schedule is subject to slight change as the class unfolds. Assigned readings and
viewings should be completed before the day under which they’re listed below. Our daily class
meetings will combine introductions to topics in architectural history, critical engagements with
historical frameworks, small-group research into and presentations of media case studies, and
alternative designs for, interpretations of, and approaches to the sets and filming locations we’ll
study. Content warnings will be further discussed in class ahead of viewing.

Monday, June 26: Introduction

Tuesday, June 27: Set-Building for the Historical Epic

Watch: Cleopatra (1963, dir. Joseph Mankiewicz) (content warnings: death) – first act
only

Wednesday, June 28: Class, Colonialism, and Architectural Exchange

Watch: Jalsaghar (1958, dir. Satyajit Ray) (content warnings: death)

Thursday, June 29: End of an Era – Palaces, Conflict, and Finality

Watch: The Last Emperor (1987, dir. Bernardo Bertolucci) – first two hours (content
warnings: death, suicide)

Friday, June 30: Women’s Work, Women’s Space

Watch: Silences of the Palace (1994, dir. Moufida Tlatli) (content warnings: sexual
violence, abortion, death)
Monday, July 3: Palaces and Race – Rethinking the British Heritage Film
Watch: Belle (2013, dir. Amma Asante) (content warnings: race-based violence and
discrimination)

Tuesday, July 4: No class (holiday)

Wednesday, July 5: Palaces of Democracy? The Gilded Age in Newport, RI (field trip day)
Watch: The Gilded Age Season 1, episodes 1 and 8 (content warnings: off-screen death,
race-based discrimination)

Thursday, July 6: Once and Future Palaces

Watch: Small groups assigned to watch either Black Panther (2018, dir. Ryan Coogler) or
Parasite (2019, dir. Bong Joon-ho) (content warnings: violence, death)

Friday, July 7: Final Presentations and Conclusions

About Me

I am a third-year PhD student in the HIAA department. I am originally from Norwich, Vermont
and attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia for my undergraduate
studies. I am going to write a dissertation on vernacular and imagined Alpine architecture’s
relationship to the modernist movement (relatedly, I also enjoy downhill skiing in my free time).
In addition to my long-standing fascination with palaces in visual media, my research interests
include critical heritage studies, critical Whiteness studies, border space exchange, and socio-
political identity formation through architecture.