Literature into Film

Fall 2009

 

Instructor:  Mrs. Hodge-Childers

phone:  816-820-2546

email:  lhodge@ndsion.edu

office hours:  after school or by appointment

 

Literature into Film is an elective English class.  The focus of this course is to analyze and interpret selected works of literature and carefully evaluate their corresponding film translations.  We will attempt to do this within a variety of theoretical frameworks that require that we move beyond casual assertions about the primacy of literary texts over the films that attempt to translate / adapt them.    One of the primary objectives for the course will be to become more familiar with various aspects of the filmmmaking process, including technical, conceptual, cultural, and economic concerns.  We will also examine the elements storytelling as they are applicable across various forms of media.  I have selected samples from five different genres of literature, so that we may consider the unique demands of translating particular genres into film.  Our works of literature include two short stories, a poem, a memoir, a novel for children, a drama, and a novel for adults.   As this is my first year teaching this class, I ask that you consider me as a participant in this engagement as opposed to an authority in the field of adaptation or film studies.   My hope is that the spirit of inquiry will guide activities and assignments as we move through the course.

 

Learning objectives:

Students will:

 

--become familiar with the conventions of filmmmaking including those involved in directing, camerawork, lighting, editing, sound, acting, and how these factors affect the development of narrative, character, theme, and tone in a film.

 

--closely examine works of literature and their corresponding films, comparing how each creates an experience of a story for its audience using diverse methods and resulting in different effects.

 

--increase their awareness of multiple "readings" of a text or a film.

 

--investigate integral meanings or themes in literature and film, and use these as devices with which to examine their own lives. 

 

--learn to write a structurally sound critical review of a film.

 

--translate a text into a motion picture that represents an individual "reading" of the text.

 

--observe and comment on the conventions of filmmaking and storytelling used in the media we encounter on a day-to-day basis.

 

Texts and films studied:

 

Text	Genre	Film
"A Gravestone Made of Wheat" by Will Weaver	short story	Sweet Land
"The Tin Star" by John M. Cunningham	short story	High Noon
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean- Domique Bauby	memoir	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh	novel for children	Harriet the Spy
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennesee Williams	drama	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote	novel	Breakfast at Tiffany's

 

Assignments and assessments:

 

Assignments will include:

 

• Reading literature
• Occasional readings of background material on adaptation studies, directors, authors, etc.
• Writings such as reading logs, at-home and in-class viewing logs, post-viewing analyses, etc.
• Preparation for and participation in Socratic Seminar

 

Special projects and weighted assignments will include:

 

• Critical reviews
• Translation exercise
• Spy notebook (connected with Harriet the Spy)
• Time allowing: screenplay, storyboard, and short film

 

Assessments will include:

 

• In-class essays
• Unit tests (multiple choice, short answer, matching)
• Short reading quizzes (recorded under daily work category in grade book)

 

Grading categories:

 

25%  Daily Work (reading quizzes, short homework assignments)                                                       

 

35%   Special projects  (translation exercise, critical reviews, and others TBA)                                      

 

40%   Unit tests/in-class essays

 

Plagiarism statement:

 

If you are still unsure about what plagiarism is or how to avoid it, refer to pp. 478 - 483 of The College Writer (copies available on the classroom bookshelf).  If you have any questions or confusion about plagiarism, please ask BEFORE you hand in an assignment in which you may have committed the offense.  Instances of plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment and a conference with the Academic Dean and your parents.  Ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse:  when in doubt, always ask.

 

Late work:

 

There will be a 5% per day deduction for all late work.  See the student handbook for the absentee policy.  If you are unable to print an assignment at home, there are various ways to print your assignment at school before class begins.  I'm happy to help you learn about how to do this BEFORE a problem arises.  Printing or other computer errors will not be accepted as an excuse for late work.  Learn how to manage your digital files now so that you will be ready to do so in college, where it is unlikely that your professors will accept late work.

 

Absences:

 

Check the daily assignments page of this wiki, please, when you are absent.  If the wiki is not updated, you may send me an email. 

 

On film viewing days, absences will require that you obtain a copy of the movie and view the missed portion of the movie at home.