Film as Literature

With Mrs. Awesome Peterson Course Description: Stories are an essential part of every human culture; they help us to make meaning and to understand ourselves, each other, and our place in the world. The means by which these stories are told whether they are written, spoken, or acted on stage or screen influences the way we approach and interpret them. Film, while it may be influenced by written work, should always be considered an entirely unique piece of art for the purposes of critique and analysis. This course explores the complex interplay between film and literature. Selected novels, short stories and plays are analyzed in relation to film versions of the same works in order to gain an understanding of the possibilitiesand problemsinvolved in the transposition to film. We will also investigate films that do not have written work as their inspiration to discover the ways in which these stories work in terms of our understanding of the nature of literature and the role it plays in our lives. *Students are cautioned that this course requires reading and writing in addition to viewing films and taking part in class discussions. Objectives: In this class, students will; Enhance their ability to understand, appreciate, and discuss works of literature through reading and discussion of short stories, novels and plays. Analyze works of fiction and drama for plot structure, setting, characterization, theme, and narrative point of view. Develop an understanding of critical analysis of film through careful examination of adaptations of literary texts, focusing on character development, dramatic structure, and performance. Learn and utilize the terminology of film analysis, both those terms shared with literary discussion (character, plot, theme, setting) and those specific to cinema (lighting, dialogue, special effects, etc.). Demonstrate an understanding of the possibilities and problems involved in the transposition of literature to film, applying terminology and critical skills acquired during the semester to analyze a cinematic adaptation of a text not discussed in class.

Possible Films this year: The Secret Life of Bees. 2008; Gina Prince-Blythwood, dir. The Kite Runner. 2007, Mark Forster, dir. The Sixth Sense. 1999, M. Night Shyamalan, dir. Willow. 1988, Ron Howard, dir.

 The Chronicles of Narnia; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 2005, Andrew Adamson, dir. Empire of the Sun. 1987, Stephen Speilberg, dir. The Client. 1994, Joel Schumacher, dir. Finding Nemo. 2003, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, dirs. Karate Kid. 1984, John Avildsen, dir. Hook. 1991, Stephen Speilberg, dir. * this film list is subject to change and/or addition . Expectations: There are certain things that I will expect from you and, likewise, there are a number of things that you can expect from me. First and foremost is respect. As a community of writers and thinkers, we must be able to trust one another. Writing (and thinking) is a process that most often involves missteps and risk-taking. We need to create an environment where its okay to express halfdeveloped ideas, where we wont feel ridiculous if the thought we started chasing turns out to be silly or unsupportable, and where we challenge each other to expand thinking beyond the safe and expected. To that end, it is vital that we approach this class and each other with a high level of respect. Well learn a lot from each other this class is not about me imparting learning on you, but rather is a collaborative effort on all our parts and weve got to be able to trust that well support one another in the process of learning. Everything else that we do at a community of writers and thinkers will expand from that sense of trust and respect; without it, well get nowhere. Beyond that, there are certain day-to-day expectations that need to be made clear. You can expect me to be in class every day on time and prepared. You can expect me to take you seriously and to be entirely supportive of your own learning process. You can expect me to be clear about what I want from you in terms of work, both in class an out of it, and you can expect me to assess your work according to those standards. You can expect me to respond to your questions and concerns (whether they be class related or not) in a timely and respectful way. In short, you can expect me to be present and mindful and wholly engaged. I expect you to be in class every day on time and prepared; that includes having completed any assigned reading and having all necessary materials with you in class. I expect you to be present and engaged in class and to take the time we have together seriously. I expect you to complete all the assignments I give, to participate in group activities, and to be a careful and conscientious participant in workshops with your classmates. I expect you to ask questions, to stretch beyond what you think are the safe answers, and to take full responsibility for your own learning. I expect you to come to me with any questions, problems, or concerns you have and, if your concerns are about an assignment, I expect you to come to me well before that assignment is due. I expect you to behave in a mature and respectful way toward the material, yourself, your classmates, and me. In short, I expect you to be present and mindful and wholly engaged.

Assignments: As a practice, I dont map out an entire course on a syllabus; I feel that limits the class too much and stifles our ability to follow fruitful tangents that may come up as a result of our thinking. That does not mean, however, that you wont know about assignments in plenty of time to complete them. For day-to-day work, I will usually write the assignment on the board or simply tell you what were doing for the class. For major projects, I will print out an assignment sheet with detailed instructions and the assessment standards I will use to grade the work. These things will also be posted on the class webpage. It is your responsibility to understand the assignment completely before you begin; telling me that you didnt get it is not an acceptable excuse for not having completed an assignment or for doing it poorly. Unless you are absent from school, work not handed in on the due date will not be accepted and will count as a zero in your grade. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to find out what, if any, homework was assigned that day and to have it ready when you return to school. I do not offer make-up or extra credit work; I do, however, negotiate due dates with students who have legitimate reasons for not being able to complete an assignment on time. If you think youre going to run into trouble getting something in when its due, let me know and well come to an agreement that meets both of our needs. I will make every effort to have your work graded and returned to you in a timely fashion. Please keep in mind, however, that you only had to write one paper; Ill have to read and assess everyones work. Permission Forms: Permission forms for the entire semesters film schedule must be signed by a parent or guardian and returned before the first scheduled screening (Second Wednesday of the school year). Failure to return the permission slip will result in your being administratively dropped from the course. Please email me directly if there are any questions or concerns about the films well be viewing; Ill be happy to address specific goals and objectives for the film(s) in question.