ENGLISH 237-SPRING 2003

Prof. Stephen Bluestone

Office: 110B Ware

Office hours: Tues/Thurs at 9:30-10:40; Weds. 9-12; and by appointment

Office tel. 301-4010; email: bluestone_se@mercer.edu

Texts: Marshall, Walkabout

Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

Giannetti, Understanding Movies

Shakespeare, Hamlet

Hammett, The Maltese Falcon

Wharton, The Age of Innocence (optional)

Fowler & Aaron, The Little, Brown Handbook

COURSE GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

In this course we'll study three novels (possibly four, if time allows) and one play by Shakespeare that approach storytelling in different ways. Each of these works raises questions about the use of symbolism, myth, narrative structure, point of view, satire, and realism. Film adaptations of these works will then be studied as a means of understanding what, if anything, film and written literature have in common. Does a film tell the same story as a novel or a play? How are meanings assembled through images different from meanings expressed through words? Is print literacy different from film literacy? We'll begin the course with a close look at Orson Welles's masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941), which will begin to provide us with a critical vocabulary for the discussion of subsequent films.

1. Participation and attendance (10%). Students are expected to attend every class and actively contribute to discussion. There are no unexcused absences, and the instructor should be notified in advance if an absence is unavoidable. Call my office and leave a message on voice mail or let me know by e-mail if you cannot attend a class.

Class contribution takes several forms. Students may ask questions at any point during class; students and teacher may engage in question-and-answer sessions; the class as a whole may engage in open discussion, sharing ideas and attempting as a group to deepen our understanding of the material. Students should work at participating effectively in all these formats. STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLASS WILL BE CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE FINAL GRADE.

From time to time out-of-class screenings will be scheduled as needed. Advance notice will be given, and attendance will be required unless otherwise specified. Several of these screenings have already been noted on the course schedule.

2. (a) Quizzes and exams (40%). Quizzes and exams on the reading assignments will be given on the class day on which reading assignments are to be completed. These quizzes and exams will be factual, not interpretive, and will be considered indications of preparation for class.

(b) Optional quiz opportunity on Giannetti assignments. This can add as much as 10% to your grade if you elect to take the option. The Giannetti quizzes must be elected as a single package, not on a quiz-by-quiz basis; because class time is so limited, they will be administered outside of class, at a common time and place.

3. Written work (50%). The use of Giannetti is recommended as a basis for a film-literate vocabulary on all papers. All students in this course are expected to read Giannetti in conjunction with class discussions. Critical papers involving research will be assigned on themes and topics to be discussed; the length of the papers will be between five and eight pages. The papers are to be well organized and thoroughly proofread. Any paper that has not been spell-checked will receive an automatic "F." All corrections and editorial changes indicated by the instructor must be made before the next paper is submitted, otherwise the grade on the following paper will be "F." No exceptions.

When the second paper is submitted, it must be accompanied in a plain tab folder by the first paper. A third, optional paper may also be done. When the optional paper is submitted, it, too, must be accompanied in the folder by previous work. All papers are due at the start of class from the author on the specified due date; papers not handed in on time will be penalized.

Grades on the papers will not necessarily be averaged; much weight will be given to improvement. Each student's written work will be assessed on an individual basis, with emphasis on consistency and the ability to achieve higher standards as the course proceeds.

Note: it is course policy that all assigned work (papers, quizzes, exams) must be completed in order for a student to pass this course.

4. Students with learning disabilities that might affect grading in this course are advised to notify the instructor at the start of the semester.

The following course schedule is intended as a flexible plan, not a rigid sequence. I am quite willing to expand discussion times if that seems appropriate. After long experience, I have found that the best way to teach a film and literature course is to keep an open mind about time constraints. I have therefore included a number of "buffer classes" at the end. Depending on how the schedule goes, we may try to fit in Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence and Martin Scorsese's film version of that novel.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Thurs. 9 Jan. Intro. Course format. Goals and expectations. First Giannetti assignment.

Tues. 14 Jan. Start Welles, Citizen Kane. Screening: A Journey through Film with Martin Scorsese. 7 p.m., Stetson 158

Thurs. 16 Jan. Continue CK. Discussion. Douglass, Of Human Bondage. 7:30 p.m.

Tues. 21 Jan. Continue CK. Screening: A Journey through Film with Martin Scorsese. 7 p.m., Stetson 158

Thurs. 23 Jan. Finish CK. Discussion. Second Giannetti assignment. Douglass, Notorious. 7:30 p.m.

Tues. 28 Jan. Quiz on Walkabout. Discussion.

Thurs. 30 Jan. Start Walkabout screening. Douglass, Love in the Afternoon. 7:30 p.m.

Tues. 4 Feb. Continue Walkabout screening. Optional Giannetti quiz. Third Giannetti assignment.

Thurs. 6 Feb. Finish Walkabout screening.

Tues. 11 Feb. Discussion.

Thurs. 13 Feb. Discussion. Quiz on The Maltese Falcon. Fourth Giannetti assignment.

Tues. 18 Feb. Start The Maltese Falcon screening. Optional Giannetti quiz.

Thurs. 20 Feb. Continue The Maltese Falcon.

Tues. 25 Feb. No class (tentative).

Thurs. 27 Feb. No class (definite).

Tues. 4 Mar. Continue The Maltese Falcon.

Thurs. 6 Mar. Continue The Maltese Falcon. Fifth Giannetti assignment.

Tues. 11 Mar. SPRING BREAK

Thurs. 13 Mar. SPRING BREAK

Tues. 18 Mar. Quiz on Hamlet. Discussion. Optional Giannetti quiz.

Thurs. 20 Mar. Discussion.

Tues. 25 Mar. Start Let the Devil Wear Black screening.

Thurs. 27 Mar. Continue Let the Devil Wear Black.

Tues. 1 April. Continue Let the Devil Wear Black.

Thurs. 3 April. Discussion. Quiz on A Clockwork Orange.

Tues. 8 April. Start A Clockwork Orange screening.

Thurs.10 April. Continue A Clockwork Orange.

Tues. 15 April. Continue A Clockwork Orange.

Thurs. 17 April. Continue A Clockwork Orange.

Tues. 22 April. Discussion.

Thurs. 24 April. Discussion.

Tues. 29 April. Discussion.