Professor John G. Morris
Spring 2016
English 2053: CRN 22373
Office: NB 2027
Office Phone: 580-581-2329
FAX: 580-581-2897
Email: johnmor@cameron.edu
Office Hours:
Monday:
10-11:30 am, 2-3:00 pm
Tuesday:
1:30-3:00 pm
Wednesday: 10-11:30 am, 2-3:00 pm
Thursday:
1:30-3:00 pm
Friday:
10-10:45 am, 2-3:00 pm
And by appointment
Film as Literature
Texts:
1. Barbery.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Trans. Anderson. ISBN:
978-1-933372-60-0
2. Dick. Anatomy of Film. 6th edition ISBN: 978-0-312-48711-9
3. Gibaldi.
The MLA Handbook For Writers of Research Papers. 7th
edition* ISBN: 978-1-60329-024-1
4. Letts. August: Osage County. ISBN: 978-1-55936-330-3
Catalogue Course Description: The study of film as an educational,
verbal, and visual medium for storytelling.
Emphasis on literature
adapted for film and on literary aspects of non-adapted great films.
Lecture 3 hours.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will gain proficiency in close reading of film texts and
expand and refine their critical vocabularies
2. Students will acquaint themselves with the productions of selected
great films and films adapted from literary texts
3. Students will gain skills in writing about literature
English Program Course Objectives:
1. Students will be able to think and read critically
2. Students are knowledgeable about a diversity of literary traditions
and genres
3. Students will be able to write well, with an understanding of
rhetorical situation
English Education Program Objectives:
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of reading processes
2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of, and uses for, an extensive
range of literature
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of, and skills in the use of,
the English language
General Education Program Objective:
Outcome 5: Aesthetics: The student will make informed and reasoned
responses to questions of aesthetics.
Requirements
1. Reading assignments completed when indicated below.
2. Two short-answer and essay examinations, the midterm and the final.
3. Participation in the class Film Log: In addition to oral remarks
offered in class discussions of films, you will observe, respond,
Morris 2
react and comment about the films we view as a class in written
responses that you will read at the beginning of the following
class. Attendance at and entries about two of the films shown
during the three Magic Lantern Film Society evenings scheduled
during the semester are required; attendance and entries about the
other evening will provide extra credit. Ask me if there are other
films you wish to write about. In addition to personal responses
(which, keeping in mind Henry James' remark in "The Art of Fiction"
that there is no substitute for the good old-fashioned liking of a
thing, are natural, but which should always be anchored by
references to specific details), your remarks should analyze camera
angles, shots, sequences, and elements (such as sound, musical
motifs and themes, and so on) that contribute to the construction
of theme of the films.
While they can be longer, each of the
entries should be a minimum of the equivalent of a typed page at 12
characters per inch (cpi), about 250 words. I will make remarks on
your entries, which you will turn in. Remember at all times to be
respectful of your classmates' opinions and feelings even if you
disagree with some of those opinions. Keep in mind how you want
your own ideas and opinions to be received.
4. Two short, two-to-three page, reviews, one of a classic film and
one of a film currently in the theaters; I encourage you to make
use of Magic Lantern offerings for the classic film. More about
these in a subsequent handout.
5. A critical paper of five-to-seven complete pages, exclusive of
Works Cited page, the final draft of which will be DUE on Friday,
20 April. More about this in a subsequent handout.
Policies:
1. Attendance and Absences: Attendance is important for success in
this course, especially since "notes" for our discussions of films
will not necessarily translate well.
While there is no direct
penalty for absences, there is an indirect penalty. I will not
accept late written responses to the films, and there is no way to
recreate our class discussions of the films. If you miss two class
periods or fewer, two weeks of class, you should be okay; if you
miss more, please make an appointment to see me.
2. Weather Policy and Emergency Communication System: Please see the
Student Supplement and Syllabus Attachment.
3. Dropping and Withdrawing: See the Student Supplement and Syllabus
Attachment.
If your name is still on my roster at the end of the
term, I must award you a grade; please do not make me fail you for
non-attendance. I will be happy to sign a drop slip during the
period when my signature is required with a W.
4. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: See the Student
Supplement and Syllabus Attachment.
5. Evaluation and Grading: I will evaluate you in terms of the
following percentages. Each of the two film reviews will count ten
percent of your final grade; the course essay will count twenty
percent. The Film Log, the average of the peer evaluation sheets,
and the average of the quizzes will count fifteen percent. The
midterm examination will count fifteen percent, and the final
Morris 3
examination twenty percent. Finally, I will award ten percent of
your grade based upon my perception of your oral class
participation.
6. Emergency Egress: In case of a weather emergency, please note the
following. The tornado shelter in Nance-Boyer is in the basement.
To get there, exit NB 3033 to your left (north) to the stairwell
and walk down three flights. In the case of a fire drill, exit NB
3033 to your left, take the stairwell down two flights of stairs to
the first floor, head right (north) and exit the glass doors
immediately west of the ramp. Be sure to walk far enough away from
the building to permit others to leave.
7. Academic Dishonesty: See the Student Information Sheet and
Syllabus Attachment.
In regard to plagiarism, please make sure that you
understand what this very grave error entails and avoid.
The student handbook indicates a range of penalties: “The
student’s grade in the course or on the examination or other
academic work affected by the dishonesty may be reduced to
any extend, including a reduction to failure” (sec. 5.08).
If I can prove that you have plagiarized deliberately, I
will fail you for the course.
NB: Please note that I will require you to submit rough and
final drafts to SafeAssign, which is part of Blackboard;
failure to submit either draft by the final deadline will
result in a subtraction of a letter grade per failure.
8. Changes to Syllabus: Though I do not anticipate having to do so,
I may have to make changes in the daily calendar below, which
changes I will announce in class. You are responsible for any
changes made during these announcements even if you are not
present when I announce them. I will be willing to tell you of
changes in the calendar in you inquire.
Calendar
January
January 8: Introduction; preliminary discussion of film and film terms;
My Darling Clementine
January 15: My Darling Clementine: discussion; “The Western,” AoF, 133141; clip; Quiz #1 over clip; “Understanding the Medium,” AoF 1-20;
“Film, Space, and Mise-en-Scène,” AoF 51-98
January 22: “Enhancing the Image: Color, Lighting, and Visual Effects,”
AoF 99-118; Quiz #2 over terms; Casablanca
January 29: Casablanca: discussion; “Graphics and Sound,” AoF 21-50;
Citizen Kane
February
February 5: Citizen Kane: discussion; “Citizen Kane”(handout); “Film
Subtext,” AoF 200-37; Quiz #2 over film clip; The General; rough Draft of
Film Review #1 DUE for peer evaluation
February 12: The General; discussion; “The Film Director,” AoF 238-67;
sample film review, issues
Morris 4
February 19: Ida: discussion; “Taking Essay Exams About Literature”
(handout): sample examination, sample answers; Film Review #1 DUE
February 26: Midterm Examination (My Darling Clementine-Ida); review of
expository prose, MLA style: MLA Handbook 4.1-4.9, 116-2; 5.1-5.3.6,
1126-35; 5.7.3, 197-98; 6.1-6.3, 214-19; “Film Analysis,“ AoF 321-44;
“Film Theory and Criticism,” AoF 345-85
March
March 4: “Film and Literature,” AoF 268-320; Barbery, The Elegance of the
Hedgehog; discussion
March 11: The Hedgehog; discussion; Letts, August, Osage County;
discussion
March 18: Spring recess; no class
March 23: Letts, cont.; August, Osage County: discussion
April
April 1: “The Musical,” AoF 122-33; The Bandwagon; discussion; Film
Review #2 DUE
April 8: “Film Noir,” AoF 147-52; The Grifters
April 15: The Grifters: discussion; The Spectacular Now; rough draft of
course essay DUE for peer evaluation
April 22: The Spectacular Now: discussion; sample draft of course essay,
issues; evaluation
April 29: Final draft of course essay DUE; last-chance proofreading;
Smoke Signals; discussion
May
May 6:
12:30-2:30 Final Examination (Hedgehog-Smoke Signals)
Last Date to Withdraw with an Automatic W:
Last Date to Withdraw from a Single Class:
Wednesday, 6 April
Wednesday, 20 April