HUM 2085: Critical Approaches
Film and Television Adaptations
Summer 2014
Dr. Perdigao
class time: T Th 2:00-4:35 pm
office: 626 Crawford Hall
phone: 321-674-8370
email: lperdiga@fit.edu
my.fit.edu/~lperdiga
Course Description:
Film and television adaptations of novels, short stories, graphic novels, and plays highlight the processes
of interpretation and reinterpretation. In this course, we will focus on the adaptations of young adult
literature on the big and small screens. The novels that we will analyze can be categorized as
bildungsromane, coming-of-age stories, that reflect the maturation of its adolescent protagonists into
adulthood. The film and television adaptations of these novels attempt to translate the characters’
experiences in a visual medium. In many ways, these adaptations show how film and television “come of
age,” producing innovative texts that explore the space between word and image.
Required Texts:
L. J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries (HarperTeen, ISBN: 9780061140976)
Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire (Scholastic, ISBN: 9780545586177)
Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (MTV Books, ISBN: 9780671027346)
Markus Zusak, The Book Thief (Knopf, ISBN: 9780385754729)
Yann Martel, Life of Pi (Mariner, ISBN: 9780156027328)
Bernard Dick, Anatomy of Film (Bedford/St. Martin’s; ISBN: 9780312487119)
Policies and Procedures
Grading:
Quizzes
Responses (4)
Final Exam
Class Participation
20%
40%
30%
10%
The two quizzes will contain material from the novels, films, television episodes, and critical text. As
regular attendance is mandatory, make-up quizzes are unlikely.
A response consists of a 1-2 page response to one of the questions about the relationship between the
novel and the television or film adaptation. While the responses are not formal essays, you must
demonstrate knowledge of the readings and the relationships between the texts we are discussing.
For the responses, students are required to submit their papers to www.turnitin.com on the
assigned date; failure to submit the paper to turnitin.com and/or to turn in the hard copy in class
on the due date will lead to a failure of the assignment. Our class ID is 8039942 and the password is
Mockingjay.
Academic Dishonesty will be handled in accordance with School of Arts and Communication policy.
Cheating and plagiarism will result in failure of assignment and/or failure of course and will be reported
to the Dean of Students. Dishonest conduct may lead to formal disciplinary proceedings. Be certain that
you are familiar with Florida Tech’s academic dishonesty policy
(http://www.fit.edu/current/documents/plagiarism.pdf).
Cell phone policy: If your phone rings, if you try to make an outgoing call or text messages are sent or
received (translation: basically any variation of using your phone when you should be paying attention),
you are responsible for bringing pizza (or an acceptable alternative) to the following class.
Attendance is required. If you miss more than 10% of the classes, you run the risk of failing the course.
You are responsible for all of the work you miss.
Course Schedule
May 13
Introduction
Viewing: The Vampire Diaries, “Pilot”
May 15
Reading: L. J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening (3-253)
Viewing: The Vampire Diaries, “The Night of the Comet”
May 20
The bildungsroman on the big and small screen
Reading: Anatomy of Film (Chapter 1-2: 1-50)
Viewing: Roswell, “Pilot”
May 22
Reading: Anatomy of Film (Chapter 4: “The Science-Fiction Film,” 193-198)
Viewing: The Tomorrow People, “Pilot”
Response 1
May 27
Viewing: Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games (142 min.)
May 29
Reading: Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire (Chapters 1-13: 3-187)
June 3
Reading: Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire (Chapters 14-27: 188-391)
Viewing: Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (146 min.)
June 5
Televising adolescence on the big screen
Reading: Anatomy of Film (Chapter 3: 51-98)
Quiz 1
Response 2
June 10
Reading: Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2-213)
Viewing: Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (102 min.)
June 12
Reading: Markus Zusak, The Book Thief (Prologue, 3-292)
Reading: Anatomy of Film (Chapter 6: 200-202; 219-226)
June 17
Reading: Markus Zusak, The Book Thief (293-550)
Reading: Anatomy of Film (Chapter 4: “The Reflexive Film,” 165-177)
Viewing: Brian Percival’s The Book Thief (131 min.)
Response 3
June 19
From first person to omniscience
Reading: Yann Martel, Life of Pi (“Author’s Note,” Chapters 1-73: 3-208)
June 24
Reading: Yann Martel, Life of Pi (Chapters 74-100: 208-319)
Viewing: Ang Lee, Life of Pi (127 min.)
Quiz 2
June 26
Storytelling 101
July 1
Narrating the self in YA fiction
Response 4
July 3
Final exam