COVER SHEET FOR PROPOSALS
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
I.
Curriculum Committee
Celeste DeSario
September 17, 2002
Course Proiposal: EG 58 Literature as Film
Nature of Proposal (check all that apply)
A.
Curriculum Proposals:
1. New Curriculum
( )
2. Curriculum Revision(s)
a. Course addition(s)
b. Course deletion(s)
c. Course substitution(s)
d. Course rearrangement(s)
e. Credit distribution changes
(
(
(
(
(
)
)
)
)
)
f. Other changes (specify)
B.
Course Proposals:
1. New Course(s)
a. Addition(s)
b. Deletion(s)
c. Substitution(s)
(X)
( )
( )
( )
2. Course Revision(s)
a. Change of description
(
b. Change of title
(
c. Change of catalog number
(
d. Change of faculty contact hours (
)
)
)
)
e. Other changes (specify)
II.
Votes and Recommendations (please attach or sign below)
A. Dean of Faculty: (attach response to letter of intent)
B. Vote of Department: Aye: 11 No: 0
Date: 9/17/02
(vote in numbers)
C. Department Head:
(signature)
Joseph Inners
Date: 9/20/02
D. Other Departments/Campuses Affected: (attach notification(s) and
responses)
E. Class Size Committee: (attach notification and response)
Revised: 11/19/98
Suffolk County Community College
College Curriculum Committee
Letters of Intent
Proposer___Celeste DeSario__________________ Campus: A_____
(name)
Title___Professor of English__________
E_____
W__X__
Address____Western Campus S210____
Department/Area_ English____________
Telephone_____851-6542_______________
E-mail____desaric@sunysuffolk.edu___
Type of Curriculum Proposals (Brief descriptions should be attached)
Courses
Programs
New_____EG 58: Literature as Film__
A.A.________________________________
Adoption_____________________________
A.S.________________________________
A.A.S.______________________________
Certificate___________________________
Changes to an existing course_____________
Changes to an existing program__________
The proposal impacts:
_____college
__X__one campus;
Recommendations:
This proposal requires the following approval(s)
Campus __X__
College_____
Approved: Yes__X__ No_____
Approved: Yes_____ No_____
____Theodore Hanley___________________________________________________________
Campus Dean of Faculty (signature)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Vice President for Academic and Campus Affairs (signature)
copies to: Proposer
Chairs of Campus Curriculum Committees
Department/Area Administrators
Deans of Faculty
Chair of College Curriculum Committee
Revised 2/8/99
PROPOSAL FOR NEW COURSE:
ENG58
Literature as Film
Campus: Western
Proposed by: Celeste DeSario
Professor of English
Area: Liberal Arts
Catalog Description:
The course will examine some of the principal elements shared by literature and film
(narration, character development and motivation, choice of setting , symbols and theme)
to enable students to understand common factors between the two genres and to help them
see that when literature is transformed into film it must undergo some fundamental
changes which may ultimately alter the text’s intent.
I. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES:
After completing the course, Literature as Film, students will be able to recognize elements
common to both literature and film and use these elements to analyze orally and in writing if a
work of literature (short story, play, novella, novel) has been successfully adapted into a film.
Students will use critical thinking skills such as comparing and contrasting, making inferences,
evaluating intentions, and they will form critical judgments that go beyond the initial response
and which send students back to the text for closer analysis. Students will compare similarities
and pick out differences between the text and the screen adaptation focusing on narration,
setting, character description, imagery, camera angles and distances, camera framing and
composition, costumes, use of music and sound effects, and lighting.
Comparing two genres, especially the powerful genre of film, helps students develop their
critical thinking skills and refine both their oral and written analysis skills, and encourages them
to explore their worlds beyond the boundaries of their backyards. After teaching Mass Media
and Documentary Film for many years, I know students need a framework to view and analyze
film which has tremendous influence over their lives.
II. RELATIONSHIP TO STUDENTS
A. Eligibility
Students must complete EG11 as a prerequisite to take ENG58. Students should be familiar with
essay writing which EG11 covers.
B. Credit Hours
Students who complete ENG58 will earn 3 credit hours.
C. Required/Elective
The course is an English elective which requires a prerequisite of ENG11
D. Transferability
My research on Literature as Film courses confirmed Jonathan Lovell’s theory in a report he
wrote for the NCTE (National Council Teachers of English) Committee on Film Study in
English Language Arts in 1987 where he stated, “...’the introduction to film course’ had become
a staple in most American universities.” (Lovell, 1987) Below is a sampling of schools that offer
literature and film courses:
University of Mass: ENGL 339: Film and Lit: Problems raised in literary aesthetics as a result
of film. Enrollment of School: 18,000 undergraduates; 5,000 graduates.
Vassar: 175b: Intro to the Art of Film: explores the relationship of film and lit. Enrollment of
School: 2,350 students.
Univ of Michigan: FIV 230: Intro to Moving Image and Comparative Lit 241: uses texts and
film. Enrollment of School: 51,600 students.
SUNY New Paltz: 41443: Fiction into Film
Marist College:ENG 339: Film and Lit
Nassau Community College: ENG 251: Film and Lit
Dutchess County Comm College: ENG 227: Film and Lit
SUNY Farmingdale: EGL242: Fiction into Film
E. Proposed Cycle for offering
The course will be cycled yearly and will only be offered in the Spring .
F. Estimate of Student Enrollment
The enrollment will be 35 students for the course. I plan to offer two sections: day and evening.
G. Prerequisites
ENG11 will be required.
III. Relationship to Faculty
All members of the English Department are qualified to teach ENG 58.
B. Number of other staff positions required
No new staff positions are required for ENG58.
C. Discipline(s) required and/or minimum preparation to teach the course
Faculty should have experience teaching literature and film.
IV. RELATIONSHIP TO LIBRARY
A. In general, I supply all my own films for my film courses. I buy my films though the internet
through Amazon.com or Buy.com, so this course will not cost the college money for films.
B. The Audio Visual Department owns the equipment I need for the course: a DVD and VHS
set-up and a video projector.
V. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING CURRICULUM AND/OR COURSES
A. & B. This is a new course, not an adoption. The course is different from the Documentary
Film course because this course uses literature and feature films as its texts, not documentary
films.
C. The course will enrich the curriculum offerings of the College and will enable students to
analyze a media which is pervasive in their lives.
D. The course will require written analysis for every piece of literature and film used. The
course is a perfect example of writing across the curriculum and integrated knowledge as two
different genres will be linked and analyzed for differences and similarities.
VI. RELATIONSHIP TO SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
A. The course satisfies the areas of Humanities and the Arts under the SUNY General Education
course categories. See I and V: D for further details,
VII. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER COLLEGES AND/OR CAREER GOALS
This has already been discussed. See: II: C.
SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Western Campus
COURSE OUTLINE
ENG 58: Literature as Film
Professor Celeste DeSario
Required text: DeSario, Celeste. When Literature Becomes Film. New York: Longman
Publishers, 2003.
Required Literature:
Films:
Bovell, Andrew. Speaking in Tongues
Lantana
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness
Apocalypse Now
Cather, Willa. Paul’s Case.
Paul’s Case
Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour
The Story of an Hour
Clowes, Daniel. Ghost World
Ghost World
Clarke, Arthur. The Sentinel
2001: A Space Odyssey
Dubus, Andre. Killings
In The Bedroom
James, Henry. Turn of the Screw
The Innocents
Norman, Marsha. ‘Night Mother
‘Night Mother
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (Parker 1995;Davies
2002)
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Using literature and film as the primary texts, students will analyze the literature and the films
using literary elements such as point of view, narrative, character, setting, symbols, and theme.
2. Using the DeSario text and class lectures, students will apply film terminology such as pov,
camera angles and distances, camera framing and composition, costumes, use of music and
sound effects, and lighting to analyze the films in journals and in-class discussions.
3. Students will read film reviews and critical essays which discuss the films and which will
give them an overview of the public’s reception of the film at the time of release. This will help
them compare their reactions and criticisms of the films to professional analyses.
4. Students will compare and contrast the films and literature, analyzing both similarities and
differences between the two genres, using both the literary elements and the film terminology.
PROCEDURES TO ACCOMPLISH OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will participate in small group discussions, freewrite, complete written journals for
each piece of literature and film used in class, and will write two papers (one at mid-semester
and one for a final exam).
STUDENT REQUIREMENTS:
1. Students are expected to attend all classes on time. Leaving during the break will count as one
full absence. Excessive absences ( any which exceed the course limit of 2), will result in the
student being dropped from the course.
2. Students are expected to read assigned chapters in the DeSario text and all literature prior to
class and be ready to discuss their readings during class.
3. Students must integrate information given during lectures (terminology, critiques) into their
oral and written discussions.
4. Students must submit a two page typed journal at the beginning of each class. Late journals
will lose an entire letter grade (A to B, for example) for each day they are late. Untyped journals
will not be accepted.
5. Students who miss the films will be responsible for arranging with Audio Visual Services to
see any films they have missed. Copies of all films will be on reserve in AV. FILMS MAY
NOT BE TAKEN OUT OF THE LIBRARY.
6. Turn off all cellphones and beepers BEFORE entering the classroom.
GRADING:
JOURNALS:
55%
Mid-Semester Paper:
15%
Final Paper:
20%
Attendance/Participation:
10%
WEEKLY OUTLINE: ENG 58
WEEK 1:
Introduction to course
Literary Terminology Lecture
Film Terminology Lecture
Short Story: “Story of an Hour” (Kate Chopin)
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Film: Story of an Hour: five versions of the short story
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
“Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather
TEXT:
INTRODUCTION:” Reading and Seeing”
CHAPTER ONE: “Looking Through the LensTo Make
You See: POV and Narration in Literature and Film”
WRITTEN:
JOURNAL #1
WEEK 2:
GROUPS: “Paul’s Case”: You are the
director:Construct an ending ,scene by scene, for the
story’s adaptation into film
Class discussion: Chapter One and “Paul’s Case”
Film: Paul’s Case
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
“The Yellow Wallpaper” (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)
TEXT:
CHAPTER TWO: “Film Terminology”
CHAPTER THREE: “Character and Motivation”
WRITTEN:
WEEK 3:
JOURNAL #2
Class discussion: Chapters Two & Three
GROUPS: ”The Yellow Wallpaper”
Film: The Yellow Wallpaper
Group assignment: How important Is Setting?
How does the film handle POV?
ASSIGNMENT:
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LITERATURE:
“Turn of the Screw”
TEXT:
CHAPTER ONE: reread section on POV: “Unreliable
Narrators”
and
“How Does POV Translate to Film?”
WRITTEN:
JOURNAL #3
WEEK 4:
Class discussion on POV chapters
Discussion of “Turn of the Screw”
Film: The Innocents
Group Work: How does the film handle the ambiguity in
James’ text?
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
“The Sentinel” (Arthur C. Clarke)
TEXT:
CHAPTER FOUR: “Setting vs Sets”
WRITTEN:
JOURNAL #4
WEEK 5:
Discussion of Chapter 4
Discussion of “The Sentinel”
Film: 2001: A Space Odyssey
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
“Ghost World” (Daniel Clowes) Continued on next page
TEXT:
CHAPTER FIVE: “Themes: What the Work Means”
WRITTEN:
PAPER #1: Analysis of Kubrick’s film: due next class
WEEK 6:
Discussion of Chapter Five
Discussion of “Ghost World”
Film: Ghost World
In-Class Writing
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
‘Night Mother (Marsha Norman)
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TEXT:
WRITTEN:
WEEK 7:
CHAPTER SIX: “Language: The Power of the Written vs the
Spoken Word: hearing dialogue”
JOURNAL #5
Film: ‘Night Mother
Class discussion of play and film & Ch 6
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
The Tragedy of Othello : The Moor of Venice
TEXT:
CHAPTER SEVEN: “Imagery and Symbols”
WRITTEN:
JOURNAL #6
WEEK 8:
Discussion of Othello: group work
No film today: the entire class will be devoted to discussion of
the play
GROUPS: Showing scenes: what would the scene look like on
film?
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
Reread Othello
TEXT:
no assignment
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WRITTEN:
JOURNAL #7:New insights after class discussion and
rereading
WEEK 9:
Film: Othello (Oliver Parker, 1995)
Group discussion
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
WEEK 10:
Start reading Speaking in Tongues (no other assignment)
Film: Othello(Andrew Davies, 2002)
Class discussion
In-Class Writing
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
Speaking in Tongues (Bovell)
TEXT:
CHAPTER EIGHT: What We Hear:Music and Sound Effects
WRITTEN:
JOURNAL #8
WEEK 11:
Class Discussion: Speaking in Tongues
Film: Lantana (Ray Lawrence, 2001)
Group Work and discussion
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
“Killings” (Andre Dubus)
WRITTEN:
JOURNAL #9
WEEK 12:
Discuss “Killings”
Film: In The Bedroom (Todd Field, 2001)
Class Discussion
ASSIGNMENT:
LITERATURE:
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
WRITTEN:
literary
1. Prepare a passage from novella to share with class: use
terminology to analyze
2. Point out one strength and one weakness in novella
TEXT:
Read Chapter 9 : “Projects” & decide on a project for your
final paper
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WEEK 13:
Discuss Heart of Darkness passages
Film: groups: what would you show?
WEEK 14:
Film: Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
ASSIGNMENT:
Paper #2: Final exam : Due next class
WEEK 15:
Final Papers due
Class discussion on Apocalypse Now
Summary
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