Dr. Karen U.Fulton, Professor
Tel: 271-4317(work)1-660-582-8830 (home)
Email: fulton@.mwsc.edu
Office: 222H Eder Hall (SS/C Building)
9:30-11:00 TT, 10-12 W; other times by appointment
Hornby, Nick. High
Fidelity.
King, Stephen. “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” in Different Seasons. New York: Signet, 1983.
Access to word processor with spell-checker (for written papers).
A 3 ring-binder and a supply of 81/2" x11" notebook paper for class use (or any other system that produces clean edges). Class assignments, responses, or other work completed on torn, spiral bound or ripped paper will be penalized by loss of points.
English 210 fulfills Category IV General Studies requirements. These goals can be found onhttp://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/genstud.asp. All English 210 sections provide practice in reading poetry, prose fiction, and drama.
· Recognize the major characteristics of literary genres.
· Discuss literature, orally and in writing, with assurance.
· Appreciate literary works which are encountered.
· Understand the different ways in which literary themes may be treated in literature.
· Recognize major characteristics of the various film genres and the literature on which the films are based as well as the literature the films generate.
· Discuss films and film literature orally and in writing with assurance.
· Appreciate filmed literary works which you encounter.
· Understand the different ways in which a literary theme may be treated in film.
· Read poetry, fiction, and drama.
· Investigate various methods of approaching and understanding literature.
· Written essays and essay examinations.
· Read a variety of works of literature.
Film 210 means
· View various film productions, read works on which films have been based.
· Investigate various methods of approaching and understanding films and their literature.
· Complete written assignments dealing with the films viewed as well as a long paper and partial essay examinations.
· Read the instructor generated text on the O-drive and be able to apply it to the films viewed.
Attendance will be recorded at each session. Class work distributed and completed during the same class session will not be accepted late. Multiple choice quizzes and written responses are graded (see grading policies); the resulting points make up one third of the final total. When written work is not completed during the class period, students will complete and sign an attendance verification rating sheet at the end of the hour. There is no *good* way to make up a missed session.
It is required that students submit their own work. Students who are guilty of plagiarism or cheating in any form will automatically receive a zero for the assignment involved and will place themselves in jeopardy of failing the course.
Students who have a disability which could prevent their maximum performance in the class should make this known to the instructor immediately so that provisions may be made for any assistance needed.
· No cell phones, pagers, beepers or other electronic equipment are allowed to operate in this classroom.
· Class begins at 2pm. Students who are not here when work is distributed will receive a grade of zero for the assignment.
· A sleeping student will be noted and will receive an absence for the day.
· Conversation and whispering during the film is distracting to other students; a student engaging in either will be noted by the instructor and receive an absence for the day. During the instructor's presentation of material, students should be listening and taking notes; it is rude (as well as distracting) to talk, whisper, etc. during this part of the class.
· When questions are asked by others, listen carefully so that material does not need to be repeated.
· All work is due on time and in the format specified. If it does not conform to specifications or is late, it will be penalized.
· Class is not over until it is dismissed. It is your responsibility to pick up any material for the next class.
· You are responsible for material placed on the O-drive by the next class--you must be able to recall it and apply it. In general, O-drive material will be posted on Monday morning for the week ahead. When there is more to come, a notice will be placed on the drive instructing when to check back..
False Assumptions about this Class
Assumption 1: There is no reading in the class; we only watch films.
False. There is actually quite a bit of reading in this class. The class will read two novels (High Fidelity; Girl with a Pearl Earring) and a short story, “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” prior to seeing films based on them. Based on student responses of the last few semesters, this semester, I am attempting something new. Instead of asking you to spend money on a book like Anatomy of Film (which I have used for the last 5 years), I will be creating a book online for use in this class. The first two chapters are already posted on the O drive. You will be responsible for having read them prior to the second session of the class; material assigned from this text will be covered in quizzes and in writings.
Assumption 2: All work is done in class; there is no homework.
False. You will be doing outside writing in the assigned paper, in the take-home portions of the final, in the take-home portion of the mid-term, in the written responses, and in the extra credit assignments (if you choose to do them).
Assumption 3: The films have been chosen entirely based upon student enjoyment; therefore I will like every film in this class.
False. While I hope you enjoy the majority of these
films, I primarily choose films based on their learning value and for the range
of the film experience they represent. Therefore, we will see silent films and
several films in black and white. If you are taking this class because you are
a big fan of "Dumb and Dumber" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
and expect class films to be similar, you may want to rethink your decision to
take this section. Because this class is offered as English offering, ENG
210, (as opposed to a mass media one), the emphasis of this class falls on such
things as narrative plot and dialogue (as opposed to special effects.)
Assumption 4: Every film we see will be a comfortable experience for me; all films will reinforce my moral belief system.
False. One of the goals of this class is to expose students to some films challenging their preconceptions of film and its subject matter. While this class is not “cutting edge," it does present some films that expose you to cultural, religious, and sexual points of view that you may not have considered before or be comfortable with. If you feel that you will have trouble being open to this kind of experience and reflecting that openness in your written responses, you may want to rethink your decision to take this section.
Grading Policies
The class grade is computed on the basis of 300 points divided into thirds.
· Class work (Quizzes, responses, etc.) 100 pts total (Eleven of these exercises will be given; the lowest score will be dropped).
· One 3-5 page paper @ 75 pts total
· Tests 125 pts total
o A mid-term examination @ 40 pts. Total
o A final examination @ 85 pts total
§ 10 points survey (all or nothing)
§ 50 point take-home essay portion
§ 25 point day of final written responses to clips
· Total points possible 300 pts
Final grades are determined on a 10% scale; above 270 total points constitutes an "A" (300 minus 30 = 270 etc.) This final score will be lowered because of absences or late work.
Opportunities to earn a maximum of 15 points extra credit are given during the second half of the semester. These extra credit assignments are all or nothing.
· All written work (responses, papers, make-up portions of tests) must be mechanically clean and formatted in structured paragraphs to receive full credit. Lack of paragraph form or errors in grammar and mechanics will result in deductions from the score.
· Audience verification sheets completed on torn, spiral bound, or ripped paper will be penalized by a 2-point deduction from the grade of the following response or quiz.
· Ten-point responses will be take-home in nature. Either prior to viewing the film or at the film's conclusion, a response assignment will be given. These are due at the beginning of the next class period.
· When a specific kind of response (a paragraph) is indicated by the prompt, penalties will be taken if the response is three paragraphs rather than one or if the paragraph is underdeveloped.
Quizzes
· Quizzes usually take place after we have viewed the film. After you have taken the quiz, you will class so that we can go over the correct responses. Quizzes ask you to recall material (terminology, etc.) from your reading and also from the film. Most frequently questions are posed in such a way as to require that you require you to apply what you have read to the film we have seen.
·
All short-answer or multiple-choice quizzes are finished
during class time. These cannot be made up.
· This writing (portions of the mid-term and final, 75 point paper) will give you a chance to reflect upon what you have viewed and to compose a full-length statement of your ideas.
· Topics for writings will be assigned, but you are always given at least two options to choose from.
· Written work must be word-processed. Preparing your work on a computer with spell checker makes for an easier job. Make sure you save your work to disk in case it is lost or misplaced.
· This writing is expected to be in essay format with complete sentences, correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling and a TITLE. When you are quoting, summarizing or paraphrasing material from the book or the film, you must properly source such material within the paper and document such material in MLA style at the end.
· No outside sources should be used unless directed by the instructor.
· Your essay must have a title.
· The mid-term exam will be comprised of two parts: a take-home essay, which is expected to follow all the rules above for the short paper (worth 25 points) and a multiple-choice component (worth 15 points).
· The mid-term essay may be rewritten and resubmitted for credit. Students in past classes have found that doing this has helped them with the larger paper.
· If you wish to rewrite the mid-term essay, both the old and the revised copy are due to the instructor the week after you receive your first copy back.
· I encourage you to set up an appointment to visit with me over the first draft of the essay.
· The final exam will consist of three parts:
o A take-home component which will be based on reading and viewing High Fidelity..
o An in-class short answer examination in response to clips of various films (5 clips for a total of 25 points) and
o An all-or-nothing survey of the class (worth 10 points)
Course Procedures
Materials
Film-based materials are posted on the O-drive one week ahead. At the end of today's first class, material for next week's film will already by up on the O-drive and I will go through the steps to access the O-drive again. You are responsible for mastering the material in the chapter(s) assigned and any background material on the film. It may be the basis for quizzes.
Agenda
Since we meet only once a week, our time together is likely to be very full. Therefore class starts on time. If possible, you are advised to get here a little early, so you have time to check the agenda. When you come into the room, the day’s agenda will be posted on the screen. There is usually a short comment by the instructor on the reading and how it applies to the film and the film itself. Sometimes in place of this, we will view a short “making of” featurette so that you can hear and see the people directly involved in the film.
Depending upon the length of the film (and films are getting longer), question time will follow. If a film's length is under 2 hours, we will view it with no break. If a film's length is over 2 hours, we will take a short (no more than 5 minutes) break around the middle of the film. All classes will end with you handing in your "rating" slip for the film. If a quiz is taken, the rating will be submitted on the quiz slip. You are expected to keep a rating journal over the course of the semester, listing your own rating as well as the class rating of the film and the IMdB rating which will be found on the P-drive under Class Tally.