Missouri Western State College

Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences

ENG 210-07 Approaches to Literature: Film Literature

Meets Tuesday 3:30-6:20pm, Hearnes Center 102

Fall 2006

Basic Information

Instructor Information

Dr. Karen U. Fulton, Professor

Communication

Tel: 271-4317(work)

email: fulton@missouriwestern.edu

Office Hours

Office: 222H Eder Hall

10-12 and 1:30-3:30 M, 1:30-3:30 T; other times by appointment

Final Examination

Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 2 pm

Required Texts

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. Mineola, N.Y.: Persuasion, 1997.

Leonard, Elmore. Out of Sight. New York: Bantam, 1996.              

Other Required Supplies

            Access to computer and MWSC P-drive (you will need your Missouri Western password to access this drive).

            Access to email; it is much easier to communicate with me via email.

            Access to word processor with spell-checker (for out of class assignments).

Course Objectives and Means

English 210 fulfills Category IV General Studies requirements. These goals can be found onhttp://www.mwsc.edu/~engdept/genstud.html. All English 210 sections provide practice in reading poetry, prose fiction, and drama.

General 210 Objectives:

  1. Recognize the major characteristics of literary genres.
  2. Discuss literature, orally and in writing, with assurance.
  3. Appreciate literary works which are encountered.
  4. Understand the different ways in which literary themes may be treated in literature.

Objectives for Film Literature:

  1. 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.
  2. Discuss films and film literature orally and in writing with assurance.
  3. Appreciate filmed literary works which you encounter.
  4. Understand the different ways in which a literary theme may be treated in film.

General 210 Means:

  1. Read poetry, fiction, and drama.
  2. Investigate various methods of approaching and understanding literature.
  3. Written essays and essay examinations.
  4. Read a variety of works of literature.

Film 210 means

  1. View various film productions, read works on which films have been based, read a variety of criticism generated by film.
  2. Investigate various methods of approaching and understanding films and their literature.
  3. Complete written assignments which deal with the films viewed as well as a long paper and partial essay examinations.
  4. Read at least one work on which a film has been based; read and understand material on how film is shaped as well as its terminology.

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

In order to improve student learning as well as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level courses and 200-level course for Fall 2007.

You will be given an excused absence when acting as an official representative of the university, provided you give prior written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event. All other absences will be deemed unexcused.  The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report, October 18, is 1. Thus, when you have 2 unexcused absences you will be reported to the Registrar’s Office, who will automatically withdraw you from this class. The Financial Aid Office will reduce financial aid as appropriate.

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.

Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity.  Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report Form.

Please see the 2006-2007 Student Handbook and Calendar on page 21 for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure.  This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

Student Disability Policy

Students who have a disability which might 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.

College Behavior Policies

  1. No cell phones, pagers, beepers or other electronic equipment are allowed to operate in this classroom. Cell phones must be turned off during class. They are not to be used for text messaging or game playing during class. Such behavior will result in an absence for the day and a deduction of 2-5 points on the next work turned in.
  2. Class begins at 3:30pm. Students who are not here when work is distributed will receive a grade of zero for the assignment.
  3. A sleeping student will be noted and will receive an absence for the day.
  4. 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.
  5. When questions are asked by others, listen carefully so that material does not need to be repeated.
  6. 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 by a loss of points.
  7. Class is not over until it is dismissed.
  8. You are responsible for material placed on the P-drive by the next class--you must be able to recall it and apply it. In general, P-drive material will be posted on Monday morning for the week ahead.
  9. You will be given a nom de film under which your points will be posted.
  10. If upon gathering the information sheet during the first class, I see that you have indicated difficulty in getting material from the P-drive, I will provide you with written copies of the P-drive materials during class.

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 and The Rainmaker.  Both of these books have been enjoyed by and written about by past students.

The text for this class is a book written by the instructor and posted on the P-drive. Instead of asking you o spend money on a book like Anatomy of Film (which I have used for the last 7years and now runs around $45), the material on film will be posted on the P-drive. The first two chapters are already posted on the P-drive (or they will be given to you should you have P-drive difficulty). You will be responsible for having read them prior to the next session of the class.

Assumption 2: All work is done in class; there is no homework.

False. You will be doing outside writing in the take-home portion of the final, in the mid-term, and in the paragraph written responses.  The extra credit assignments (if you choose to do them) also demand written work.

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 an 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 its members to films which may challenge your preconceptions of film and its subject matter. While my choice of films is not terribly  "avant-garde" or "cutting edge," I do try to select 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 200 points divided into halves.

1.      Class work (100 pts. Total)

    1. Quizzes over reading and films, take home written responses
    2. Eleven of these exercises will be given; the lowest score will be dropped.

2.      Tests (100 points total)

    1. A take-home mid-term essay (3-4 pages maximum) 40 points
    2. A final examination 60 points
      1. 10 point survey (all or nothing)
      2. 50 point take-home essay portion

3.      Total points possible 200 pts.

    1. Final grades are determined on a 10% scale; above 180 total points is an "A" (200 minus 20 = 180) The final score will be lowered because of absences or late work.

2.      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.

Course components

Ten-point assignments

  1. Written work 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.
  2. Individual written work can earn 5 to10 points each; the possible points will be given on the assignment. At the end of the semester, each student will have had the opportunity to amass a total of 110 points. The lowest 10 point score will be dropped for each student at the end of the semester.
  3. Written work completed on torn, spiral bound, or ripped paper will be penalized by a 2 point deduction from the grade.
  4. Some written work will be due after we view the film. Sometimes a short scene or shot is replayed followed you interpreting and analyzing specific components of the scene. Sometimes the writing prompts are distributed before viewing the movie so you can look for materials as you view the film. In either case, names of movies, actors, directors, characters, etc. must be spelled correctly to receive full credit.
  5. Some written work will be take-home in nature. At the film's conclusion, a response assignment will be given. These are due at the beginning of the next class period.
  6. 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.
  7. Objective quizzes over the assigned reading will take place at the beginning of the hour. Objective quizzes over the film will take place after the film. If time permits, the instructor will go over the objective test immediately after the quiz is over. Objective quizzes cannot be made up.
  8. Some objective quizzes will be short-answer; some will be multiple choice. 

Longer written work

1.      This longer writings will give you a chance to reflect upon what you have viewed and compose a developed statement of your ideas.  An essay is required in response to the mid-term and an essay is required as the largest part of the final.

2.      Topics for writings will be assigned, but you are always given at least two options to choose from.

  1. Written work must be word processed by computer. Preparing your work on a computer with spell checker makes for an easier job. Make sure you save your work to a floppy disk in case it is lost or misplaced.
  2. 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 following the guidelines in Chapter 3.
  3. No outside sources should be used unless directed by the instructor.
  4. The longer assignments are arranged in order of increasing point consequence. You will have the option of rewriting the mid-term. If you choose to do this, you must make an appointment with the instructor prior to the rewrite.

Examinations

  1. The mid-term exam is comprised of a take-home essay, which is expected to follow all the rules above for written work and is worth 40 points.
  2. The final exam will consist of two parts:

A.  A 10 point all-or-nothing survey.

B.     A take-home component which will be based on reading The Rainmaker and watching the film “The Rainmaker.” An all-or-nothing survey of the class (worth 10 points)

Course Procedures

Materials

Film-based materials are posted on the P-drive one week ahead. At the end of today's first class, material for next week's film will already by up on the P-drive and I will go through the steps to access the P-drive again. You are responsible for mastering the background material. It may be the basis for quizzes. Quizzes will be given to insure that you are keeping up with reading.

Agenda

Since we meet only once a week, our time together is likely to be very full. Therefore class will start on time. When you come into the room, check the screen for the day’s agenda. Every class will begin with an agenda posted on the screen.

There is usually a short lecture by the instructor on the reading and how it applies to the film and the film itself. Sometimes in place of the lecture, 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; instead our break will come before viewing the film.

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; there is space on the quiz sheets I hand out for this.  Otherwise you will turn in a rating with your name and the film’s name on notebook paper. The notebook paper is required to be a complete sheet and not have squiggles hanging from it. If the sheet is torn or “squiggly,” 2 points will be deducted from your next 10-point assignment.

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 Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb) rating which will be found on the P-drive under Tally. The journal will be reproduced as part of the Final examination survey.

Calendar

08/29 Go over syllabus and O-P drive, watch “Sherlock, Jr.” (Keaton, 1924)

09/05  Read before class Chapters 1-2 on the O/P drive. View “Casablanca.” (Curtiz, 1942)

09/12  Read before class Chapter 4.  View “Memento” (Nolan, 2003)

From this point on, you should be reading Persuasion.

09/19 Read before class Prologue to Genres and Chapter 5. View “The Awful Truth” (McCrary, 1936)

09/26 Read before class Chapter 6. View “The Grifters” OR “L.A. Confidential”

10/03 Read before class Chapters 3 and 7.  View “Persuasion.” Assignment for mid-term handed out.

10/10 Mid-term due. View

10/17  Read before class Chapter 8. View “The Searchers” (Ford)

10/24 Read before class Chapter 9. View “Top Hat”

10/31 Read before class Chapter 10.  View “My Son, the Fanatic”

11/07 Read before class Chapter 11.  View  “Eve’s Bayou”

11/14 Read before class Chapter 12. View “Supersize Me” OR “Born Into Brothel”

11/21 No Class

11/28 View film selected by the class

12/05 View “Out of Sight”

Final Essay and Survey due on 12/14/06 at 2 pm