Film & Literature

Instructor: Rebecca Pollack
Length of Course: Fall Semester

Course Description
How does literature get adapted into a film? What elements are essential in capturing the essence of a piece of literature? How does one write an effective scene or a screenplay based on literature? These are all driving questions to be pursued throughout the semester in Film & Literature. Students will also be examining the medium of film, watching and interpreting a variety of film genres and styles.

We will be reading two pieces of literature as a class, and we will be viewing selected film adaptations of each piece. Students will analyze & interpret these works of literature, critique film versions based on that literature, as well as craft their own stories, scenes and script adaptations.

Course Readings:

• Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• One Piece of Literature TBD

Course Expectations:
Each student is expected to arrive on time & prepared for class. A writing instrument, a notebook, the required literary text, and any required assignments will be necessary for class each day. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to look at the course calendar & to make up any missed assignments. If you are working on a group project, you should always contact your group members if and when you are absent. Tardies and unexcused absences will bring down your Work Ethic grade in the class. Each unexcused absence lowers your Work Ethic grade by 3%, and two tardies equal an absence. All excused absences must be cleared with Ms. Cherrington in the front office within one week, or they will turn into unexcused absences.

Late Work Policy:
You should try to speak with me in advance if you are not going to be able to meet a deadline. In most cases, if you do not have an assignment completed on time, you will lose your work ethic points for the assignment. If there are no designated work ethic points, then you will be marked down by one grade. After two days on which the class has met, late assignments will no longer be accepted.

If you have an excused absence, you will not receive a penalty for work that is turned in late. However, if work was due on the date of your absence, it is expected that the work will be turned in on the day you return to class.

Grading:

• WORK ETHIC: 20%
• ENGLISH CURRICULAR LITERACY: 25%
• WRITTEN COMMUNICATION: 25%
• CRITICAL THINKING: 15%
• ORAL COMMUNICATION: 10%
• COLLABORATION: 5%