The University of Tennessee at Martin

Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages

Spring 2014
Adaptation(s)
English 395/595.01: Literature and Film (3 credit hrs.)
Featuring: Dr. Jeffrey Longacre (as himself)
Class Times: TR 2:30-3:45 Class Room: HU 116
Lab: W 5:30-7:30 (meets in FA 142)

Essentials:
Office: 130A Andy Holt Humanities Bldg.
Mailbox: English Department, 131 Andy Holt Humanities Bldg.
Office Hours: MW 1:00-3:00, TR 1:00-2:30, and by appt.
Office Phone: 881-7295
e-mail: jlongac1@utm.edu (best way to reach me)

Course Description:
In this course students will explore the relationship between Literature and the newer art form of
cinema through careful comparative study of a variety of different approaches to the adaptation of
various literary texts into films. Ranging from relatively close adaptations, like David Leans classic
version of Charles Dickenss Great Expectations to very loose experimentations with adaptation,
such as Michelangelo Antonionis adaptation of Julio Cortzars short story Blow-Up, we will
spend a great deal of time discussing and writing about the process of adapting page to screen.
Along the way students will be introduced to key concepts of film studies and adaptation theory
such as genre, intertextuality, and the problem of authorship. This course will also serve as a
general introduction to cinematic terminology and to historical and theoretical concepts important
to the study of film in general. NOTE: this course includes a required lab component during
which most of the required films will be screened.
Course Prerequisites
Successful completion (C or higher) of ENGL 112 is the minimum prerequisite for this course; keep
in mind, however, that this is a reading- and writing-intensive upper-division English course, so
your writing will be evaluated accordingly, and a certain mastery of grammar, style, and format will
be taken for granted.
Required Texts
Thinking About Film: A Critical Perspective, Dean Duncan
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Libra, Don DeLillo
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
A few short stories and essays that do not appear in any of the above texts will also be required
reading and they will be made available on reserve at the library and/or on Blackboard.
Recommended Text

ENG 395/Dr. Longacre

A Short Guide to Writing About Film by Timothy Corrigan

While this text is not required, it is a brief, handy, and very useful reference guide for writing about
film.
Required Screenings
As a literature AND film course there will be approximately 12-15 films that will be considered
required viewing and you should treat them with the same attention and seriousness that you
would a required written text. All students are required to attend the screenings of films for
this course on Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:30 (or occasionally later) in FA 142.
Attendance at these screenings is a mandatory component of this class and it will comprise a
portion of your final grade. Furthermore, I cannot guarantee the availability of these films
beyond those screenings, although I will try to put all required titles on reserve in the library. If you
miss a Wednesday screening, you are still responsible for viewing all required films by the date for
which they are scheduled. Also, a few films (i.e. Apocalypse Now, The Tree of Life, etc.) will exceed
the allotted 120-minute time slot of our Wednesday lab; you will be notified in advance when this is
the case and you are expected to plan accordingly for the extended time on those evenings. See
course schedule for dates and times of specific films.
Course Requirements and Grading:
Course requirements will include 3 short essays (3-5 pages each), 1 analytical essay with a
significant research component (8-10 pp.), a comprehensive final exam (short answer and essay),
Blackboard participation, and attendance and participation in all class activities and discussions.
ALL major writing assignments and exams must be completed in order to pass this course.
Your grade will be broken down in the following manner:
1 Screening Report (to be posted on Bb)
1 Film Review
1 Adaptation Analysis
1 Term Paper (8-10 pages)
Comprehensive Final Exam
Blackboard Participation
Film Lab Attendance

10%
10%
15%
20%
25%
10%
10%

Final grade evaluation is based upon the standard University of Tennessee-Martin scale:
A=90-100% B=80-89%
C=70-79%
D=60-69%
F=anything below 60%
Blackboard
Each student will be required to post one screening report (300-500 words) to Blackboard over
one of the films we screen over the course of the semester. These reports will be due no later than
24 hours after the film is screened. The rest of the class then has until class time the following
Tuesday to respond to at least one of the screening reports on each film. The screening report will
be one of the required short essays and participation in these on-line discussions is mandatory. A
sign up sheet for the screening reports will be passed around on the first day of class.
Class Participation and Attendance
Class participation is a very important part of this course; attendance is mandatory, and four
unexcused absences will constitute a deduction of one letter grade from your final grade (i.e.
a B becomes a C); six unexcused absences will result in a deduction of two letter grades (i.e. B
becomes D), and eight unexcused absences will result in automatically receiving an F for

ENG 395/Dr. Longacre

the course. Be sure to contact me if you are having problems attending the class. No late daily
grade assignments will be accepted. For late essay assignments, students will receive a deduction
of one letter grade (10%) per day late. Late daily grades cannot be made up for any reason.
Please contact me if you are having on-going problems at any point during the semester. THIS
POLICY WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.
If an emergency situation arises and class is cancelled please check Blackboard or your UT Martin
email account for instructions about the class.
Writing Center
The Writing Center is always available to assist you with your writing assignments (for this and
other classes). I STRONGLY recommend you take advantage of this free resource whether you think
you need to or not (did I mention it is free?) It is located in Humanities room 209. Phone: 8817277. Email: owl@utm.edu. Web: http://www.utm.edu/organizations/wcenter/
Special Needs
Any student eligible for and requesting academic accommodations due to a disability is requested
to provide a letter of accommodation from the Student Success Center within the first two weeks of
the semester. I cannot provide any special accommodations without proper documentation.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism consists of the unacknowledged use of the work of another. It is the students
responsibility to understand what consists of plagiarism, so if you have any questions about how to
cite sources properly or about what constitutes plagiarism, then please do not hesitate to ask me.
Plagiarism is a very serious offense and will in turn be dealt with severely. There is a no tolerance
policy regarding plagiarism in this course. Essays that are plagiarized or contain plagiarism,
whether accidental or intentional, will automatically receive a 0 and I will report the
incident to Student Affairs. In addition, I reserve the right to fail the student for the course
and/or recommend suspension from the University at my discretion. If you have ANY questions
about this policy or about plagiarism, please ask me at any time and I will be glad to help. All
papers must be submitted electronically through SafeAssignment on Blackboard in order to
receive credit.
Paper Format
All essays for this course MUST BE TYPED and will be deducted from if they do not meet the
following criteria: Use one-inch margins all around, a four-line heading on left side (on the top of
page one that includes name, course, assignment, date), a title, and a 12pt (or 11pt) font in one of
the following flavors: Arial, Cambria, Times New Roman, Garamond, Calibri (I will not accept
Courier New or Palatino Linotype). Everything, including heading, title, and quotes are doublespaced. All prose quotations of over four lines and poetry over two must be blocked and indented
one inch. You are encouraged to use headers, layout, tables, and illustrations in your documents;
they simply must conform to consistent conventions (see your handbook for ideas). For
documentation, use the MLA style, and refer to the MLA Handbook for guidelines. In fact, although it
is not a required text for the course, I would strongly recommend acquiring a copy of the MLA
Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
Electronic Devices
All cell phones, iphones, ipods, and any other electronic devices that prove distracting must be
turned off and put away during our class meetings (and especially during film screenings!). In

ENG 395/Dr. Longacre

general, please exercise common sense and show the proper respect to me and to your classmates
so we can have good, engaging class discussions.
Graduate Credit
This class is cross-listed as English 595 for graduate credit. If you are enrolled in this course as a
graduate student, you need to come meet with me individually sometime during the first week of
classes so we can discuss some additional assignments and expectations to meet the requirements
of a graduate-level course.
Elastic Clause
This syllabus is subject to change throughout the course of the semester. Students will be notified if
any changes occur. You are responsible for knowing the assignment and for being prepared at the
beginning of each class period. Readings are due on the day that they appear on the schedule and
occasionally may be met with quizzes

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE FOR ENG 395: Adaptation(s)

Dr. Longacre/Spring 2014
An asterisk (*) denotes that a film's run time exceeds 120 mins.; please plan accordingly
(X indicates reading will be made available either via Bb or as photocopy)
Jan.

09 Syllabus; Watching Films; Ch. 1 Film Viewers Guide (X)

14 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce; Writing about Films; Ch. 2
Film Viewers Guide (X)
15 SCREENING: Citizen Kane (1941136 mins)
16 Discuss Citizen Kane; Thinking About Film, Chs. 1 and 3
21 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
22 SCREENING: Great Expectations (1946118 mins)
23 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens; Thinking About Film, Ch. 5
28 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
29 SCREENING: Great Expectations (1998111 mins)
30 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens; It Wasnt Like that in the Book by Brian
McFarlane (X)

Feb.

04 It Had to be Murder by Cornell Woolrich (X)

05 SCREENING: Rear Window (1954112 mins)
06 Discuss Rear Window; Thinking About Film, Ch. 6

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11 Blow Up by Julio Cortazar (X)
12 SCREENING: Blow-Up (1966111 mins)
13 Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema by Laura Mulvey (X)
Film Review Assignment due through SafeAssignment by 11:59pm, Friday, 02/14
18 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
19 SCREENING: Frankenstein (193170 mins)
20 CLASS WILL NOT MEET
25 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
26 SCREENING: Mary Shelleys Frankenstein (1994123 mins)
27 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
(Withdraw Deadline: February 28th is the last day to drop a class and receive a W)
Mar.

04 SPRING-BREAK
06 NO CLASSES
11 Macbeth by William Shakespeare
12 SCREENING: Macbeth
13 Macbeth by William Shakespeare
18 Macbeth by William Shakespeare
19 SCREENING: Throne of Blood
20 Libra by Don DeLillo
Adaptation Assignment due through SafeAssignment by 11:59pm, Friday, 03/21
25 Libra by Don DeLillo
26 SCREENING: JFK
27 Libra by Don DeLillo; From CNN to JFK by W.J.T. Mitchell

Apr.

01 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

02 SCREENING: Apocalypse Now
03 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
08 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
09 SCREENING: The Tree of Life
10 Selections from William Wordsworth and The Book of Job
15 Orchid Fever by Susan Orlean
16 SCREENING: Adaptation.
17 Twelve Fallacies in Contemporary Adaptation Theory by Thomas Leitch (X)
22 Notes on the Auteur Theory by Andrew Sarris (X); course evaluations
23 SCREENING: F for Fake
24 Discuss F for Fake and Auteur Theory
Term Paper due through SafeAssignment by 11:59pm, Friday, 04/25

Final Exam: Friday, May 2nd, 10:00am-12:00 (bring pens and blue book)

ENG 395/Dr. Longacre