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Course Focus:
English 231, Literature and Film, examines adaptations of textual narratives into film. In order to provide some thematic focus for our study, we will explore in particular representations of violence in the 20th century (colonialism, war, and genocide). We will consider both difference contexts (African imperialism, World War II, and Rwanda), as well as differing degrees of adaptation --from those films that constitute more or less faithful renditions of the texts, to those that merely share a common subject matter. In addition, as an introduction to the sophisticated analysis of the medium, we shall begin the semester with one of the great films of all time in terms of cinematography, Orson Welles's 1941 Citizen Kane.
Special note: we will be discussing four films over the course of the interim session. As a concession to the logistics of the compressed time frame and to the more limited accessibility of the films, we will view the first two films (Citizen Kane and Slaughterhouse-Five) in class. We cannot spare, however, any more in-class time to view film, and you will be responsible for viewing Apocalypse Now and Hotel Rwanda on your own. I will arrange afternoon screening sessions for these two films, but if you are unable to attend the screenings, you must make your own arrangements to see them on your own. Plan accordingly.
Goals for 200-level General Education Literature Courses: (see also Liberal Arts statement)
- Help students develop an appreciation of the intellectual benefits of reading literature and an interest in reading literary works;
- Help students develop analytical skills through close readings of literary texts;
- Help students develop a respect for the multiplicity of valid responses to literary texts;
- Help students develop basic literary research skills;
- Help students develop the abilities necessary to write effective prose.
Research & Writing:
Because our focus is not the passive consumption of literature and film but an active, critical response to them, we will address research and writing as they relate to our subject matter. We will be spending time in the Radford Teaching Lab and in the library learning how to conduct effective research in the field, and we will develop the skills needed to produce effective written analyses on topics in the Humanities.
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