Celluloid Vampire: Dracula from Page to Screen
Instructor: Antonio Barrenechea
Department: English, Linguistics, and Speech Department
Course Number: FSEM 100X
CRN: 11525
Course Overview: This course explores Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula in relation to several film adaptations. After completing assignments on literary and film studies that provide an introduction to the two disciplines, students concentrate on how filmmakers from different world cinema traditions recast the Dracula myth in the audiovisual language of the big screen. The course concludes with the completion of student essays on the novel in relation to at least two of the screened films.
This course has a constant and sometimes demanding work load. Active participation during daily class discussion is essential to doing well. At a minimum, I expect you to have excellent attendance, to arrive and leave on time, to have done assigned readings carefully before class, to turn in your work on time, to bring the necessary materials and texts to class, to listen respectfully to me and to your classmates, and to contribute to class discussion and activities on a regular basis. It is your own responsibility to find out what you miss when you are not in class.
Course Materials
Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction (8th edition)
Stoker, Bram. Dracula (Bedford/St. Martin’s)
F.W. Murneau. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (DVD Special Edition)
Assignments:
Written work consists of a 2-page close-reading essay on Dracula, a 5-page shot-by-shot breakdown and analysis of a partial scene from Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, a 5-page adaptation essay, a response journal, and various other in-class assignments. Oral assignments consist of class discussion.
The following is the course grade distribution:
- Film Journal: 10%
- Attendance and Participation: 15% {More than 5 absences will result in a failing grade}
- Close-Reading Essay: 20%
- Segmentation Exercise: 25%
- Adaptation Essay: 30%
Grading Criteria:
Students often complain that they do not understand “what professors want” when it comes time to complete required assignments. The following criteria guidelines might help you to grasp how some of the grading is conducted. I divide formal written assignments in the following ways:
Papers: Content and Analysis (70%)
An average paper (C) demonstrates a superficial understanding of the topic; it is usually based almost exclusively on class notes. It generally relies too much on summary rather than explicit analysis of textual points, and uses quotations ineffectively.
A better paper (B) incorporates readings that have been assigned in other contexts, analyzes literary devices as they are employed in a text, and uses specific quotations from texts in order to illustrate the grounding of its analysis.
A superior paper (A) demonstrates all the qualities of a “B” paper, and includes a more sophisticated understanding of the chosen topic. That is, an “A” paper uses the tools of textual analysis, apt use of quotation, concise and explicit remarks justifying that analysis, while drawing on all the available resources of the course.
Papers: Form, Style, Mechanics and Usage (30%)
An average paper (C) demonstrates a reasonable control of basic English syntax, verb and subject (including pronoun) agreement, tense consistency, proofreading, paragraph organization, etc.
A better paper (B) demonstrates an ability to vary sentence structure, has few if any proofreading errors, employs careful transitions and organization in a more sophisticated way, and controls grammar.
A superior paper (A) demonstrates all the qualities of a “B” paper, and in addition demonstrates an ability to control complex sentence structure, vary verbs effectively, and contains no proofreading errors.
Most important, please be assured that I want students to learn and to receive the good grades they deserve. So please make an appointment with me should you have undue difficulty with your work in the course.
Spring 2008 Schedule:
Week #1 LITERARY STUDY |
1/15 T Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vampire (1888) |
1/17 R Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) [Chapter I-IV] |
Week #2 |
1/22 T Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) [Chapter V-VIII] |
1/24 R Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) [Chapter IX-XII] |
Week #3 |
1/29 T Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) [Chapter XIII-XVII] |
1/31 R Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) [Chapter XVIII-XX] |
Week #4 |
2/5 T Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) [Chapter XXI-XXIV] |
2/7 R Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) [Chapter XXV-Note] |
Week #5 |
2/12 T Visit to the Writing Center |
2/14 R Literary Analysis Due in Class |
Week #6 FILM STUDY |
2/19 T Mise en Scène: Bordwell/Thompson, Film Art [Chapter 4] |
2/21 R Cinematography: Bordwell/Thompson, Film Art [Chapter 5] |
Week #7 |
2/26 T Editing: Bordwell/Thompson, Film Art [Chapter 6] |
2/28 R Sound: Bordwell/Thompson, Film Art [Chapter 7] |
Week #8 |
3/4 T Spring Break |
3/6 R Spring Break |
Week #9 |
3/11 T Conferencing with Writing Center Tutors |
3/13 R Film Analysis Due in Class |
Week #10 FILM ADAPTATION |
3/18 T Tod Browning, Dracula (U.S.A., 1931) |
3/20 R Tod Browning, Dracula (U.S.A., 1931) |
Week #11 |
3/25 T George Melford, Drácula (U.S.A., 1931) |
3/27 R George Melford, Drácula (U.S.A., 1931) |
Week #12 |
4/1 T Terence Fisher, Horror of Dracula (England, 1958) |
4/3 R Terence Fisher, Horror of Dracula (England, 1958) |
Week #13 |
4/8 T Werner Herzog, Nosferatu the Vampyre (Germany, 1979) |
4/10 R Werner Herzog, Nosferatu the Vampyre (Germany, 1979) |
Week #14 |
4/15 T Francis Ford Coppola, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (U.S.A., 1992) |
4/17 R Francis Ford Coppola, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (U.S.A., 1992) |
Week #15 |
4/22 T Film Journal Due in Class |
4/24 R Conferencing with Writing Center Tutors |
EXAM WEEK |
5/1 T Adaptation Essay Due in My Office by 5:00 pm |