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Spring 2009
English 98/198
2 Unit(s)

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About the Course:

The book was better... or was it?

In this class we will experience books and their film adaptations, covering the differences and similarities between these two mediums of story telling.  What's lost from the page?  What's gained on the screen?  Additionally, we will explore the process of adapting a tale from chapter to reel, critical reception of the films, the "making of" these movies, the nature of genre, cultural influences and impacts, and major themes and literary devices within the books themselves.  The key learning outcome of this course is to explore each book and film individually, then look at them as a whole and as a result of each other, analyzing why certain things have been changed and what is lost/gained in each medium.  At the end of the course, students should be able to view film adaptations in a different - less critical, more objective - light, and read novels from a film maker’s perspective.

We will discuss books/movies such as the following (including but not limited to): Into the Wild, Fight Club, Taming of the Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You, and The Dark Knight.  There will be a total of six adaptations, the following two to be decided by the class on the first day. You can download the tentative syllabus at the bottom of the page.

How to Enroll:

The class has a limit of 45 students, 20 lower 25 upper division students.  Please e-mail us (with your full name and specify whether you are a lower or upper division student) if you are interested in taking this course (first come first enrolled).  You must come to the first day of class in order to receive the CCN.