English 2C (Film and Fiction)

Spring 2010

Office: HU 111

Office Phone: 848-4710

Office Hours: 10:20-11:20 (MW), 12:10-12:40 & 2:10-2:40 (T Th), and by appointment

E-mail Address: grichards@gavilan.edu

Movie Schedule

January 30th:                  About a Boy—Nick Hornby / Paul & Chris Weitz (2002)

(Nick Hornby)                        High Fidelity—Nick Hornby / Stephen Frears (1999)

February 6th:                  Fight Club—Chuck Palahniuk / David Fincher (1999)

(Action)                               L.A. Confidential—James Ellroy / Curtis Hanson (1997)

                                        No Country For Old Men—Cormac McCarthy / Joel & Ethan Coen (2007)

                                                     There Will Be Blood—Upton Sinclair / Paul Thomas Anderson (2007)

                                        Children of Men—P.D. James / Alfonso Cuaron (2006)

                                                     The Bourne Identity—Robert Ludlum / Doug Limun (2003)

                                                     A History of Violence—John Wagner / David Cronenberg (200

February 13th:                  *To Kill a Mockingbird—Harper Lee / Robert Mulligan (1962)

February 20th:               Julie & Julia—Julie Powell / Nora Ephron (2009)

 (Meryl Streep)                              Kramer vs. Kramer—Avery Corman / Robert Benton  (1979)

                                                    Sophie’s Choice—William Styron / Alan J. Pakula (1982)

                         Postcards From the Edge—Carrie Fisher / Mike Nichols (1990)

                                       The Hours—Michael Cunningham / Stephen Daldry (2002)

                                                    Out of Africa—Isak Dinesen / Sydney Pollack (1985)

                                                    Adaptation—Susan Orlean / Spike Jonze (2003)

February 27th:               Million Dollar Baby—F.X. Toole / Clint Eastwood (2004)

(Clint Eastwood)                            Mystic River—Dennis Lehane / Clint Eastwood (2003)

                                                     The Bridges of Madison County—Robert James Waller / Clint Eastwood  (1995)

March 5th:                       Up In the Air (2009)—Walter Kirn / Jason Reitman (2009)

(Serious Comedy)                     Sideways—Rex Pickett / Alexander Payne (2004)

                                                Being There—Jerzy Kosinski / Hal Ashby (1979)

March 12th:                    *The Color Purple—Alice Walker / Stephen Spielberg (1985)

March 19th:                             Pride & Prejudice—Jane Austen / Joe Wright (2005)

(Romance)                                     Chocolat—Joanne Harris / Lasse Hallstrom (2000)

                                                      The Notebook—Nicholas Sparks / Nick Cassavetes (2004)

April 2nd:                                 The Shawshank Redemption—Stephen King / Frank Darabont (1994)

(Stephen King)                              The Shining—Stephen King / Stanley Kubrick (1980)

                                                     Misery—Stephen King / Rob Reiner (1990)

                                                     Stand by Me—Stephen King / Rob Reiner (1986)

                                                     Cujo—Stephen King / Lewis Teague (1983)

                                                     The Green Mile—Stephen King / Frank Darabont (1999)             

April 9th:                                 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly—Jean-Dominique Bauby / Julian Schnabel (2007)

(Foreign)                                     Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon—Wang Du Lu / Ang Lee (2000)

                                                    Pan’s Labyrinth—John Ronald Reuel Tolkien / Guillermo del Toro (2006)

                                                    Like Water For Chocolate—Laura Esquivel /  Alfonso Arau (1992)

                                                    Motorcycle Diaries—Ernesto Guevara / Walter Salles (2004)

April 16th:                           *One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest—Ken Kesey / Milos Forman (1975)

April 23st:                            The World According to Garp—John Irving / George Roy Hill (1982)

(John Irving)                      The Cider House Rules—John Irving / Lasse Hallstrom (1999)

                                                 Simon Birch—John Irving / Mark Steven Johnson (1998)

April 30th:                            The Reader (2008)—Vikas Swarup / Stephen Daldry (2008)

 (Historical Drama)                    The Joyluck Club—Amy Tan / Wayne Wang (1997)

                                                  Cold Mountain—Charles Frazier / Anthony Minghella (2003)

                                                  Schindler’s List—Thomas Keneally / Stephen Spielberg (1993)

                                     Atonement—Ian McEwan / Joe Wright (2007)

May  7th:                              *Fried Green Tomatoes—Fanny Flagg / Jon Avnet (1991)

May 14th:                              Roxanne (Cyrano de Bergerac)—Edmond Rostand / Fred Schepisi (1987)

(Comedy)                                  Out of Sight—Elmore Leonard / Steven Soderbergh (1998)

                                                Get Shorty—Elmore Leonard / Barry Sonnenfeld (1995)

                                                Bridget Jones’ Diary—Helen Fielding / Sharon Maguire (2001)

Required Novels: 

           To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

         The Color Purple by Alice Walker

         One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

         Fried Green Tomatoes by Fanny Flagg

         Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Course Objectives: 

            The class objective is to expose you to new and different ideas by having you read great novels and watch great movies.  The course will offer a basic analysis of literary form and style and examine the film as an art form.  A brief history of the growth and development of the motion picture and of the film genre will be included.

Assignments:

         Reading quizzes on the five mandatory novels

         One research paper on the novel of your choice

Attendance:

            This class begins at exactly 6:30.  If you do not arrive on time, you will not only miss the beginning of the movies, but you will also disturb the viewing of them when you enter the classroom, so please make every effort to be on time.  On the days that we have reading quizzes, you must be on time because the quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class, and quizzes cannot be made up.  Attendance, both physical and mental, is important to this course.  Attending class means more than just showing up. You must come prepared to participate, having read and thought about all assigned readings and having completed all assigned work.  Experience has shown me that your work (and therefore your grades) will suffer if you miss more than one or two classes.  Students who miss more than three classes will be dropped. 

Grading:

            Your final grade is based on your five reading quizzes (20 points each), and your class participation (20 points) for a total of 120 points.  You must do all assigned work to pass the course. 

Honesty Policy:

         Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and integrity.  Violations such as cheating and plagiarism will result in disciplinary action, which may include recommendation for dismissal. 

ADA Accommodations:

          Students requiring special services or arrangements because of hearing, visual, or other disability should contact their instructor, counselor, or the Disabled Student Services Office. 

Occupational/Vocational Students:

           Limited English language skills will not be a barrier to admittance to and participation in Vocational Education Programs.