Speaking exercise

14 Setembro 2023, 17:00 • Cecília Maria Beecher Martins

In groups students discussed the questions on "Literature, film and the Arts" on page 15 of the course manual. This group discussion was followed by a general class discussion.

Presentation of Course Program and Diiscussion of Evaluation Criteria

12 Setembro 2023, 17:00 • Cecília Maria Beecher Martins

Program 

1) Students will engage with film and literature as they will be offered instruction in the individual languages each medium. This instruction will be consolidated through practical exercises. Therefore, students will do literary close reading exercises as well as visual literacy exercises applied to film. The latter will be based on a knowledge of cinematic mise-en-scene and film semiotics. They will also be introduced to the theories on adaptation from text to screen, to further develop their capacity to analysis literary and cinematic works in their own rights.

2) Students will also be encouraged to understand their individual connections with literature and cinema using the principles of free associative film and literary analysis.

3)  Moreover, referring to contemporary academic theories that discuss the potential role of the arts as facilitators of the flow of knowledge in society (e.g. epistemic injustice – Miranda Fricker), students will be encouraged to consider the role of the arts in society.

4) Using the tools presented above students will be instructed on the procedures and practices associated with writing an academic essay in English (abstract, key words, essay). They will submit such an essay at the end of the semester.

5) Students will also make oral presentations based on literary close reading and visual literacy applied to cinema, as well as discuss academic essays in class.

6) Moreover, as this is an English C2 Curricular Unit, throughout the semester, students will perform a variety of writing and oral exercises to illustrate their dominion of the English language, as well as CPE Use of English exercises.

Grading and Assessment

A student-centred teaching approach will be used following a task-based methodology. Students will be presented with the working/research methods and then work individually with the materials for their oral presentation and research essay. 

40% Written test: 12^th December 2023. (Based on theoretical texts and set novel).

30% Essay (1,000 words) Students will work individually and write a research essay on any aspect of the novel they have read that connects with the theoretical texts worked with during the semester. The final essay must be submitted by 28^th November 2023.

A 150-word abstract presenting the central research question and methodology and at least 2 references must be submitted by email by 31^st October 2023 to permit discussion of theme.

15% Continuous Assessment: students will be expected to read and discuss the theoretical texts presented during the semester.

15% Oral Presentation: Students will deliver a 10-minute close reading of a film still, short clip or short extract from either the film or the book in their research set. 

Writing your abstract: A sample abstract is presented in the manual. As you will see this is a written text – not a bullet point item and it is a vital step in the research process as it permits discussion and reflection on the topic of choice and allows for the correction of false assumptions. Therefore, if students do not submit an abstract, they will not be allowed to present the final essay. If work (abstract or essay) is submitted after the deadline, there will be deductions for each working day the submission exceeds the deadline.

Writing your essay: Writing a research paper requires in-depth and concentrated reading/viewing and thinking. This work takes time and effort, so start reading your novel quickly and consider which of the themes you would like to work with, e.g. the work as a reflection of society at its time and/or its “epistemic” quality, did it introduce awareness of new or different concepts – new ways of knowing or understanding conditions. You could also look at its adaptations – what is removed/added/condensed. Reflections on close reading and/or visual literacy can also be incorporated into the essays. Please feel free to discuss any ideas you have with me – this assignment is quite open.

Oral Presentations should be based on:

A 100-150-word section of the novel read. or

B 1-2 film stills or a 1-minute excerpt will suffice for the visual literacy exercise.

Both exercises should begin:

1) locating the extract/still/scene in the original text and contextualise it in terms of relevance

2) ask fellow students to identify elements that stand out to them and then perform a technical analysis, incorporating elements presented by colleagues

3) finish by referring to how the extract/stills/scene selected informed, drive or altered the narrative flow of the film.

Reference Reading:

Barnet, Sylvan and William E. Cain. A Short Guide to Writing about Literature 12^th Ed. Longman. 2011.

Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film 8^th Ed. New York: Longman, 2012.

Fricker, Miranda Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. OUP. 2007.

Holland, Norman Meeting Movies. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2006.

Holland, Norman & Murray Schwartz. Know Thyself: The Delphi Seminars. PsyArt Foundation. 2008.

Pinker, Steven. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21^st Century. Penguin Books. 2015.

Stam, Robert & Raengo, Alessandra (Eds). Literature and Film: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation. Blackwell Publishing. 2004.

Relevant extracts from these texts will be found in the Anthology available at the beginning of the semester. 

Students must also read one the following novels:

Patricia Highsmith. The Talented Mr. Ripley. 1955.

Harper Lee. To Kill a Mocking Bird. 1960.

Harper Lee. Go Set a Watchman. 2015.

And work with one the following films:

Michael Curtiz. Dir. Casablanca. 1942.

George Cukor. Dir. Gaslight. 1944.

Anthony Minghella. Dir. The Talented Mr. Ripley. 1999.

Robert Mulligan. Dir. To Kill a Mocking Bird. 1962.

Notes on Participation Attendance and Punctuality: Active participation in both class and group discussions is not only reflected in your final mark but it also ensures you develop fluency and confidence. Classes start ten minutes after the hour. Your presence and arrival on time is essential and will be reflected on your final mark — being late not only disturbs class but is also a sign of disrespect for your classmates and your teacher. Please let me know at the beginning of class if you need to leave class early for any formal motive or if you are expecting an urgent phone call. Smart Phones, tablets and laptop are only to be used for class purposes.