English 497
"Transformations: From Children's Literature to Film"
Summer II, 2006
Dr. Susan Stewart
Hall of Languages 314
903-468-8624
Office Hours: Monday and Tuesday 10:00-10:50
e-mail: susan_stewart@tamu-commerce.edu
website: http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/slstewart/

Co-teaching with me:

Ms. Andi Miller

Required Texts:

• Collodi, Carlo.Pinocchio
• Dahl, Roald. The Witches
• Travers, P.L. Mary Poppins
• Dahl, Roald.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Babbitt, Natalie.Tuck Everlasting
• Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• Internet access to fairy tales on line
• You do not need to purchase the film versions. We will be watching the adaptations in class in our very own theater.

Course Description, Goals, and Approach: In this class, you will be reading various texts associated with children and viewing full-length film adaptations of those texts. As you read and watch, you might be surprised at the transformations involved. You might even be surprised to find out that Disney wasn't the originator of "The Little Mermaid," "Cinderella," Pinocchio and other stories that have become cultural icons through Disney's vision and revisions. More specifically, though, we will be examining the differing and similar values, ideologies, functions, and constructions of childhood in the literature and film and speculate what those transformations might mean. We will do this through reading children's novels as well as folk and fairy tales, examining the transformations that occur, discussing the transformations, and writing about them in and out of class. By the end of the course, you should be conversant in the ideologies that inform the texts and adapations, have a solid grasp of the terms we use in and class, and be able to identify various subtexts.

Assignments, Tests, and Grading:

Critical Responses: Throughout the semester, you'll write "critical responses" to the texts you read wherein you explore an idea or concept reflecting the nature of the course. These responses are not exercises in personal responses (I hated it; I loved it); rather, I will give you a prompt to which you'll need to respond, or I will ask you to write a free response where you decide on an issue relative to the theme of the class. Unless otherwise specified, your responses should:

• Be typed
• Unless otherwise noted, be a minimum of 700 words (please provide your word count at the end of your paper)
• Have an introduction wherein you state the idea, speculation, or question with which your working; a body where you explore that idea, speculation, or question; a conclusion that gives your reader something to think about. Generally, you will examine the ideological disposition of the texts we read. Alternatively, I will ask for a comparision of text and adaptation wherein you examine the ideological shifts.
• Include quotations from the text (but not necessarily the film since you might not have access to the film) that advance/support your idea, speculation, or question. If your response does not have quotations from the text, do not expect an A on it.
• Follow MLA style which means you should include the page numbers of your quoations and a works cited entry. If your response does not include page numbers and the works cited entry, I will return it to you without grading. You must turn in the corrected paper the next class period. The grade will be lowered a letter grade, for I will consider it a late paper.
• Go beyond the obvious
• Avoid generalizations
• Follow this link for a checklist and guide to writing textual analyses
• Follow this link for Critical Response Assignments

You must turn in all critical responses and take the final exam to pass the course

Americans with Disabilities Act Statement: According to TAMU-Commerce policy, "Students requesting accommodations for disabilities must go through the Academic Support Committee. For more information, please contact the Director of Disability Resources and Services, Halladay Student Services Building, Room 303D, 903-886-5835." It is only under these conditions that I will make the accommodations you require.

Late Work: I seldom accept late work, especially in a five-week class. If you know ahead of time that you will be absent when an assignment is due, it is your responsibility to turn it in before it is due. Otherwise, if I accept the paper at all, it will be docked at least one letter grade.

Participation, Absences, and Tardiness: This is a discussion-based class, which is designed to help you discuss children's literature and film from an intellectual standpoint. If you find our topic uninteresting, then you have a responsibility to help make it interesting. Ask questions; help lead discussion.

If for some reason you miss class, it is your responsibility to contact one of your classmates and find out what you missed.

I understand that emergencies arise, but if it appears that you'll be missing more than 1 or 2 classes, you should consider taking this course when you can devote the necessary time required by this class. This is particularly relevant due to the short duration of this course. (Essentially, each week of class is equivalent to 3 weeks of classes in a traditional 15-week course.) I do keep track of attendance and I don't give "free" absences. Excessive absences will negatively affect your grade. I define excessive absences as more than 2 absences. If you get into the 3-4 area, it will be a challenge to make better than a C. If you have 5 absences or more, expect to fail the class. Additionally, I reserve the right to drop you from the class if students who accrue 5 or more absences.

Arrive on time. Arriving late is disrespectful and disruptive. If I have taken role before you arrive, I will count it as an absence. Most in-class assignments and quizzes cannot be made up, and I tend to give quizzes at the beginning of class.

Computers and the Internet: You need to have access to and be willing to work with computers and the internet. If you do not have access to a computer or are opposed to using one, you will need to take a section wherein computers are not as critical to the classroom environment. Most of the work I assign will be listed on my website, and some of the readings can only be found through links I provide.

Academic Honesty: You are responsible for indicating when you have used specific words, sentences, or paragraphs, which belong to other writers. These words, sentences, or paragraphs should be designated via quotation marks and in-text citations. Additionally, identify when you use ideas from other sources. If you use the exact wording of something you've read or if you paraphrase it, provide a specific citation indicating where you found your information. If in question, cite it, and indicate that you've cited it by using quotation marks and in-text citations. Think of it in these terms: knowledge is a commodity, especially in the academic community. If you had a brilliant idea, or a wonderful way with words, would you like it if someone used your idea or words without acknowledging you? In short, I will fail papers that are copied or that do not acknowledge sources. If you have questions, ask me, and I will help you. If I discover a paper has been plagiarized, I will fail the paper, which will likely result in an F for the class. Further, according to the Texas A&M University-Commerce Code of Student Conduct 5.b[1,2,3], penalties for students guilty of academic dishonesty include disciplinary probation, suspension, and expulsion. See also the following link: http://www.ilstu.edu/~ddhesse/wpa/positions/WPAplagiarism.pdf

Classroom Etiquette: Students are expected to be civil, polite, and accommodating to differences of opinion. University policy provides the means for dismissing students who do not meet these requirements, and I will take politeness very seriously.

Cell Phones in the Classroom: Use some common sense and be smart about this, for I have a real problem with cell phones in the classroom. It's rude, disrespectful, and disruptive to accept or make phone calls, to text message, or play games. Just don't. The only cell phone permitted in this class is a cell phone that is turned off. That means you should not receive or answer calls or text messages. If your phone rings during class or if you are texting, I reserve the right to confiscate the phone until class is over. Alternatively, if there is cell phone incident, I reserve the right to ask you to leave class, which will count as an absence.

TExES/ExCET: If you intend to seek teaching certification, you must past the state's certification examination on the TExES/ExCET. Preparation guidelines describing the English exams are available for downloading at http://www.texes.nesinc.com/prepmanuals/prepman_opener.htm.