Short Talk and Film Schedule for Spring 2011: Advanced Composition (Humanities)

1: M/W, 1/23 & 1/25

• The class watches A Month in the Country

3: M/W, 2/6 & 2/8

• 2/6: Short talk 1: A Month in the Country: The story of the medieval painter, how it is reflected in the stories of the painting, and Charles Moon's life: Sarah Perez/______________________________
• 2/6: Short Talk 2: AMinC: Parallels and contrasts in the characters over social integration, Tom Birkin, and Charles (James in the film) Moon, Rev Keach and Mr Ellerbee and women's secondary position: Alice Keach, Vinnie, Kathy and Mrs Ellerbee: Samantha Weissenberger/Devon Packett
• 2/8 Short Talk 3: AMinC: The presentation of the natural world, death and religion: George Liscinsky/Kevin Elam

4: M/W, 2/13 & 2/14

• 2/13: Short talk 4: AMinC: the film is deeply sympathetic to Moon and homosexuality, to sexuality itself and the book much less so. What are some of the differences between the two that show this?: Mark Fitzgerald/Patrick Laughlin
• 2/13 & 2/14: The class watches The Namesake and if possible the DVD features.

5: M/W, 2/20 & 2/22

• 2/20: Short talk 5: Namesake: How does Lahirir treat arranged versus romantic marriages?: Tu Uyen Nguyen/Chandria Rashid
• 2/20: Short talk 6: Namesake: discuss the ways Ashimi, Gogol (aka Nikhil) and Moushumi cope or do not cope with the problems of assimilation as US people and holding onto their Indian selves: Tina Larios/Aaron Lal
• 2/22: Short Talk 7: Namesake, the function of the different places the characters live and holiday in (Boston, India,NYC, Cleveland, lake house New Hampshire): Krista Berndt/Kyle Gurgick

6: M/W, 2/27 & 2/29

• 2/27: Short Talk 8: Namesake: Compare Mira Nair's film with Jhumpa Lahiri's novel: how does the increased emphasis on Ashima instead of Gogol and the emphasis on India change the themes of the story and our feelings for the characters?: Ashley Betancourt/Adriana Galvao
• 2/29: Short talk 9: Girl Sleuth: Mason shows certain norms changed over the decades as the Strathemeyer group rewrote the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and glamor girl series? Discuss which ones changed and which ones stayed the same: Mary Kelly/Victoria Granfield
• 2/29: Short Talk 10: Girl Sleuth: Mason discusses two series that were written by one person and did not alter (Judy Bolton and Trixie Belden): discuss the presentation of class and money in these and how it differs from the other continually "updated" series: ___________________/Logan Fitzpatrick

8: M/W, 3/19 & 3/21

• 3/19: The class watches The Haunting.
• 3/21: Short talk 11: Haunting of Hill House: compare the realistic way the gothic elements are presented in the story so as to make us feel we have had an experience of the uncanny: Jayred Christabel/Stephen Tagunding

9: M/W, 3/26 & 3/28

• 3/26: Short talk 12: Haunting of Hill House: self-sacrifice, isolation, and loneliness in the original family of the house (a line of women) and companion and Eleanor Lance and/or Theo and/or Mrs Montague (in the book) or Mrs Markway (in the film) as targets for gothic presences outside the natural world: Michelle Stinson/Krystle Bullumo
• 3/26: Short talk 13: Haunting of Hill House and Haunting: A comparison of book and film: what elements in the story are changed in the film and how does the effect of the film remain the same yet differ from the book?: Ed Konarzewski/Joshua Kaddell
• 3/28: The class watches The Ox-Bow Incident.

10: M/W, 4/2 & 4/4

• 4/2: Short talk 14: Ox-Bow Incident: how does Clark's critique of mob, individual violence and racism make the people who are often military and other heroes into villains and the people who are often presented as weak the heroes of the story?: Driss Benkirane/Sarah Lucas
• 4/2: Short talk 15: Ox-Bow Incident: discuss the physical environment of the story, not just the landscape, but the rooms people play out their fates in: David Ramirez/Eden Buba
• 4/4: Short talk 16: Ox-Bow Incident: A comparison of book and film: what elements in the story are changed and how does the effect of the film remain the same yet differ from the book, e.g., the ending: Georgia Downhard/Sunita Mehta

11: M/W, 4/9 & 4/11

• 4/9: The class watches all of episode 3 of Poldark

12: M/W, 4/16 & 4/18

• 4/16: Short Talk 17: In Ross Poldark: On two of the heroines: describe the behavior of Ross Poldark to Demelza Crane: how is his behavior a direct rebellion against the mores of his time and how does it show what a rough/raw (unfair) deal women get? Describe the behavior of Verity's family to her? Are they justified?: Barbara Stucky/Connie Cruz
• 4/18: Short Talk 18: Ross Poldark: what makes him an ideal hero: his status in the family, how he returns from war, how he builds a life, what he seems to value: Farah Bakeer/Mariet Benites
• 4/18 Short talk 19: Ross Poldark: shot on location: how does the shooting on the mountains, seashore, landscape of Cornwall and sets designed to look 18th century Cornish (what they chose to make happen there) add immensely to the pleasure and meaning of the film: Ayten El-Shabassi/Kelly Fatheree

13: M/W, 4/23 & 4/25

• 4/23: The class watches a long segment from Small Island
• 4/25: Short talk 20: Small Island: compare the barriers, norms and prejudices both Hortense and Queenie face: how is gender shown to affect women similarly across race and class?: Misha Modzelewski/Eminet Kifle
• 4/25: Short Talk 21: Small Island: how is race for Hortense and Gilbert shown to be an excruciating barrier in England both in war time and in peace: Kristin Jazynka/Stephen Strickler

14: M/W, 4/30 & 5/2

• 4/30: Short talk 22: Small Island: A comparison of the book and film: several incidents are presented quite differently (for example, in the mini-series, the fight at the movie theater where Arthur is killed), Bernard's role as working class white male in the war in India is cut and Michael is made to seem so inevitable for Queenie) and the movie is done somewhat comically given an optimistic frame. How does this effect or shape our reactions to the story as contrasted to what we feel as we read the novel: Farah Bakeer/Katie Probasco
• 5/2: 2-3 minute presentations by all class members of progress of research papers and what they have learned from reading the journal articles, doing Essays #2 and 3.