REMAKES & ADAPTATIONS: REWRITING ACROSS THE GENRES
Writing 20: Fall 2010
Section 78 (MWF 11.55 – 12.45) & Section 79 (MWF 8.45 – 9.35)
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Keith Wilhite
Email: keith.wilhite@duke.edu
Office: 200-V Art Building
Office Phone: 660-4371
Office Hours: W 1:00-3:30
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The central goal of this course is to give you guided practice in academic writing of the sort you’ll be expected to produce at Duke University and in professional life. Academic writing is intellectual writing not primarily because of who writes it (university students, scholars, and other public intellectuals), and not because of its subject matter (which ranges from politics to literature to biology to engineering), but rather because intellectual writing typically includes certain identifiable features, all of which you will learn to master:
- it locates its project within the context of previous thinking on the subject
- it responds to and makes use of the work of others
- it judiciously offers reasons to support its claims
- it recognizes its guiding assumptions and the implications of its findings
I have designed the course to highlight your relationship as a writer to the words and ideas of others. Such a relationship carries certain responsibilities, such as careful reading, thoughtful response, and reasoned analysis and argument. The assignments will invite you to use the words and ideas of others as points of contention, extension, and departure. At times you may disagree with what a writer has concluded, but often you may choose to build upon and extend what’s been said, or take your argument in a new direction altogether. When composing intellectual writing, how you read is intimately connected to how you write. We will practice strategies for responsive reading, emphasizing how you can put “pressure” on previous findings and arguments and how to focus your writing on such responses. Rather than begin with the question, “What do I have to say?” we will begin by asking: “What have others had to say about this subject, and how might I respond to them?”
WHY REMAKES & ADAPTATIONS?
The primary subject of this course is academic writing, but you must have an issue to address in your writing, and something to read about. I assume that you have signed up for the course partly because you hold some interest in literary and film studies, as well as theoretical questions about the nature of creativity, authenticity, and adaptation. What constitutes an original work of art? What does it mean “to author” a text? Why do artists remake the work of other artists? Why as a culture do we seem predisposed to such acts of creative repetition?
In “The Death of the Author”—an essay we’ll read this semester—Roland Barthes writes that “a text’s unity lies not in its origin but in its destination.” Barthes wasn’t specifically thinking about adaptations or remakes, but this depiction of a “text” strikes me as relevant to the kind of questions we’ll be asking. Barthes suggests that intellectual and artistic works are always works-in-progress, open to new readings, new possibilities, new interventions, and new perspectives—open to a process that continually renews a text or work of art from one reading (or viewing) to the next.
But I also chose this topic for our course because questions and concerns about originality, authorship, authenticity, and adaptability are absolutely central to the field of academic writing. In intellectual contexts, writers constantly draw on, respond to, and rework the texts of other writers. You see clear examples of this when writers include footnotes and in-text citations (like my reference to Barthes’ essay), but as we’ll discover this semester, that’s really just the most obvious indication of how writers are influenced by the work of other writers and how all texts (narratives, photographs, films) depend on a kind of “intertextual play” with other texts.
Therefore, this semester we’ll consider different approaches to our subject in order to discover both WHAT writers have to say about adaptation and HOW they say it. We’ll pay particular attention to writers’ methods of debate and exchange, identifying the strengths and limits of their writing while exploring how the topic might be framed differently. You’ll have multiple opportunities to deliberate (in seminar discussions and in writing) on issues that resist easy answers. Such work will give you practice in navigating similar public issues that call for reasoned analysis and response.
COURSE READINGS & FILMS
The following texts and films will help us think about our topic and the practice of academic writing:
AT THE BOOKSTORE (required reading)
Eugenides, Jeffrey. The Virgin Suicides
Harris, Joseph. Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts
ON READINGS PAGE (required reading)
I have installed a “Readings” page on this site where you will find most of the articles and chapters we will read and discuss over the course of the semester. You’ll be responsible for printing, reading, and bringing these texts with you to class on the assigned date.
ON RESERVE AT LILLY LIBRARY (required viewing)
Adaptation (DVD 2480)
Disturbia (DVD 10259)
Rear Window (DVD 1162)
The Virgin Suicides (DVD 6316)
RECOMMENDED
If you don’t already have a Netflix account, I would strongly encourage you to sign up for one. You’ll be required to watch four movies outside of class this semester and, depending on the topics you pursue in your writing, you may choose to watch additional movies. The required DVDs are on “restricted” Reserve for you at Lilly Library, but viewing space in the library is limited, and unless you can coordinate your schedule with other students in the course, you may find that the DVDs are constantly checked out when you want to watch them. I’ve tried to keep the book cost for this course low (~$27 if you buy used copies, ~$36 if you buy new), and I think you can get a basic Netflix subscription for $9/month. (I’m pretty sure they’re even running a promo now that gives you a 1-month free trial!) To be clear: this is a recommendation. You are NOT required to sign up for Netflix.
COURSE GOALS AND PRACTICES
The only way to become a better writer is through practice—not only through the revision of your own writing, which is critical, but through developing the practice of reading and responding to the written work of others. With that in mind, all Writing 20 courses share three common goals:
1. Engage with the work of others. In pursuing a line of inquiry or research, intellectual writers need to identify and engage with what others have written about a text or issue. This academic move asks that you read closely and attend to context, and that you make fair, generous, and assertive use of the work of others.
2. Articulate a position. The point of engaging with the work of others is to move beyond what has previously been said. Writers respond to gaps, inconsistencies, or complexities in the literature of their field and anticipate possible counterarguments in order to provide new evidence or interpretations that advance clear and interesting positions.
3. Situate writing within specific contexts. In order to best contribute to their fields of inquiry, writers need to develop an awareness of the expectations and concerns of their intended readers. These expectations include not only appropriate and effective support for arguments, but also conventions of acknowledgement, citation, document design, and presentation of evidence.
We’ll work on meeting these goals by honing your skills as readers and writers:
1. Researching. You will read and evaluate scholarly work about our course topic. This research may include locating sources, questioning methodology, examining evidence, identifying social or political contexts, or considering the implications of a work.
2. Workshopping. Academic writers reread their own writing and share work-in-progress with colleagues in order to reconsider their own arguments. You will learn how to become critical readers of your own prose through responding to one another in classroom workshops, seminar discussions, and/or conferences.
3. Revising. You will be asked to rethink your work-in-progress: to extend, refine, and reshape what you have to say and how you say it.
4. Editing. As a final step in preparing documents, you will edit for clarity and correctness.
THE PLAN OF WORK
As you might expect, training in intellectual writing requires your commitment of time and energy. You will need to develop the habits and discipline of a writer: maintaining a regular schedule that allows you to work with texts for sustained periods of time, finding a place for writing that works best for you, mapping out time to draft and revise your work. There is nothing especially fancy about this. The key for most writers is to develop a routine, as you would if you were learning to play a musical instrument. The best way to grow as a thinker and writer is through practice.
I’ve organized our course around a series of Reading Responses (~500 words)—which will primarily take the form of blog posts on our course website—and Critical Essays (750 – 1,000 words) that invite you to think through complex texts and questions, develop clear lines of thinking, and arrive at insightful conclusions about the texts and topics under consideration. These projects offer a space for you to develop and hone skills essential to effective academic writing: summary, analysis, research, synthesis, advocacy, and revision.
The course also includes two Major Projects. The MPs give you a chance to develop and revise the work you undertook in your critical essays. For each MP, you will begin by developing your selected critical essay into a rough “Project Draft.” Your classmates and I will offer verbal and/or written responses to your work-in-progress. As part of the revising process, you will compose a “Revising Plan” that articulates what feedback you have found particularly helpful and how you plan to put that advice into practice. Then, you will revise your draft in light of seminar discussions, my comments, and the remarks of colleagues. Finally, you will write a brief “Writer’s Memo” in which you reflect on how your work has developed from critical essay to final project draft.
Drafting and revising papers involves you in a steady rhythm of daily work. If you fall behind, it will be difficult to catch up. If you find that you are stuck, or feel that you cannot meet a particular deadline, you should email me so we can address the problem together.
ENGAGEMENT
Your preparation for class and your responses to others (in our seminar discussions, in peer reviews, and on the blog) are central to the goals and practices of our course. As such, I’ll expect you to be in the room, on time, and ready to participate every class period this semester.
I realize, however, that a situation may arise that necessitates your absence. You're permitted to miss a total of three classes over the course of the semester without penalty. (One exception: absences on days when your writing is to be discussed in a seminar workshop or peer-review group will be penalized.) Please note that two tardies (more than 10 minutes late to class) constitute an absence. If you arrive late to class, it is your responsibility to see me when class is over so that I note your attendance.
Except under significant extenuating circumstances, any absence – for any reason – after the third will result in your final grade being lowered a half step for each additional day missed. (In other words, a final grade of B would become a B- if you missed a fourth class). Missing six or more classes would likely result in a failing grade for the course. You should be judicious in your use of these excused absences. As the semester progresses, emergencies will arise or you’ll simply feel under the weather for a stretch of time. I strongly recommend you save your absences for such illnesses and emergencies.
I will assess your engagement in seminar based on two questions: 1.) What observations, questions, or arguments did you bring to the table pertaining to the day’s work? and, 2.) How well did you respond to your colleagues’ observations, questions, and work-in-progress?
If you're not present in class, or you consistently arrive late, you cannot effectively engage in the work of the course. You are responsible for keeping up with any information you missed during your absence, especially any discussion of upcoming assignments. Missing class does not excuse your from submitting work on time unless you have arranged an alternate due date with me in advance. In the case of significant extenuating circumstances, you're responsible for informing me of your situation in a timely manner and actively working with me to develop a plan for submitting missed work.
GRADING
Letter grades are necessarily reductive, especially in a course that hopes to develop more nuanced ways to discuss the strengths and limits of written work. In general, though, essays and major projects that do not advance beyond a clear and satisfactory summary of other texts will earn a “C.” (A “D” means that you have difficulty writing with clarity or that you have misunderstood the text(s) in question. An “F” indicates that you did not turn in a full response to the assignment.) To earn a “B,” you must begin to raise questions about the texts you are reading, explore their implications, and assess their strengths or limitations as they pertain to your own agenda as a writer. The writer of an “A” essay responds to and goes beyond the texts he or she is reading. To earn an “A,” you must extend, counter, or transform the work of other writers, to make their work part of your own clearly developed line of thinking.
I will calculate your grade for the course in the following way:
- Major Projects (2) - 40%
- Critical Essays (4) - 40%
- Reading Responses - 10%
- Engagement (Participation & Peer Reviews) - 10%
You will receive letter grades on the Major Project and the Critical Essays. Reading Responses and Peer Reviews or Comments will receive a grade of satisfactory (√), unsatisfactory (√-) or incomplete (0). Exceptional work can receive a √+. Consistent √ will result in an A for a final grade in this category. Consistent √+ will result in an A+. More than one √- will result in lower grades. Feel free to contact me at any point during the semester to discuss your Reading Responses or Engagement in the course.
A brief word about grades for late work: Typically, late work will not be accepted unless you have made prior arrangements with me. For each day that an assignment is late, the grade for that assignment will be reduced by a half step (i.e. a B essay would become a B- if submitted one day late and a C+ if two days late; a √ would become a √-, etc.).
PLAGIARISM & ACADEMIC HONESTY
According to the MLA Handbook for Writers, “Plagiarism involves two kinds of wrongs. Using another person’s ideas, information, or expressions without acknowledging that person’s work constitutes intellectual theft. Passing off another person’s ideas, information, or expressions as your own to get a better grade or gain some other advantage constitutes fraud.”
In many ways, our course’s focus on “adaptation” will continually encounter questions about borrowing, theft, and plagiarism. Indeed, in his “The Ecstasy of Influence: A plagiarism,” one of the pieces we’ll be reading this semester, Jonathan Lethem appends a key to the essay in which he carefully details “the source of every line [he] stole, warped, and cobbled together (except, alas, those sources I forgot along the way).” His essay invites us to consider originality as a creative act that exists at the crossroads of theft and grateful acknowledgment.
Such artistic and theoretical considerations of plagiarism notwithstanding, it is vital that you understand the distinction between the appropriate use of others’ texts in your writing and the fraudulent appropriation of their work. Our work with Joe Harris’ Rewriting will emphasize how to make generous, assertive, and ethical use of the texts you read, and I will also direct you to a set of web materials concerning plagiarism and citation. In this course, you are responsible at all times for properly acknowledging and citing your source materials in Reading Responses, Critical Essays, and the Major Projects. The penalty for plagiarism is failure of the assignment and, possibly, the course.
ACADEMIC CITIZENSHIP
It’s important to me that you feel comfortable in this class, and I'd like us to think of our seminar and this website as a shared intellectual space defined by the free exchange of ideas. Differences of opinion are encouraged, but intellectual debate should not devolve into personal attacks, inappropriate behavior, or unseemly remarks.
One way to demonstrate an appropriate level of respect to your colleagues and to me is to show up to class prepared and on time, which includes bringing any required texts that you’ve been asked to read or write for that particular class meeting and turning off your cell phone before class begins. Another important way to show your respect is by being present in class—not just showing up, but being attentively engaged in the seminar discussion or small group activity.
Which brings me to the issue of using laptops and the Internet in class. You are more than welcome to use your laptops for taking notes or for working on your drafts or doing research during designated in-class workshops. I realize that you are probably quite adept at navigating from writing an essay on your computer, to responding to an email, to updating your Facebook status, to IMing your friend down the hall, and then back to writing your essay. Such "hyper-attention" has its merits, but success at the university level depends on “deep-attention”: the ability to block out external stimuli and concentrate on a single text for sustained periods of time. In terms of academic citizenship, this means I consider it just as disrespectful for you to check your email, IM, cell phone, Facebook, etc., during class as it would be to take a phone call, read a newspaper, or do a crossword puzzle. Behavior I deem disrespectful to your colleagues or to me will result in my asking you to leave our class for the day and marking you absent.
THE WRITING STUDIO
The Writing Studio offers free help with drafting and revising any writing project associated with any course at Duke. Trained tutors are available to help students who are struggling with writing, as well as students who are confident writers in search of critical feedback to help them polish their work. You can meet with a tutor on a one-time basis to help with a particularly difficult assignment, or you can meet with a tutor on a regular basis. To learn more, or to make an appointment, please visit the Writing Studio website at http://uwp.duke.edu/writing-studio/.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Reading and film viewing assignments should be completed before the start of class on the date specified. (i.e. Read the Course Policies and the Harris chapters before our seminar meeting on Wed, 9/1.) You should always bring a copy of the day's required reading(s) with you to class. With the exception of Harris' Rewriting and Eugenides' Virgin Suicides, most of the required readings can be found on the password-protected "Readings" page. (I'll give you the password in class!) Note that most of your writing assignments this semester will be due on Thursdays; I'll ask you to post your drafts to our course website (details to follow).
Assignments and due dates are subject to change, so please check this page frequently for updates.
WEEK 1
What is an "Adaptation"?
M 8/30
Introduction to the Course
W 9/1
Read: 1. Course Policies -- Please read carefully through ALL the linked pages
2. Harris, Rewriting: Introduction & Chapter 1, "Coming to Terms"
F 9/3
Read: Hutcheon, "Beginning to Theorize Adaptation" and "Final Questions"
Write: Reading Response 1 (R1) - Due in class
WEEKS 2-3
Readers & Originality: Who's the Author Here?
M 9/6
Read: Borges, "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote"
W 9/8
Read: Barthes, "The Death of the Author"
Th 9/9
Write: R2 Due
F 9/10
Read: Lethem, "The Ecstasy of Influence: A plagiarism"
M 9/13
Read: Benjamin, "The Task of the Translator"
W 9/15
In Class Work: Writing Strategies for E1
Th 9/16
Write: Critical Essay 1 (E1) Due
F 9/17
In-Class Workshop of E1
Write: If you decide to make changes to E1, post your revisions by 11:59 p.m.
WEEK 4
Academic Writing as Remake/Remix?
M 9/20
Read: Harris, Ch. 2 "Forwarding" & Ch. 3 "Countering"
W 9/22
Read: Deliberations (Fall 2007) - I'll provide you with a copy
Th 9/23
Write: R3 Due
F 9/24
Read: Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides (Chapters 1-2)
WEEKS 5-6
Novel to Film: Genre Makeovers & Shifting Points of View
M 9/27
Read: Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides (Chapter 3)
W 9/29
Read: Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides (Chapter 4)
Th 9/30
Write: R4 Due
F 10/1
Read: Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides (Chapter 5)
M 10/4
Watch Sophia Coppola's film adaptation of The Virgin Suicides (i.e. before Monday's class!)
Read: Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"
W 10/6
Library Instruction: MEET IN LILLY LIBRARY
Th 10/7
Write: E2 Due
F 10/8
In-Class Workshop of E2
Write: If you decide to make changes to E2, post your revisions by 11:59 p.m.
WEEKS 7-8
Revision as Adaptation: Process and Product
M 10/11: Fall Break
W 10/13 - Th 10/14: MP1 Conferences
(We will NOT meet for class on W 10/13. You will sign up for one 15-minute conference appointment with me to discuss which essay you plan to revise for MP1.)
F 10/15
Read: Harris, Ch. 5 "Revising"
In-Class Writing: Drafting a Revising Plan
Write: MP1 Working Draft Due (posted by 11:59 pm)
M 10/18 - T 10/19: MP1 Workshops & Peer Reviews
(We will NOT meet for class on M 10/18. You will sign up for one 50-minute small group workshop session with me and two of your colleagues. Your reviews of your peers' work-in-progress will be due at that workshop session.)
W 10/20
In-Class Workshop: Clarity and Concision
F 10/22
In-Class Writing: Reflecting on the Revising Process
Write: MP 1 Final Draft Due (posted by 11:59 p.m.)