ANG1755 Vampires in Film and LiteratureWinter 2017
Description:
This course will consider the development of Vampire literature, from its early manifestations in the nineteenth century, most notably Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula, to Stephen King’s 1975 Salem’s Lot, and Justin Cronin’s 2012 The Passage. Students will be introduced to a diverse array of texts, films, and TV episodes which will allow for a wide-ranging discussion of issues at play in Vampire literature. Indeed, Vampire lore offers a rich and varied focus for textual analysis, including themes surrounding sexuality, race, disease, social class, and death. The spectrum of works under consideration will broaden the students’ perspective on the Vampire theme and its literary and sociological influence on other works and on contemporary society at large. As the title of this course indicates, students will be required to attend screenings of several films and TV episodes during the semester. Examinations will cover both literary texts, films, and TV episodes. Students should note that the works under consideration in this class contain explicit scenes of violence and sexuality.
Requirements:
- Film question: 30% (3 x 10%)
- Midterm exam: 30%
- Final exam: 40%
Students not enrolled in a program in the English department are allowed to submit their written works in French. (Les étudiants non inscrits dans un programme de la section études anglaises du département de littératures et langues du monde sont autorisés à soumettre leurs travaux en français.)
Works Studied:
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Books:
- Justin Cronin, The Passage (2012) ISBN 978-0345504975.
- Laurel Hamilton, Guilty Pleasures (1993) ISBN 978-0515134490.
- Charlaine Harris, Dead until Dark (2001) ISBN 978-0441008537.
- Stephen King, Salem’s Lot (1975) ISBN 978-0671039745.
- Richard Matheson, I am Legend (1954) ISBN 978-0765357151.
- Kim Newman, Anno Dracula (1992) ISBN 978-0857680839.
- Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) ISBN 978-0141439846.
- Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, American Vampire (2010) ISBN 978-1401229740.
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Films:
- Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark (1987)
- Roman Polanski, The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
- Stephen Norrington, Blade (1998)
- Tomas Alfredson, Let the Right One in (2008)
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TV episodes:
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: ‘Lie to Me’ (2.7; 1997)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: ‘Buffy vs Dracula’ (5.1; 2000)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: ‘Tabula Rasa’ (6.8; 2001)
- Supernatural: ‘Dead Man’s Blood’ (1.20; 2006)
- True Blood: ‘Strange Love’ (1.1; 2008)
- Ultraviolet: ‘Habeas Corpus’ (1.1; 1998)
- X-Files: ‘3’ (2.7; 1994)
- X-Files: ‘Bad Blood’ (5.12; 1998)
Schedule:
- 9 January: Introduction / Film: Near Dark
- 16 January: ‘Habeas Corpus’ / Snyder
- 23 January: Film (The Fearless Vampire Killers) + film question in-class
- 30 January: ‘Buffy vs Dracula’ / Stoker
- 6 February: ‘Dead Man’s Blood’ / Matheson (Guest-lecture by Maureen Lapierre)
- 13 February: ‘Lie to Me’ / King
- 20 February: Midterm exam
- 27 February: Reading week
- 6 March: Film (Blade) + film question in-class
- 13 March: ‘3’ / Hamilton
- 20 March: ‘Strange Love’ / Harris
- 27 March: ‘Bad Blood’ / Newman
- 3 April: Film (Let the Right One In) + film question in-class
- 10 April: ‘Tabula Rasa’ / Cronin
- 17 April: Bank holiday
- 24 April: Final Exam
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism – the stealing or “borrowing” of another person’s written work and passing it off as one’s own – is a very serious academic offence.
Plagiarism occurs when:
- the work submitted was done, in whole or in part, by an individual other than the one submitting or presenting the work;
- an entire work (e.g., an essay), is copied from another source, or parts of the work are taken from another source without explicit reference to the author;
- an essay copies a sentence or paragraph of another work with minor variations.
Plagiarism occurs not only when direct quotations are taken from a source without explicit acknowledgement, but also when original ideas from the source are not acknowledged. A bibliography or “works cited” is insufficient to establish which portions of the student’s work are taken from external sources; formal modes of citation (i.e., page numbers and the author’s name in parenthetical references) must be used for this purpose.
Professors are required to report all cases of plagiarism to the Dean. The minimal disciplinary measure for cases of plagiarism is an F on the assignment, essay, or exam. Further measures can include an F in the course, suspension from the Faculty, and even the requirement to withdraw from the University.
If you are unclear on the definition of plagiarism or you are unsure about how to avoid it, please do not hesitate to ask me. Ignorance is not a valid defense.
This content has been updated on January 4, 2020 at 21 h 12 min.