Office: 1420A CLLangley A221T 2. HISTORICAL basis: Vlad Tepes & Erszebet (Elizabeth) Bathory. ClipsT 9. MODERN VAMPIRE: Dracula on page and screen. Begin discussion ofVampire: Blood and Empire Slavic 0880 Dr. Lisa Di Bartolomeo T/H 2:30-3:45 PM Office: 1420A CL Langley A221 Phone: 624-5711 Email: [email protected] Office hours: Tuesdays 11-11:50AM, Thursdays 12-12:50PM, and by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION This course examines the phenomenon of vampirism in verbal and visual culture from different periods in various cultures (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Russia, Serbia, France, England, America, Africa and the Caribbean). Why do vampires capture the imagination especially of Anglophone readers and viewers? What qualities does the vampire incarnate? Which historical events or customs have triggered particular enthusiasm for depicting the undead? How has the depiction of the vampire evolved over centuries? Our discussions will address these and related issues as we analyze stories, novels, films, legends, fairy tales, television shows, and historical studies, focusing on vampires from a variety of critical perspectives and contextualizing the works in the cultures that produced them. COURSE REQUIREMENTS The number of students enrolled in this class is, you will notice, very large. The requirements have been modified to suit that fact. Students are required (1) to complete the assignments scheduled for each class meeting (read a specified text or view a specified film) and be prepared to discuss them on the pertinent day; (2) to participate actively and intelligently, on a REGULAR basis, in class discussions; (3) to take the three scheduled exams, as well as the regular, unannounced quizzes administered throughout the semester; (4) on 18 November, to submit a two- to three-page paper, written from the viewpoint of a vampire, on the psychological conflicts encountered by a vampire who is also a politician OR an actor. This typed, double-spaced paper may be an essay, a story, a diary entry, a letter, or a confession. Although the paper taps into your creativity, it must observe 1the rules of correct English and standard paper format (consult the MLA Handbook if you are unfamiliar with those conventions). CREDITS AND ATTENDANCE This course carries three credits and satisfies the CAS requirement in a foreign culture. It meets twice a week throughout the semester and combines lecture and discussion format. Since attendance is critical to course performance, eight absences automatically translate into an F for the course. If serious illness prevents class attendance, documentation of that fact must be presented in the form of a doctor’s letter, stating that ON THE DAY AT THE TIME THE CLASS MEETS the student was too ill to attend. These letters must be submitted to the instructor on the day the student returns to class; otherwise they will not be accepted. Students are responsible for finding out FROM THEIR CLASSMATES whether important information or materials circulated during a session that they missed. Therefore students should exchange phone numbers and email addresses with someone in class. **Classmate’s phone number:_____________________, email: ________________** I strongly encourage anyone experiencing problems in the course to make an appointment with me during my office hours (see above). Website: This course has a website, which also contains my daily PowerPoint slides, the current syllabus, as well as sundry visuals and links to other vampire-relevant sites. Each day before class, I suggest you print out the slides for that day and bring them with you to class; this will facilitate your note-taking. I shall appreciate information from students regarding additional sites and visuals. Moreover, I encourage students to bring into class and share with the group any materials (music, visuals, etc.) connected with vampirism that may be of interest to the group. Grading: 2Grades will be based on the QUALITY of student performance in the following: (1) class discussions—20%; (2) five best scores on unannounced quizzes—25%; (3) three exams—39%; (4) brief vampire paper—16%. NOTE: ***ANYONE INCAPABLE OF REGULAR, ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN CLASS DISCUSSIONS SHOULD NOT STAY ENROLLED IN THIS COURSE. SERIOUSLY. I’M NOT KIDDING.*** Make-up exams will only be administered once, during my office hours, and will consist entirely of essay answers. There is no make up make up. Quizzes may not be made up. If you miss a quiz owing to absence, you will receive a zero for that quiz. If you miss an exam and fail to make it up on the scheduled day, you will receive a zero for the exam. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. Academic Integrity: By remaining enrolled in this course, you agree not only to abide by the above stipulations, but also understand that the instructor will follow with the utmost rigor the rules spelled out in the Handbook on Integrity regarding cheating, plagiarism, etc. It is the students’ responsibility to familiarize themselves with these regulations and to observe them. Any infraction will be penalized according to these rules. PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNING THE ATTENDANCE SHEET FOR A CLASSMATE IS EASY TO DETECT, CONSTITUTES A VIOLATION OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY, AND WILL BE PENALIZED ACCORDINGLY. READINGS AND VIEWINGS The following is a daily schedule of our class activities and assignments. The combination *HW indicates an assignment to be completed for the following day of class, as homework for the next day indicated. Some videos will be viewed in class, others outside of class by the date specified in the syllabus: rent the video or watch it in Hillman Library, where the films and videos for this course are on Reserve. As far as is possible, I have tried to arrange for a viewing time and place outside class for each film so assigned, to enable students to view the required film for free without having to wrestle with everyone else needing to watch it at Hillman. See the syllabus for a schedule of these screenings. 3The designation (D) refers to the Norton Critical Edition of Dracula, which, apart from the text of Stoker’s novel, contains critical essays (#3 below). (AR) references the collection of stories edited by Alan Ryan (#2 below). The notation (CP) refers to Xeroxes either distributed in class or contained in