ENGL 108T Tolkien: Book to Film
Winter Term 2021 (Remote Teaching)
Prof. S. Tolmie
stolmie@uwaterloo.ca
Drop-in Office Hour on Webex Mondays 2:30-3:20 or by appointment
Course Description
This is an introductory-level English course on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and its cultural impact, including the movies by Peter Jackson. Focus will be on the original texts.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
The purpose of this course is to advance student readers of the series from fandom to critical analysis and to develop a sense of what is gained and lost in translating a popular book to film. We will consider Tolkien’s sources and analogues, the genre of his books and their place in literature, folklore, and pop culture. In so doing students will practice their critical reading, writing and collaboration skills.
Textbooks
All three of the Lord of the Rings volumes — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King — in any edition. Texts must be complete, unabridged and in English.
The movies will not be provided in-course. Students are responsible for watching them on their own time, in any format they prefer. Material from the movies will not be covered in tests and is optional in essay assignments. Knowledge of them will only be required for the group presentations. Screenplays for the films by Peter Jackson are available on IMDB.
Mark Breakdown
- Self-introduction of 300 words/ 3 minutes - 5%
- 3 one-hour content quizzes, one on each book - 45% (15% each)
- 1 1500-word analytical essay - 20%
- 1 chapter summary and set of reading questions - 15%
- Group project comparing film to book - 15% (a group grade)
Assignments
Self-introduction
In an online course, especially one in which you have to work collaboratively with your peers, it is crucial to meet everyone virtually right off the bat. This is your chance to do that, and you will be marked for it. A lot. 5% of the course grade. This is the only participation-type grade in this course. It must be posted by Friday January 15 at 11:59 p.m or it will earn zero.
All students should compose a 300-word document (with a required word count) or a 3- minute maximum video/audio file introducing themselves to me (the instructor) and their peers. This document should be posted to three places on the site: the Dropbox under the Submit menu (which will be open from Jan 11 to 15); the General Discussion Board, accessible to everybody; and the Group Project Discussion Board to which each student has been assigned.
In the self-introduction, please answer the following questions:
- Why are you taking this course?
- Have you read the books and/or seen the movies?
- Do you speak or read other languages in addition to English?
- What is your favourite book (it can be manga or a comic, but not a movie)?
Please provide your name, year, and program, and anything else you want, within the word/time limits.
Quizzes
There will be three one-hour, timed quizzes distributed via LEARN, each one available for 24 hours. Each one will be on the content of a single volume, and contain a series of short detail-oriented questions and one broader thematic question. They will exclusively concern the books.
1500-word essay (approximately 5 pages, double-spaced)
These are short explanatory essays, answering one of the questions provided, or answering individual questions designed by students themselves. The question must be posed at the top of page one, as a single sentence. Then the essay answers it in an orderly fashion, with evidence from the texts. These are not research essays, but all sources consulted in writing them, whether cited or not, should be acknowledged in a bibliography at the end. Bibliography and all formatting must adhere to MLA style. They are marked on coherence of argument, correctness of grammar, and exactness of formatting and presentation.
The essay is due in the appropriate Dropbox by Wednesday March 3 at 11:59 p.m.
Chapter summary and reading questions
Each student will be responsible for providing a detailed chapter summary of a single, assigned chapter on the Chapter Summaries Discussion Board on a designated date. As these documents are for use by class members on an ongoing basis they must be posted on time. If they are posted by noon of the day on which they are due, they are on time: if posted between noon and midnight on that day, they lose 10%: after that, they earn zero. With each summary, the student should provide a set of three reading questions that provide thinking points about the chapter.
Summaries should provide a clear overview of who does what to whom and all the main elements of the plot. They are not required to provide analysis. The idea is to provide a clear, grammatical cheat sheet about what happens in that chapter for the use of your time-pressed classmates. You will lose marks for spelling place or personal names wrong.
The three questions are the place for you to think about the thematic meanings available in the chapter material. You are trying to guide readers towards thinking about interrelationships with other parts of the text, central ideas of the series or volume, or possible sources and analogues for incidents and characters. They must be real questions, ending with a question mark – not statements dressed up as questions. One of the three questions you provide may be based on a quotation. The others must be independent questions.
Group projects
In week 10 of class, each of the student project groups (all members of class will be randomized into the groups from the beginning, and each group will have individual discussion space on LEARN) will post an original, collaborative document of max 2000 words, or 10 minutes of video/audio, on the topic they have been assigned. These documents will be posted to the Group Project Discussion Board, available to all. The topics all concern elements that have been changed or omitted in translating the LOTR books to film. This is the one place in the course in which we will deal with the Jackson movies.
Format of the documents is up to the group: a debate, a jointly-composed essay, a fake ad campaign, imaginary actor/director interviews, whatever. The point is to address differences between the written text and the films. All members must participate and sign a statement acknowledging exactly what work they did at the end of the document. Group members who do not contribute sufficiently will end up with a grade 10% lower than their peers -- and they will get zero if they contribute nothing.
We will spend our class time that week reviewing and talking about the group presentations. They must be posted by Wednesday Mar 17 at noon.
Lateness Policy
Essays submitted late earn a 10% penalty automatically and will not be accepted after 7 days beyond the deadline, earning a zero.
Chapter summaries must be posted by noon on their due dates; if posted between noon and midnight of that day, they lose 10%; thereafter, zero.
Group projects must be posted Wednesday March 17 by noon or risk a 10% penalty for all members. If they are not submitted that week they earn a zero for all members. If you need an extension, please contact me two weeks before things are due.
Schedule of classes
The following will give you a rough idea of how much you should be reading per week. I will be posting two classes per week, a combination of written notes and video (but definitely more notes, as video is often godawful in my opinion). These will come out on Monday and Wednesday on the Announcements page. I find this slightly enhances an in-class feeling, as you can scroll through lessons as they come out and backtrack easily. It is imperative to keep up with posted lessons or you will get lost. Check in to the Announcements page at least twice a week.
Week 1:
Mon Jan 11 - introduction and goals; reading Fellowship Book 1, chap. 1-3
Wed Jan 13 - Fellowship Book 1, chap. 4-6
— self-introductions due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15
Week 2:
Mon Jan 18 - Fellowship Book 1, chap. 7-9
Wed Jan 20 - Fellowship Book 1, chap. 10-12
Week 3:
Mon Jan 25 - Fellowship Book 2, chap. 1-3 Wed
Jan 27 - Fellowship Book 2, chap. 4-6
Week 4:
Mon Feb 1 - Fellowship Book 2, chap. 7 and 8
Wed Feb 3 - Fellowship Book 2, chap. 9 and 10
Week 5:
Mon Feb 8 - quiz on Fellowship available for 24 hours; 1 hour timed completion
Wed Feb 10 - Two Towers Book 3, chap. 1-3 STUDY WEEK FEB 15-19, NO CLASSES
Week 6:
Mon Feb 22 - Two Towers Book 3, chap. 4-6
Wed Feb 24 - Two Towers Book 3, chap. 7-9
Week 7:
Mon Mar 1 - Two Towers Book 3, chap. 10 and 11
Wed Mar 3 - Two Towers Book 4, chap. 1-3; 1500-word essay due in Dropbox by 11:59 p.m.
Week 8:
Mon Mar 8 - Two Towers Book 4, chap. 4-6
Wed Mar 10 - Two Towers Book 4, chap. 7 and 8
Week 9:
Mon Mar - Two Towers, Book 4 chap. 9 and 10 6
Wed Mar 11 - Quiz on Two Towers available for 24 hours: 1 hour timed completion
Week 10:
MARCH PAUSE: MONDAY MARCH 15 AND TUESDAY MARCH 16, NO CLASSES
Group Project/Movie Discussion half-week: projects must be posted by Wednesday at noon on the Group Project Discussion Board
Week 11
Mon Mar 22 - Return of the King Book 5, chap. 1-3
Wed Mar 24 - Return of the King Book 5, chap. 4-6
Week 12:
Mon Mar 29 - Return of the King Book 5, chap. 7-10
Wed Mar 31 - Return of the King Book 6 chap. 1-3
Week 13:
Mon Apr 5 - EASTER MONDAY, NO CLASSES
Wed Apr 7 - Return of the King Book 6, chap. 4-6
Week 14:
Mon Apr 12 - Return of the King Book 6, chap. 7-9;
Wed Apr 14 - course wrap: quiz on Return of the King available for 24 hours: 1 hour timed completion
(Term is extended by one week, more or less, due to the addition of the March Pause.)
University Policies
Academic Integrity: in order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/ Policies/policy71.htm
Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/ policy72.htm
Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities
The AccessAbility Office (AO), located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. If you require academic accommodations (such as alternate test and exam arrangements) please register with the AO at the beginning of each academic term and inform the course instructor. Contact them at access@uwaterloo.ca.
The Writing and Communication Centre
The Writing and Communication Centre works across all faculties to help students clarify their ideas, develop their voices, and write in the style appropriate to their disciplines. Writing Centre staff offer one-on-one support in planning assignments and presentations, using and documenting research, organizing and structuring papers, and revising for clarity and coherence. You can make multiple virtual appointments throughout the term. Visit their page at https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/.