Which is better—the book or the movie? Neither one! Each is a separate artistic medium with its own merit.

Since the early 1900s, filmmakers have adapted literature for the movie screen. The practice of turning literature into movies is so common that there has been an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay since 1928. And nowadays about 75 percent of films that win Oscars have been adapted from written texts.

Why Study the film adaptation?

Studying the film adaptation helps students to become more skilled in literary analysis, encouraging them to think deeply about concepts such as theme, characterization, and plot structure. It also helps students to better understand how storytelling is influenced by audience, time period, culture, and medium. In short, studying the film adaptation helps us to better understand the techniques that both literature and film use to tell a story.

One Semester Film Adaptation Course

In this one-semester course, students will study the film adaptation through a variety of literary genres (including novel, drama, short story, nonfiction, and even children’s literature) and a variety of film genres (including drama, comedy, science fiction, musical, and animation). Students will be challenged to analyze the adaptations well beyond a basic how-the-movie-was-different-from-the-book comparison. They will discuss how film borrows from, intersects with, and transforms written texts; and they will examine the history, theories, benefits, and complications of the film adaptation. By the end of the semester, students will have a greater understanding of the elements of literature and a greater appreciation for the art of filmmaking.

This fun yet academic course will rely heavily on critical thinking, discussion, and written critical analysis. Students will watch seven movies, read the corresponding literature (including one work of the student’s choosing), and write three papers.

Please view prerequisites and required supplies below.