AJL27075 Philip K. Dick on Screen

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2024

The course is not taught in Spring 2024

Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 17 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course will focus on the works of one of the most celebrated and controversial American SF authors of the latter half of the 20th century, Philip K. Dick (1928-1982), and their cinematic adaptations. The aim of the seminars will be to examine how various adaptations, from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) to John Alan Simon’s Radio Free Albemuth (2010), capture Dick’s vision of future humanity – of paranoid, fallen worlds of bureaucracy, alienating technology, and oppression by the authorities – and how they expand on, or diverge from, Dick’s ideas in order to translate them from a literary to a visual form. Students will be expected both to have read the original novel/short-story and seen the film adaptation before each session. Both the primary and secondary reading will be provided by the tutor.
Learning outcomes
Students will be introduced to the work of Philip K. Dick and, by extension, American SF literature of the 1950s to 1980s. Students will learn fundamentals of adaptation and film studies, which they will be able to apply in other courses as well. Students will improve their critical and analytical skills.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction + Impostor (short version; dir. Gary Fleder, 2001) 2. The Penultimate Truth about Philip K. Dick (documentary; dir. Emiliano Larre, 2007) 3. Impostor (dir. Gary Fleder, 2001) + short-story Impostor (1953) 4. Blade Runner (dir. Ridley Scott, 1982) + novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) 5. Total Recall (dir. Paul Verhoeven, 1990) + short-story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale (1966) 6. Screamers (dir. Christian Duguay, 1995) + short-story Second variety (1953) 7. Confessions d'un Barjo + roman Confessions of a Crap Artist (dir. Jérôme Boivin, 1992) + novel Confessions of a Crap Artist (w. 1959, p. 1975) 8. Paycheck (dir. John Woo, 2003) + short-story Paycheck (1953) 9. Minority Report (dir. Steven Spielberg, 2002) + short-story The Minority Report (1956) 10. A Scanner Darkly (dir. Richard Linklater, 2006) + novel A Scanner Darkly (1977) 11. Next (dir. Lee Tamahori, 007) + short-story The Golden Man (1953) 12. Adjustment Bureau (dir. George Nolfi, 2011) + short-story Adjustment Team (1954) 13. Radio Free Albemuth (dir. John Alan Simon, 2010) + novels Radio Free Albemuth (w. 1976, p. 1985) and Valis (1981)
Literature
    required literature
  • HUTCHEON, Linda. A theory of adaptation. New York: Routledge, 2006, xviii, 232. ISBN 0415967953. info
  • The pocket essential Philip K. Dick. Edited by Andrew M. Butler. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials, 2000, 96 p. ;. ISBN 1903047293. info
  • DICK, Philip K. Blade runner : (do Androids dream of electric sheep). New York: Ballantine Books, 1968, 216 s. ISBN 0345350472. info
Teaching methods
Independent reading and watching; in-class discussions; presentations by students.
Assessment methods
Active participation in discussions; one presentation/response paper (plus an additional response paper if there is a reading week); one final essay.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught: every week.
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