MP6044 - Screen Adaptations

You will learn through lectures, seminars and independent learning. Each lecture will be structured around a particular theme and will focus upon a particular case-study designed to develop your comprehension and evaluation of practical and theoretical approaches to adaptation. The seminar will focus upon group tasks and discussion of the theme, programme or set texts. Seminar discussions are also intended to develop your communication skills and ability to develop and respond to ideas in a collaborative environment. You are expected to prepare for the sessions by watching specific film/TV programmes that will be available to watch via links on the e-Learning Portal site, studying the set text(s) for each week, as well as carrying out additional recommended reading/viewing (which will be indicated in the module guide and on the e–Learning Portal).

The module tutor has weekly office hours during which you can drop in for academic support and further appointments can also be made outside of these times. The seminars will allow you to engage in group discussion and problem-solving with both the module tutor and your peers, thus developing a constructive support learning network. The delivery of the module will be supported with learning and lecture materials that are accessible via the electronic learning portal.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the significance of adaptation within film, television and media culture. (LO1)

• Apply and evaluate theoretical concepts in the analysis of specific case-studies of cross-media adaptation in film and television. (LO2)

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• Produce well-structured arguments supported by visual and textual material. (LO3)
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• The debates covered during the module will encourage you to reflect on your cultural relationship with film and television and what role this plays in in your general engagement with the arts.(LO4)

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: To prepare you successfully to undertake the summative assessment(s) on this module, formative assessments will be set by the module team. These may take the form of in-class tasks or projects, developmental activities undertaken between classes, or learning exercises/activities set over a longer period. Feedback (written and/or oral) will be provided to help you learn from, reflect on, and develop in light of these formative assessments.

Summative assessment: The summative assessment strategy for this module encourages you to develop a contextually and theoretically informed understanding of adaptation in film and television. This is tested through a 3000 word essay. The essay tests your ability to undertake a more thorough analysis of a programme/film within a particular critical context, and to demonstrate a broader range of knowledge gained on the module (MLO 1-4)

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Screen Adaptations considers practical and theoretical debates surrounding texts which are converted into film and television programmes. You engage with screenings of case studies that range from adaptations of plays, such as William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, to works of literature such as Sherlock, to video games such as The Last of Us and a variety of other mediums, to provide case studies for discussions in workshops. You will therefore analyse the adaptation process in a number of media forms and consider what the particular dynamics, issues and problems are of adapting each. You will be expected to conduct research of the topics prior to the workshop sessions. Assessment on this module is via the production of a 3,000-word essay. Screen Adaptations provides you with the opportunity to develop analytical skills that will be beneficial in a variety of career paths.