Adapt and Survive: Canon in Culture 3301-KB2428-1ST
If you are interested in adaptation as a product and as a process (Linda Hutcheon) everyday adaptation (Liam Burke) as well as
a creative-critical approach to adapting (Kamilla Elliot), this class is for you. Together, we will be analysing existing adaptations and then, together with other students, you will be working on and presenting your own adaptation of a chosen aspect of a canonical text. The whole group decides on the source text widely adapted in popular culture that will be discussed and reimagined – possible titles include, e.g.: Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray, or Sherlock Holmes stories, to name the most popular ones.
Class topics include:
• course overview & choice of the source text
• adaptation studies: basic terms and concepts
• approaches to adaptation
• discussion of the source text
• presentation of project proposals
• analysing existing adaptations of the source texts
• revision and a Q&A session
• group projects
• feedback
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Programme 2022/23
Knowledge
Students will be able to:
- understand key terminology, well established methods and theories of adaptation studies (K_W02)
- describe methodology and recent developments in adaptation studies (K_W03)
- list the characteristics of English grammar, syntax, phonology, phonetics, morphology and pragmatics on an advanced level (K_W05)
- explain principles of designing adaptation studies, with special focus on selecting appropriate methods and tools in formulating research questions (K_W07)
Abilities
Students will be able to:
- employ the terminology and methodological tools from cultural studies (K_U01)
- employ the methodology of culture studies within English studies, respecting the ethical norms and copyright law (K_U02)
- implement knowledge to describe a problem and identify means to solve it, thereby completing a project in adaptation studies (K_U04)
- design one’s own development (K_U11)
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
- undertake life-long learning and personal development, applying skills and competences to select subjects and projects within the course (K_K02)
- value responsibility for one’s own work and respect the work of others, adhering to the professional and ethical norms in various projects and other activities undertaken during the course (K_K03)
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Programme 2025/26
Knowledge
Students will have familiarity with:
- K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods in adaptation studies
Abilities
Students will be able to:
- K_U01 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods in adaptation studies
- K_U08 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
- K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources, including source texts and adaptations
- K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required
Assessment criteria
- discussions based on home assignments (verification of outcomes: W, U, K)
- carrying out tasks during classes (verification of outcomes: W, U, K)
- optional flash talks (verification of outcomes: W, U, K)
- a group project completed during the semester and presented in class (verification of outcomes: W, U, K)
Points are allocated for particular tasks throughout the semester, with extra credit for flash talks:
- discussing home assignments: 0-5
- class participation: 0-5
- flash talks: 0-5* extra
- group project: 0-15 (proposal-presentation-report)
The project is an adaptation that may be presented in class together with a report including the application of theoretical framework(s) relevant to the adaptation.
Points needed to pass: 15, excluding extra credits.
Bibliography
Andrew, Dudley. “The Economies of Adaptation.” True to the Spirit: Film Adaptation and the Question of Fidelity, eds. Clin MacCabe, Kathleen Murray, and Rick Warner. OUP, 2011.
Griggs, Yvonne. The Bloomsbury Introduction to Adaptation Studies: Adapting the Canon in Film, TV, Novels and Popular Culture. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
Leitch, Thomas. Engagements with Adaptation. Routledge, 2025.
Pugh, Tison and Margaret E. Johnson. “Cinematic Adaptations of Literature.” Literary Studies: A Practical Guide. Routledge, 2014, 178-207.
Other texts may be added, depending on the Students’ choice of source text and the adaptations discussed. Obligatory and optional texts will be uploaded on the Kampus platform.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: