ENGL 3042 - Adaptation

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2021

Have you ever heard someone say 'Of course, the book is better than the film'? This course starts by interrogating such statements. What is 'of course' about it? What are the underlying assumptions? Undertaking this course, you will ask searching questions about fidelity, textual authority and cultural prestige. Working through a series of modules, you will consider adaptations between a range of media, including literature-to-screen adaptations, but also other kinds of adaptation. You will be introduced to specific knowledge about the cultural, industrial, political, social, historic and technological circumstances surrounding adaptation, and you will engage with important critical and theoretical debates informing the development of adaptation studies as a scholarly field. This course has the capacity to transform your experience: you may never look at an adaptation the same way again.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ENGL 3042
    Course Adaptation
    Coordinating Unit English, Creative Writing, and Film
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites At least 6 units of Level II undergraduate study
    Incompatible ENGL 2048
    Assumed Knowledge ENGL 1105, ENGL 2057
    Biennial Course Course offered in odd years
    Assessment Annotated bibliography (750 words) 30%, SGDE discussion plan (400 words) 20%, Essay (2,500 words) 50%
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Joy McEntee

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. Critically analyse a range of texts and films that demonstrate issues about adaptation
    2. Engage with, critically analyse and evaluate a range of secondary sources and theoretical perspectives
    3. Develop and conduct independent research projects on issues in adaptation
    4. Write critically and theoretically informed analyses of adaptations
    5. Use technologies as appropriate to complete assessments
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    4, 6
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    4, 6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    3, 4, 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Provisional.
    "Memento Mori" Jonathan Nolan. (short story. To be made available via MyUni).
    Memento. Dir. Christopher Nolan, 2001. 
    No Country for Old Men. Cormac McCarthy
    No Country for Old Men.
    Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007.
    The Shining. Stephen King. 
    The Shining.
    Dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1980.
    The Talented Mr Ripley. Patricia Highsmith. 
    Pleil Soleil. Dir. Rene Clement, 1960. 
    The Talented Mr Ripley.
    Dir. Anthony Minghella, 1999.
    Roadside Picnic. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky 
    Stalker. Andrei Tarkovsky. 1979.
    The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Brian Selznick. 
    Hugo. Dir. Martin Scorsese. 2011.
    Recommended Resources
    To be announced. To be provided through DRMC / MyUni. 
    Online Learning
    The course will make active use of MyUni and Echo360 ALP
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures will be pre-recorded and made available through MyUni. 
    Seminars will be run face-to-face to allow the screening of clips.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    156 hours per semester. 
    Learning Activities Summary
    Lectures will be pre-recorded and made available via MyUni. 
    2 hour seminars (1 per week) will be run face-to-face to allow the screening of clips. 
    Specific Course Requirements
    NA
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    NA
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    ASSESSMENT TASK TASK TYPE WEIGHTING COURSE LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
    Discussion board posts 1500 words total Summative and formative 30% 1,2,3,4,5
    Essay 1500 words Summative and formative 35% 1,2,3,4,5
    Take home exam 1500 words  Summative 35% 1,2,3,4,5
    Assessment Related Requirements
    NA
    Assessment Detail
    Assessment Description % weighting
    Discussion board posts 1500 words total. Distributed throughout the semester, these will give students and opportunity to engage with films, texts and readings.  30%
    Essay 1500 words. This will give students the opportunity to reflect on the first eight weeks’ learnings. 35%
    Take home exam 1500 words. Set at the end of the course, this will give students the opportunity to reflect on the last four weeks’ learnings and teh course as a whole. 35%




     
    Submission
    Via MyUni
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    SELT feedback from the 2015 iteration of the course was as follows: 
    Joy McEntee is an effective University teacher: Broad Agreement 89.83%
    Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of this course: Broad Agreement 91.53%
    Common issues raised by students:

    • Some students did not like being assessed as a member of a group
    • Some students did not like the creative adaptation exercise
    • More discussion of set theoretical readings in seminars and lectures requested by some students
    Action to be taken for the 2017 iteration of the course:
    • As working in a group is a graduate attribute, this will not necessarily be eliminated, but peer evaluation may be introduced
    • The adaptation exercise will be reviewed and possibly eliminated
    • The course will focus on set theoretical readings in a more concentrated way by changing the assessment (adding an annotated bibliography; changing the instructions for the assignment that calls on students to devise seminar discussion questions)
  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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