Modules

Core Module Information
Module title: Fantasy Fiction and Film
SCQF level: 08:
SCQF credit value: 20.00
ECTS credit value: 10
Module code: CLP08122
Module leader: Emily Alder
School School of Arts and Creative Industries
Subject area group: Media and Humanities
Prerequisites

There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added
Description of module content:

The module is about the development of the fantasy genre. A number of identifiable genre conventions govern the characters, tropes, and narratives of fantasy texts. You will explore where these genre conventions come from, and how they operate within specific fantasy texts; the module begins with fantasy’s origins in myths and fairy-tales, before moving on to fantasy texts from the nineteenth century up to the present day to examine the legacy of early fantastic stories in modern fiction and film.

You will consider how fantasy writers and filmmakers respond to existing genre conventions and to the works of fantasy that preceded their own, asking how far it is possible to resist or subvert the familiar trappings of the fantasy genre. You will examine different strategies used by fantasy texts in response to the expectations of genre conventions, explore how fantasy reflects, shapes, and interrogates culture, and analyse the contributions of specific texts’ medium and form to how they do so.

You will examine the contributions made by visual elements of media like film, television, and graphic novels to a text’s handling of genre conventions and intertextuality, and reflect on why fantasy remains so popular, considering reasons for the continued appeal of this mode of storytelling to readers and viewers. You will therefore explore theories of genre, intertextuality, affect, and entertainment, and consider the value of pleasure and enjoyment in the experience of reading and watching fantasy tales.
Learning Outcomes for module:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the history and development of fantasy traditions.
2. Recognise and explain the workings of recurrent genre tropes and intertextuality in fantasy.
3. Show secure understanding of how fantasy texts interact with their historical and cultural contexts.
4. Demonstrate awareness and understanding of critical and theoretical approaches to the interpretation of fantasy.
5. Analyse the literary, cinematic, and/or visual techniques used in specific fantasy texts and discuss their purposes or effects.
Full Details of Teaching and Assessment
2022/3, Trimester 1, FACE-TO-FACE, Edinburgh Napier University
VIEW FULL DETAILS
Occurrence: 001
Primary mode of delivery: FACE-TO-FACE
Location of delivery: MERCHISTON
Partner: Edinburgh Napier University
Member of staff responsible for delivering module: Emily Alder
Module Organiser:


Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) Approach:
The module will be taught in a two-hour interactive lecture and a one-hour tutorial. The lectures will introduce key concepts, critical approaches, and textual interpretations, through a combination of presentation and interactivity (LO1, 3, 4). The tutorials will provide you with further opportunities for group and individual discussion and close reading, and to work on skills closely linked to your assignments, including textual analysis and oral presentation. (LO 2, 3, 5). Some weeks of classes will include screenings so that you have the opportunity to watch and discuss your viewing of the screen texts.
A core aim of this module is to improve your analytical skills and confidence in research and writing. Scholarship skills will be developed through participation in analytical class activities, individual critical exploration of module set texts, and research tasks for assignments. The learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible and allow you to work according to their particular learning needs, strengths and preferences, including the option of working with visual or creative material as well as academic writing and research. The module Moodle site will provide you with discussion opportunities, readings, and class materials in advance, to facilitate a more level playing field.


Formative Assessment:
A structured formative assessment takes the form of a short presentation in small groups on a topic related to the final essay. This unmarked presentation is intended to give you a chance to become more comfortable with speaking about your ideas and to receive helpful feedback ahead of preparing your final essay.

Summative Assessment:
You will submit two assignments. The first is an essay or a creative fragment plus a short essay, submitted in Week 5, giving you an early opportunity to explore the emergence of the fantasy genre (LO1, 2). The second essay is submitted in Week 14 and is your chance to write a longer and more in-depth interpretation of set texts from the module (LO2,3,4,5)

Student Activity (Notional Equivalent Study Hours (NESH))
Mode of activityLearning & Teaching ActivityNESH (Study Hours)
Face To Face Lecture 20
Face To Face Tutorial 10
Independent Learning Guided independent study 170
Total Study Hours200
Expected Total Study Hours for Module200


Assessment
Type of Assessment Weighting % LOs covered Week due Length in Hours/Words
Essay 40 1,2 5 , WORDS= 1500
Essay 60 2,3,4,5 14/15 , WORDS= 2000
Component 1 subtotal: 40
Component 2 subtotal: 60
Module subtotal: 100

Indicative References and Reading List - URL:
CLP08122: Fantasy Fiction & Film 2021/22
 

Related information