School of English
Module manager: Professor Martin Butler
Email: m.h.butler@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
This module is not approved as a discovery module
International audiences now frequently encounter Shakespeare in non-Anglophone films, i.e. versions made in languages other than English. This module studies films adapted from his tragedies in Japanese, Russian, Hindi, Mandarin, and Tibetan. We shall ask what translation means for Shakespeare, how his plots are reshaped, and how British culture is repurposed in the modern global economy. This module focusses mainly on history and interpretation, but involves some attention to film terms and concepts.
To familiarize students with a series of important film adaptations of Shakespeare; to evaluate the process of translation and adaptation into non-Anglophone cultures by close comparison of the films and their sources; to evaluate Shakespeare’s significance for audiences with a non-English or post-colonial heritage; to understand Shakespeare’s impact outside Europe and what it means for British cultural presence in the modern world order.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Understand the global circulation and impact of Shakespeare in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries;
2. Show how Shakespeare’s texts are consumed in contexts radically different from those for which they were written;
3. Evaluate relevant criticism and scholarship about film adaptation and cross-cultural interpretation.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
4. Conduct independent research, gathering information from a range of sources, and engaging in good academic practice in referencing their sources.
5. Produce independent arguments demonstrating advanced proficiency in critical thinking and writing skills.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 185 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 15 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
One-to-one consultation with the tutor is available after the first essay (which includes detailed written feedback) and before the second essay.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1500 word essay | 30 |
| Essay | 2500 word essay | 70 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 5/22/2024
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