COCO 32 The Art of Adaptation and Storytelling
This theoretical and practice-based course is a study of the conversion of oral, historical and fictional narratives into stage drama, cinema and literary texts. Special attention will be given to the cultural and political implications of cross-generic transformation, formulaic conventions and concepts of “genre,” “crossover appeal” and “adaptation.” Throughout the term, the intersections of race, culture and economics will be regularly questioned. Black cultural storytelling in various mediums and genres will be examined to serve as a point of entry into discussion of cultural worldview and storytelling in order to aid and encourage students to explore the theories, concepts and practice of adaptation from multiple, diverse vantage points and areas of interest. Building upon the adaptations they created in the first half of the quarter, students begin translating their stories visually in the “production” phase of the course. They assess how emotional information is translated in the original form and invent new ways of translating this content in their new visual format. Final projects can be interactive stage pieces, video installations or films.
Cross Listed Courses
FILM 44.08