Literature on screen: teaching adaptations in a multimodal course

Abstract

ABSTRACT Literature on Screen (http://kirjandusekraanil.ee/) is an online learning platform focused on film adaptation of literary texts. The paper, that starts with an overview of film education in Estonia, provides a theoretical framework for discussing and analysing adaptations in class with the help of multimodal and digital media. The methodology stems from the tradition of the Tartu-Moscow Semiotic School, which implies a holistic approach to meaning-generating processes in human culture. Literary adaptations are regarded as invariants of the same story existing in different media and discourses. The paper describes the process of the development and testing of the platform in Estonian- and Russian-speaking schools in Estonia. The results of the testing allow us to compare the patterns of media consumption and production in different classrooms and open up opportunities for promoting cultural diversity through adaptation studies. Literature on Screen constitutes a part of Education on Screen, a project developed by the Transmedia Research Group at the University of Tartu. The project’s goal is to develop open-access online materials to support the teaching of humanities-related subjects in secondary schools.