Programme: Communication and media studies Bachelor’s Programme from 2021/22/Term 1
Subject Role: Elective
Recommended semester: 0
Programme: MA in Communication and Media Studies
Subject Role: Elective
Recommended semester: 0
Objectives
This workshop and exercise course is an excursion into the realm of writing. It is designed to provide a deep understanding of the creative process and to develop a set of practical skills for dramatic writing.
Academic results
Knowledge
- Solid knowledge of the most important social science conceptualizations needed to study the communication phenomena
- Basic knowledge of social science methodologies
- Basic knowledge of social institutions (law, language, religion, etc.)
Skills
- Ability to recognize social communication problems, and to choose appropriate solutions
- Openness to acquire new sectors of knowledge and ability to effectively acquire them
- Ability to accomplish scientific literature research
Attitude
- Presence from social science egocentrism in social science fields
- Openness to social change
- Acceptance of other (non-Western) cultural traditions
Independence and responsibility
- Adoption and enforcement of professional standards
- Independence
- Display one’s own worldview in a professional setting
Teaching methodology
The course is structured around two parallel approaches to dramatic writing that run concurrently, week by week, and are represented by two instructors.
Materials supporting learning
- Martin Esslin: An Anatomy of Drama, Temple Smith, 1976
- William Goldman: Adventures in the Screen Trade, Little, Brown Book Group,1966
- William Goldman: Which Lie Did I Tell?, Random House, 2000
- Keith Johnstone: Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, Bloomsbury, 1981
- Will Storr: The Science of Storytelling, William Collins, 2019
- Ken Dancyger and Jeff Rush: Alternative Scriptwriting: Beyond the Hollywood Formula, Taylor & Francis, 2013
General Rules
Attendance is mandatory, no more than 3 missed classes
Performance assessment methods
assessment of activity, homeworks and capstone projects
Percentage of performance assessments, conducted during the study period, within the rating
- classwork: 20
- homework: 35
- capstone projects: 45
- sum: 100
Percentage of exam elements within the rating
Conditions for obtaining a signature, validity of the signature
Participation
Issuing grades
| % | |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 97-100 |
| Very good | 90-96 |
| Good | 80-89 |
| Satisfactory | 70-79 |
| Pass | 60-69 |
| Fail | 50-59 |
Retake and late completion
Retake and make-up test options are defined by the valid regulations of the University’s Code on Education and Examination.
Coursework required for the completion of the subject
| Nature of work | Number of sessions per term |
|---|---|
| classwork | 84 |
| homework | 156 |
| sum | 240 |
Approval and validity of subject requirements
Consulted with the Faculty Student Representative Committee, approved by the Vice Dean for Education, valid from: 02.06.2024.
Topics covered during the term
The course is structured around two parallel approaches to dramatic writing that run concurrently, week by week. In Playshop students immerse themselves in improvisational games, creative writing games, and collective storytelling exercises. Look Who's Writing is a more conservative approach: close reading, text analysis and a peek into the basics of dramaturgy accompany the traditional writing assignments.
| Lecture topics | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Introduction - Writing as Being, humans as storytellers. |
| 2. | Let’s read! - Text analysis and close reading, humans as listeners. The circle of expectations. Reading the signs. |
| 3. | Let’s listen! - eavesdropping, dialogue as information, dialogue as the character, dialogue as the story, dialogue as a genre. |
| 4. | Across the Universe - individual introductions, personal projects. |
| 5. | Fail Better! - discovering the process, rule of quantity, attempt on deliberate “bad writing”, boring scenes, what is interesting at all? Character. |
| 6. | The character as the story. In the middle. Relationships. Conflicts and internal conflicts. |
| 7. | I Me Mine - discussing capstone ideas, individual project proposals |
| 8. | How to Build Structure - Classical narrative structures. Synopsys. Treatment. |
| 9. | Premise. Logline. |
| 10. | Let’s Talk! - writing dialogue - the difference between prose and dramatic writing. |
| 11. | How to Show and How to Tell - Writing for the film. Connections between writing, acting and directing. |
| 12. | Erase and rewrite - the process of improving your work by leaving the comfort zone. Feedback from classmates on project process. |
| 13. | Editing and restructuring. The process of letting go, of compressing, of reorganising. |
| 14. | Performance as experience. Public performance. Presenting the capstone projects |
| 15. | Come Together - General feedback, Closing |
Additional lecturers
| Name | Position | Contact details |
|---|---|---|