Portuguese MA
Myths and Modern Imagination COMPLIT4032
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Modern Languages and Cultures
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
Myths, folktales, legends, and other folkloric texts that have an enduring appeal are translated, adapted or rewritten, and thus can be said to 'travel' across time, space, cultures and media. The course will study 3-4 such 'travelling texts' alongside various adaptations of them in the form of films, novels, short stories and plays.
Timetable
20 x 1-hour or 10 x 2-hour sessions over one semester as scheduled in MyCampus.
This is one of the honours options in SMLC and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ Commentary (1000 words) - 30%
■ Essay (3000 words) - 70%
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There is no alternative to the commentary and essay, but an extension to the deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustment (students should follow the usual process for extensions).
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor. 
Main Assessment In: April/May
Course Aims
This course aims to:
■ investigate the presence of folkloric heritage in modern literature, film, and arts;
■ analyse texts using intertextual and intermedial approaches;
■ work with different theoretical frameworks deriving from structuralism, narratology, postcolonial studies, memory studies, film studies, etc;
■ examine the different socio-historical contexts in which literary and filmic adaptations of ancient tales and myths are produced.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
■ compare and contrast "original" texts with their adaptations, demonstrating a sound knowledge of some of the specific cultural contexts of the version studied;
■ compare and contrast adaptations of the same text in different geographical and historical settings;
■ analyse texts/films/graphic novels by means of sound use of literary, cultural and film theories covered in the course (e.g. structuralism, narratology, psychoanalysis);
■ describe the complexity of the shifting meanings offered by rewritings/translations/adaptations;
■ analyse how the socio-historical context in which texts are produced can shape interpretation and reception.