Tales of transformation are ubiquitous in the popular imagination as we struggle to figure out what it means to be human in the twenty-first century. In this course, we will consider stories of transformation (or metamorphosis) that have themselves undergone transformations as they are told, and retold in written, oral, and visual media. Such stories often use an element of fantasy in order to question our assumptions about identity, power, the boundaries between humans and other life forms, and between humans and their creations.

We will trace such concerns and questions across a wide range of materials, from old tales to popular fiction, visual media, performance, and film. Throughout the course, we will thus also explore the critical potential of art and storytelling in different media to ask ourselves how thinking about imaginary transformations can equip us to deal with the challenges posed by likely transformations in the contemporary world.

 

Through active participation in the course, students will become able to:

1. Analyze the idea of metamorphosis through a number of literary and media manifestations from different times and cultures.
2. Produce critical analyses of written and multimedia texts and situate them in a larger historical and social framework.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the ideological and cultural nature of storytelling and textual/media adaptation.
4. Demonstrate the interconnectedness of people across time through their creative thoughts and artistic products.
5. Relate stories of transformation to human aspirations and situations of cultural and social conflict.

 

The course is assessed by 100% coursework including the following components:

1.	Attendance, participation and contribution to class and tutorial activities. Active participation and contribution to classroom activities and online discussions will be rewarded.  Attendance of lecture and tutorial sessions are mandatory.	25%
2.	Response and creative essays: two short writing assignments of approximately 1000 words	40%
3.	Final project: reflective essay	35%

Instructions for assessment tasks 2 and 3 will be given during the course.

 

Readings and visual material will include one Young Adult (YA) novel, Speak, and a graphic novel, American Born Chinese. You can choose to purchase these at the HKU bookstore. Other assigned readings such as Franz Kafka’s novella, Metamorphosis, and short stories and comics by a range of authors will be made available on Moodle.