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FS30380

Academic Year 2026/2027

TV Genre: Romance (FS30380)

Subject:
Film Studies
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Professor Jorie Lagerwey
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This is a challenging theoretical module that will investigate TV Genre, it's histories, theories, and production contexts by exploring case studies from a single genre. Cultural Studies insists that interpreting and understanding the popular is essential to understanding and thus potentially impacting contemporary culture. That is the starting point for this module. We will examine Romance as an age-old but resurging genre. Romance is not traditionally a genre associated with TV, but major hits like Heated Rivalry, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Bridgerton make it clear that Romance has something to tell us about the 2020s.

By looking at the ways TV Romance intersects with other genres like soaps, reality TV, true crime, teen drama and other genres and forms of TV, the module will examine key theoretical questions of contemporary TV. Topics covered may include:
TV Genre Theory
Genre mixing and innovation
TV as a global product
Platform studies, including network and platform branding
Adaptation, Intellectual Property, and Contemporary business practices

Assessments in this module will ask students to use their creativity to think critically about Romance and TV genre. In-class exercises and in-class peer support will be essential components of module assessment. Students unable to attend a majority of class sessions will be unable to succeed in the final project.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

In this module, students will practice and develop skills in critical thinking and academic research.
They will demonstrate clear oral and written or audio-visual communication skills.
They will present evidence-based theoretical arguments.
They will demonstrate their understanding of TV genre theory, history, and case studies.

Indicative Module Content:

Case studies are indicative only
Segments of classic soaps
Outlander
Summer I Turned Pretty
Normal People
K-Dramas
Love Island or Love is Blind
1923 or 1883
Heated Rivalry
Dirty John or MTV's Catfish
Various network-branded rom-coms like Hallmark or Netflix

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

80
Autonomous Student Learning

96
Seminar (or Webinar)

24
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a discussion- and project-based module. During class sessions, students will work together to understand scholarly perspectives and analyse texts. The module is designed around building toward a final project, in which students may work individually or in small groups.

AI Use Permitted for Limited Support: Students may use AI tools for limited support in this module (e.g. idea generation, practice questions, or as a study aid). However, students remain fully responsible for the accuracy and reliability of their learning. Any use
of AI must be cited appropriately.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of English, Drama and Film are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This is to promote consistency within and between modules in the same
level and discipline.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Participation in Learning Activities: In-class activities, quizzes, and mini-presentations will happen each week during seminar time. The learning activities grade will be based on the highest 5 grades. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10 Graded No
20
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Students will develop their own final project including critical and creative components. Students can work individually or in small groups. Week 14 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students will submit a proposal for their final project to receive formative feedback. Week 8 Graded No
15
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students will complete a feedback response template after engaging with written and oral feedback on their project proposal. Week 10 Graded No
15
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Tues 14:00 - 15:50
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 3 Tues 14:00 - 15:50
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