About us

The current study materials have been created by the University of Tartu’s transmedial research group, which functions under the state rubric of cultural semiotics deemed as research of national importance, and began with the scientific project: Kultuur kui haridus: transmeedialisus ja digitaalsus kultuurilises autokommunikatsioonis (“Culture as Education: Transmediality and Digitality in Cultural Autocommunication”). Our objective is to develop a methodology uniting transmedial studies and semiotics which creates study materials useful in general education and schools. Earlier we have created four learning environments:

• “Literature on Screen”, which centred on Andrus Kivirähk’s novel The Old Barny and its film adaption November; 
• “History on Screen”, which centred on the literary trilogy of Leelo Tungla and their film adaptation The Little Comrade; 
• “Identity on Screen”, which centred on A.H. Tammsaare’s Truth and Justice and used it to discuss notions of identity and self-understanding;
• “Nature on Screen” based on Fred Jüssi’s unique perceptions of nature and their mediation in the film Olemise ilu.

Semiotics allows studying culture in all possible forms. We believe that the stories about the past can be told in different cultural languages and from different perspectives. To make our approach more graspable for students, we have used various formats: videos, illustrations, test, tasks and theoretical introductions written in a simple language. Since cultural research is an essentially creative process, the platform offers many games and ideas for independent projects.

Mikk Rand

Estonian Film Institute

Palamuse museum

Opsti OÜ

Content creation: Alexandra Milyakina, Alexandr Fadejev, Merit Rickberg, Maarja Ojamaa

Translation: Erik Kõvamees, Saara Liis Jõerand, Alexandra Milyakina. 

Design and technical support: Redwall OÜ.