Research on the Transformation Paths of Screenwriting Curricula in Drama, Film, and Television Literature Programs at Private Universities in the AI Era

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has moved from the margins of technical experimentation into the daily workflow of script development, altering how stories are conceived, drafted and revised. Focusing on screenwriting curricula within drama, film and television literature programs at private universities, this paper draws together recent scholarship on GenAI in higher education and evidence from a pilot course taught at Liaoning Institute of Media. It examines how machine-generated writing reshapes the competencies expected of screenwriting graduates, diagnoses four weaknesses in present-day course provision, and sets out five routes for curricular renewal: redefining educational positioning, reorganising course content, redesigning classroom pedagogy, rebuilding practical training, and upgrading faculty capacity. The argument advanced is that the central task of screenwriting education in the AI era is not the substitution of human authorship but the construction of a human-machine partnership in which efficiency gains remain subordinate to humanistic judgement, so that reform serves both the long-term health of the screenwriting industry and the competitiveness of privately run institutions.