|
|
Of all forms of communication, film often seems the most obvious, pleasurable and self-explanatory. With an emphasis on variety of film practice, this module aims to introduce students to the essential elements of film narrative and engage them in thinking critically about the choices made by film-makers in constructing the look and sound of their films. We will be asking, therefore, how meaning is created in the cinema, as well as what ideas and arguments such meanings may generate among critically aware spectators of it. In doing so we will be exploring the richness and complexity of cinema's potential to communicate with its spectators through a carefully selected variety of films. Represented amongst these will not only be the classic Hollywood model with which we are all most familiar, but also films from other national and artistic traditions. These will be examined in the context of both fortnightly lecture/workshops and weekly small group classes. |
|
|
How is University English different from 'A' level? What sorts of ideas and facts are important for studying literature? What makes literature distinctive and exciting? This core introductory module aims to answer these questions and thereby enable students to manage the transition from 'A' level or equivalent to self-study, group work, and formal assessment at university level. The central focus of the module is poetry and drama, from William Shakespeare to Tony Harrison. As well as reading these primary works, students will also be introduced to some key ideas and terms in literary criticism, as well as to all the research resources available to them at Keele. It is a module designed to develop and strengthen your pleasure, knowledge and confidence as a reader of literature. |
|
|
This module focuses on the creation of a short film. You will learn the fundamentals of video production, including the techniques and the aesthetics of screen writing, shooting, composition and editing. Most importantly you will learn by doing. This is a hands on course that encourages you to familiarise yourself with digital video equipment, consider the work of other film and documentary makers, experiment with and develop your own filmmaking style and begin acquiring a knowledge of film language and terminology.
The key areas of focus are:
- Film language and terminology (critical analysis of films and conventions)
- Pre-production (scriptwriting, storyboarding, schedules and planning)
- Production (camera operation, directing)
- Post-production (editing)
Assessment will be by a group project, 3-5 minute short film (50%) and a workbook (50%). |
|
|
Of all forms of communication, film often seems the most obvious, pleasurable and self-explanatory. With an emphasis on popular British cinema from the 1990s to the present day, this level 1 module aims to introduce students to the dominant thematic and aesthetic issues/representations addressed in a selected number of contemporary British films. Alongside this, we will also analyse how filmic aesthetics intersect with themes such as identity, race, social class, nationality and gender. |
|
|
This module will introduce students to elements of pitch and pitch class; beat, meter and rhythm (simple and compound); scales and diatonic modes; pitch intervals; triads and seventh chords; transposition and clefs. This module involves a number of learning environments, including plenary sessions, lab classes, tutorial support, and WebCT support, learning and testing.
It is an ideal module for students who have not had the opportunity to acquire music theory, and/or who wish to brush up on their theory so they can take modules in composition, analysis or musicology. It is also intended for students with a Music Techology background who want to acquire some skills in in written notation in order to pursue modules in composition or simply to increase their options through the programme. |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
AMS-10024 |
New York, New York: An Introduction to American Culture |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
New York City holds a special place in the popular imagination. Immortalised in cinema, literature, visual art and song, it continues to symbolise much that is iconic about the United States, but also to maintain a unique identity as somewhere diverse, inclusive, democratic and edgy. This module offers Level I students a chance to explore and discuss the icons, the myths and the realities of this infamous urban space, and at the same time, through a range of texts which includes literature, film, visual art and journalism, demonstrate the unique cross-disciplinary approach of American Studies as a degree programme. |
|
|
ENG-10025 |
Approaches to Film |
C |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Who is the author of a film? How do we categorize and make sense of films in relation to each other? How is the meaning of a film shaped by the historical period or national culture that produced it? What sorts of ideas and ideologies about gender and race do films include or exclude? This module provides an introduction to all these questions addressed within film theory. Like any other discipline of enquiry, Film Studies has generated a set of debates about value and meaning that revolve around some key questions, concepts and terms. Through a series of fortnightly two hour workshop lectures and weekly small group classes, this module will examine the development of critical thinking on the cinema and will invite students to debate, question and apply ideas on: film authorship; film genre; history; film politics. Each of these critical areas will be investigated with reference to an exciting range of films, chosen for the way they have shaped film history and challenged cinema's potential as a form of art and entertainment. Indicative study texts may include: 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (Dir. Sharman, 1975), 'Modern Times' (Dir. Chaplin, 1936) and 'Breathless' (Dir. Godard, 1960).
|
|
|
ENG-10027 |
Becoming a Critic |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
What kinds of social and historical contexts do we need to understand narratives from different cultures and historical periods? What are the distinctive features of literary narrative? How is it different from film? This module addresses each of these questions while also encouraging students to think seriously about the pleasures and challenges of a form of communication that surrounds us every day. As a core module for English students it is also designed to help students manage the transition from 'A' level or equivalent to self-study, group work, and formal assessment at university level. The set texts for the module will include examples of postcolonial literature and will range from the 18th century to the present day. Students will look at a selection of novels, films and short stories and will be introduced to a number of key concepts (including postcolonialism and postmodernism) in literary and film criticism. |
|
|
MDS-10010 |
Understanding Culture |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
What is culture? Where is it and who particpates in it? How has our understanding of it developed historically? What's the difference between high and low culture? How does literature, film, photography and advertising encourage us to behave in particular ways? This course will introduce some of the key concepts and issues in the historical and contemporary study of culture. It will introduce theories, approaches and methodologies for the study of a range of cultural $ùtexts&© from Shakespeare to magazine advertisements. We will start by looking at literary culture from the past and focus on the relationship between $ùclassic&© literary texts and their audiences, both now and when they were first produced. We will go on to look at popular contemporary culture in both visual and written form, including film, photographs and advertisements. |
|
|
MDS-10011 |
The Photographic Message |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The Photographic Message
In this module students will look at the impact of photography as a mode of mechanical reproduction through to contemporary hyper real digital image production. Students will be introduced to semiotic analysis and study the work and roll of photographic practioners in both a contemporary and historical context. Each student will produce a photomontage and workbook based on notions of cultural identity and/or stigma and discrimination.
Assessment will be by a visual project photomontage (50%), a workbook (50%), and a compulsory oral presentation. |
|
|
MDS-10012 |
Introduction to European Cinema |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
From the end of the Second World War until the 1970s, European Cinema enjoyed a Golden Age which saw directors across Europe produce many of the Classics of World Cinema. From Great Britain to France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and beyond, many countries reached the height of productivity and artistry in their national cinemas, with $ùnew waves&© in most countries, especially in the key period from the end of the fifties to the end of the sixties. This module seeks to introduce students to some of the great works of world cinema produced in these countries in these decades. Directors central to this module will include some of the $ùgreats&© of world cinema - Fellini, Bertolucci and Antonioni from Italy, Godard and Truffaut from France, Fassbinder, Herzog and Wenders from Germany, as well as Ingmar Bergman, and key representatives from the British New Wave.
The module will not presume any knowledge of the cinematic history of a given country, but will seek to introduce students to currents, trends and techniques which cut across national boundaries, as well as to the specifics of national cinemas, and the uniqueness of the work of particular auteurs. |
|
|
MUS-10042 |
Analog and Digital Audio |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module aims to establish a common theoretical base on elements of acoustics, electro-acoustics and digital audio for future practical modules that will focus on the creative application of audio technologies.
At the end of the module students will be able to: demonstrate knowledge/recollection of basic core concepts, rules and physical measurements of acoustic phenomena and their representation in the digital domain; demonstrate comprehension and interpretation of basic core concepts; apply methods and theories learnt in the module.
The module covers: elements of acoustics, auditory perception; analog audio and signal path; elements of spectral analysis, audible spectrum, spectrum of noise and pitched sounds, filters; Fourier theorem, additive sound synthesis; digitisation of audio signals, sampling theorem, aliasing; computer audio, hardware, software, MIDI protocol; electro-acoustic transducers, microphones, loudspeakers.
|
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
AMS-20060 |
Hooray for Hollywood? Approaches to American Film |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
What kind of world has Hollywood shown, how has the industry changed over time, and in what ways have its films been studied? These are the main questions addressed in a module that looks at American popular film, concentrating on the transition from the so-called &«classic Hollywood cinema&ª (from the 1920s to the 1940s) to a &«New&ª Hollywood consolidating itself in the 1960s and 1970s, and onwards to the end of the 20th century.
Starting with the close analysis of films, we will examine developments in film form and content, and questions of gender, genre, and race in relation to the changing social contexts of film production and reception. We will consider changes in the organisation of the film industry, its target audiences, its technological innovations and commercial complicity. Last but not least, we will explore the changing role that cinema-going has played in people&©s lives.
Although it does not presume previous experience of film studies, this module is intended for students committed to the study of film and/or to the study of modern America.
|
|
|
ENG-20036 |
Twentieth Century Novels into Films |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Film has always had a close relationship to the novel through both literary adaptation and novelists who have also been screenplay writers. It has, nonetheless, frequently been framed as the poor relation of the two in terms of cultural value. By examining the distinctiveness and complexity of film language and the relative parameters of literary and film modes of narration, this module will examine some of the key but distinctive questions that need to be addressed when thinking about how film and literature make meaning. The module is specifically focused on the construction of history within narrative and will investigate how the categories of personal and collective memory, political conflict, change, national identity and gender are articulated in three novels and their film adaptations. |
|
|
MDS-20025 |
Gender and the Cinematic Gaze |
C |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will explore and evaluate the significance of gendered representation in film focusing specifically on theories of gendered spectatorship, voyeurism and the dis/pleasure of looking. Students will be introduced to a number of significant theorists such as Laura Mulvey, Judith Butler, Claire Johnston and Sue Thornham in order to gain an understanding of gender as a cultural and social construction (differentiated from $ùsex&©) and influenced by political movements such as feminism. Students will consider if, how and to what extent notions of gender are culturally determined. In addition, they will consider the complexities associated with representations of gender on-screen and study how filmic audiences have traditionally identified with specific gender positions leading to a consideration of notions of subjectivity and objectivity in film spectatorship. Via analysis of a range of filmic texts that may include 'Rear Window' (Hitchcock, 1954), 'Beauty and the Beast' (Trousdale and Wise, 1991), 'Fight Club' (Fincher, 1999) and 'Caramel' (Labaki, 2007), this module will explore the ways in which gender representations are negotiated in-line with other areas of identity politics such as sexuality, ethnicity, race and class.
Through theoretical and illustrative lectures and contextualised screenings, this module will allow students to explore the ways in which notions of self are linked to social and cultural representations of gender on-screen. Students will question gender identities on-screen as representations that may shape and organise the ways in which we see and find pleasure in seeing. |
|
|
MDS-20027 |
From Nosferatu to Saw: Horror Cinema in Social Context |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
In this module we study horror cinema in social and cultural context. In order to introduce the module we start by thinking through the meaning of horror and exploring the function of horror cinema. What is it that horror cinema communicates? Following this introductory class, we begin our exploration of the horror genre by analysing the classic film Nosferatu and the sub-genre of the vampire movie. Beyond our study of the vampire, we move on to examine Frankenstein, the archetype of the mad scientist, and the critique of promethean man in the horror genre. Remaining in the 1930s, we look at Jekyll and Hyde and the horror of self / other, before focusing on Wolfman and the figure of the werewolf in western culture.
If Jekyll and Hyde introduced the figure of the other in horror cinema, and Wolfman developed the idea of the other as animality, the classic 1950 B-movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, created the notion of the other as a social alien, in this case the communist infiltrator. In classes that follow we extend our study of the other in horror cinema through discussions of the figure of the zombie, the Devil, and the monstrosity of the wilderness. Moving away from an analysis of the horror of the wilderness, we consider horror much closer to home, the trope of the haunted house, the suburbs, the psycho-killer, and the idea that everyday life is horrific. Finally, and in order to conclude the module, we examine mock realism in the horror genre through a consideration of the Blair Witch Project and the sadistic ultra-violent turn in horror cinema represented by the torture porn sub-genre and in particular the movie Saw.
|
|
|
MUS-20047 |
Unheard Melodies? Music in the Narrative Film |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Why do films have music? How does music help a film to tell its story? Do we actually hear film music? Does music make perceivers more receptive to a film's ideological content?
This module will explore questions along these lines, while enabling students:
&· to acquire an understanding of the uses and history of music in the narrative film (and, by extension, in other screen media, e.g., television, computer games)
&· to develop the ability to analyze instances of film/screen music, and to critique its narrative and ideological purposes
&· to learn a basic vocabulary of music analytical tools
&· to gain a basic understanding of narrative theory, and
&· to develop analytical and other scholarly skills through written assignments, classroom contributions and independent research.
Students interesting in composition or sound editing will also have an opportunity to rescore an existing passage of film as part of their portfolio assessment.
The first half of the module will proceed by building up a theoretical base for understanding and analyzing filmic narrativity and, crucially, music's place within the filmic discourse; the second half of the module will then progress through a series of case studies exploring examples from Hollywood and non-Hollywood scoring practice.
A basic knowledge of music theory and some practical musical ability would be advantageous to students taking this module, but is not strictly necessary.
|
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
AMS-20061 |
Alfred Hitchcock's America |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Alfred Hitchcock was an historian, critic, and analyst of American culture, as becomes clear by focusing on some of the greatest films he made in Hollywood from the early 1940s until the late $ù50s. We will pursue cultural and politicised readings, while also attending in detail to both the production histories of his films $ú the stars, studios, and collaborators he worked with - and, through close attention to detail, their paramount formal features.
Themes considered include the relation between national security and sexual identity, the complicity of cinema in a surveillance culture, fashion and the politics of gender construction.
This module is designed for students who have already taken a film module, and is not recommended for those without some relevant previous experience.
|
|
|
ENG-20031 |
French Cinema |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Known as 'the seventh art', cinema in France occupies an important place in terms of practise, criticism and spectatorship in that country. This module looks at key moments within the history of French cinema, namely the Golden Age of the 1930s, the New Wave of the 1950s and 1960s, postmodern and postcolonial films of the 1980s and1990s. and trends such as the de-eroticised erotic, blockbusters, and social realism of the 2000s. In so doing, it considers questions around genre, auteurship, stars, social contexts, cinematography, and narrative, as well as issues around class, gender, sexuality and national identity. |
|
|
MDS-20017 |
Politics and Cinema |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module seeks to introduce students to some of the great works of world cinema and to investigate the major ideological tendencies of the twentieth-century and key moments in modern and contemporary politics as these have been reflected in film. Topics central to this module include revolution, totalitarianism, nationalism and terrorism. The scope is international and settings include North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Films studied on the course are likely to include: Alan J. Pakula&©s All the President&©s Men; Francis Ford Coppola&©s Apocalypse Now; Michael Moore&©s Fahrenheit 9/11; Eisenstein&©s Battleship Potemkin; Askoldov&©s Commissar; Mikhalkov&©s Burnt by the Sun; The Lives of Others; Goodbye Lenin!; Ken Loach&©s The Wind that Shakes the Barley; Neil Jordan&©s Michael Collins; Richard Attenborough&©s Cry Freedom; Pontecorvo&©s The Battle of Algiers; Kevin Macdonald&©s One Day in September; Spielberg&©s Munich (2005).
The module will not presume any knowledge of film, but will nevertheless regard the films as cinematic works. The main focus will be on events, ideas and political developments, and how they are reflected cinematically. A general background knowledge of the twentieth century will be important although this module will not require deep specialist knowledge of any given country. |
|
|
MDS-20026 |
Film Genre, Narrative and the Star |
C |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will explore the significance of generic categorisation, narrative order and the position of the Hollywood star in association with filmic constructions of identity and dis/pleasure. Generic classification will be studied in order to consider not only the purpose of such categorisations in terms of spectator expectations but further, to situate cinematic and filmic texts as part of a predicated economy. In terms of film narrative, this module will explore the cause-and-effect relationship associated with mainstream Hollywood film, distinctions between story and plot and the significance of cinematic codes in order to shape preferred meanings for filmic audiences. The module will also analyse the significance of the contemporary filmic star in terms of their positioning as both subjects and objects of desire. As such, the module will address pertinent questions such as: what is the relationship between performance and stardom and moreover, why are we as filmic spectators, so interested in film stars?
The purpose of this module is to convey to students the significance of these areas individually and collectively to the discipline of Film Studies as well as to encourage students to recognise the different theoretical approaches to genre, narrative and star studies by leading academics. Specific texts will be studied in order to explicate the differing modes and ways in which these three pertinent areas help to shape meaning in film and to consider how these areas relate to spectator gratification and pleasure. Through theoretical and illustrative lectures and contextualised screenings, this module will allow students to explore the ways in which certain genres, narrative structures and film stars operate. Indicative study texts may include 'The Battle of Orgreave' (Figgis, 2001), 'Gladiator' (Scott, 2000) and 'Memento' (Nolan, 2000). |
Film Studies Minor - Level 1 Modules
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
ENG-10024 |
Reading Film |
C |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Of all forms of communication, film often seems the most obvious, pleasurable and self-explanatory. With an emphasis on variety of film practice, this module aims to introduce students to the essential elements of film narrative and engage them in thinking critically about the choices made by film-makers in constructing the look and sound of their films. We will be asking, therefore, how meaning is created in the cinema, as well as what ideas and arguments such meanings may generate among critically aware spectators of it. In doing so we will be exploring the richness and complexity of cinema's potential to communicate with its spectators through a carefully selected variety of films. Represented amongst these will not only be the classic Hollywood model with which we are all most familiar, but also films from other national and artistic traditions. These will be examined in the context of both fortnightly lecture/workshops and weekly small group classes. |
|
|
ENG-10026 |
Reading Literature |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
How is University English different from 'A' level? What sorts of ideas and facts are important for studying literature? What makes literature distinctive and exciting? This core introductory module aims to answer these questions and thereby enable students to manage the transition from 'A' level or equivalent to self-study, group work, and formal assessment at university level. The central focus of the module is poetry and drama, from William Shakespeare to Tony Harrison. As well as reading these primary works, students will also be introduced to some key ideas and terms in literary criticism, as well as to all the research resources available to them at Keele. It is a module designed to develop and strengthen your pleasure, knowledge and confidence as a reader of literature. |
|
|
ENG-10028 |
Telling Tales: An Introduction to Narrative Fiction |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Narrative fiction has always been central to our understanding of ourselves and the way we engage with others. The novel in particular has developed over the last four centuries in a number of ways: from producing a critical commentary on the social and political climate of a period, to providing access to the innermost thoughts of an individual. This module will introduce students to the critical study and evaluation of narrative fiction. It will cover a range of authors from different periods and focus on the historical development of fiction from the 'birth' of the novel in the early eighteenth century to the present. It will also identify the formal and aesthetic characteristics of a number of narrative modes such as realism, modernism and postmodernism. Writers covered on the module might include Daniel Defoe, Elizabeth Gaskell, Virginia Woolf and Michael Cunningham. There will also be a range of extracts from relevant literary and narrative theory. |
|
|
MDS-10008 |
Mediated World |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Mediated World aims to introduce students to some of the main theories and debates found in contemporary media, communication and cultural studies. In this course we examine how the mass media has come to dominate our everyday life $ú from the spaces we inhabit, to the beliefs we hold and values we share $ú while analyzing our individual and collective role in this complex relationship. By looking at how and why the tools developed by societies $ú from the first printing press to today&©s high speed internet $ú have been used for mass communication, we will probe how power is constructed in media messages and ask whether the consumers of such messages can ever wrest back control over meaning. |
|
|
MDS-10009 |
Digital Video |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module focuses on the creation of a short film. You will learn the fundamentals of video production, including the techniques and the aesthetics of screen writing, shooting, composition and editing. Most importantly you will learn by doing. This is a hands on course that encourages you to familiarise yourself with digital video equipment, consider the work of other film and documentary makers, experiment with and develop your own filmmaking style and begin acquiring a knowledge of film language and terminology.
The key areas of focus are:
- Film language and terminology (critical analysis of films and conventions)
- Pre-production (scriptwriting, storyboarding, schedules and planning)
- Production (camera operation, directing)
- Post-production (editing)
Assessment will be by a group project, 3-5 minute short film (50%) and a workbook (50%). |
|
|
MDS-10013 |
Popular British Cinema: From the 90s to the present day |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Of all forms of communication, film often seems the most obvious, pleasurable and self-explanatory. With an emphasis on popular British cinema from the 1990s to the present day, this level 1 module aims to introduce students to the dominant thematic and aesthetic issues/representations addressed in a selected number of contemporary British films. Alongside this, we will also analyse how filmic aesthetics intersect with themes such as identity, race, social class, nationality and gender. |
|
|
MUS-10037 |
Introduction to Music Theory |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to elements of pitch and pitch class; beat, meter and rhythm (simple and compound); scales and diatonic modes; pitch intervals; triads and seventh chords; transposition and clefs. This module involves a number of learning environments, including plenary sessions, lab classes, tutorial support, and WebCT support, learning and testing.
It is an ideal module for students who have not had the opportunity to acquire music theory, and/or who wish to brush up on their theory so they can take modules in composition, analysis or musicology. It is also intended for students with a Music Techology background who want to acquire some skills in in written notation in order to pursue modules in composition or simply to increase their options through the programme. |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
AMS-10024 |
New York, New York: An Introduction to American Culture |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
New York City holds a special place in the popular imagination. Immortalised in cinema, literature, visual art and song, it continues to symbolise much that is iconic about the United States, but also to maintain a unique identity as somewhere diverse, inclusive, democratic and edgy. This module offers Level I students a chance to explore and discuss the icons, the myths and the realities of this infamous urban space, and at the same time, through a range of texts which includes literature, film, visual art and journalism, demonstrate the unique cross-disciplinary approach of American Studies as a degree programme. |
|
|
ENG-10025 |
Approaches to Film |
C |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Who is the author of a film? How do we categorize and make sense of films in relation to each other? How is the meaning of a film shaped by the historical period or national culture that produced it? What sorts of ideas and ideologies about gender and race do films include or exclude? This module provides an introduction to all these questions addressed within film theory. Like any other discipline of enquiry, Film Studies has generated a set of debates about value and meaning that revolve around some key questions, concepts and terms. Through a series of fortnightly two hour workshop lectures and weekly small group classes, this module will examine the development of critical thinking on the cinema and will invite students to debate, question and apply ideas on: film authorship; film genre; history; film politics. Each of these critical areas will be investigated with reference to an exciting range of films, chosen for the way they have shaped film history and challenged cinema's potential as a form of art and entertainment. Indicative study texts may include: 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (Dir. Sharman, 1975), 'Modern Times' (Dir. Chaplin, 1936) and 'Breathless' (Dir. Godard, 1960).
|
|
|
ENG-10027 |
Becoming a Critic |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
What kinds of social and historical contexts do we need to understand narratives from different cultures and historical periods? What are the distinctive features of literary narrative? How is it different from film? This module addresses each of these questions while also encouraging students to think seriously about the pleasures and challenges of a form of communication that surrounds us every day. As a core module for English students it is also designed to help students manage the transition from 'A' level or equivalent to self-study, group work, and formal assessment at university level. The set texts for the module will include examples of postcolonial literature and will range from the 18th century to the present day. Students will look at a selection of novels, films and short stories and will be introduced to a number of key concepts (including postcolonialism and postmodernism) in literary and film criticism. |
|
|
MDS-10010 |
Understanding Culture |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
What is culture? Where is it and who particpates in it? How has our understanding of it developed historically? What's the difference between high and low culture? How does literature, film, photography and advertising encourage us to behave in particular ways? This course will introduce some of the key concepts and issues in the historical and contemporary study of culture. It will introduce theories, approaches and methodologies for the study of a range of cultural $ùtexts&© from Shakespeare to magazine advertisements. We will start by looking at literary culture from the past and focus on the relationship between $ùclassic&© literary texts and their audiences, both now and when they were first produced. We will go on to look at popular contemporary culture in both visual and written form, including film, photographs and advertisements. |
|
|
MDS-10011 |
The Photographic Message |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The Photographic Message
In this module students will look at the impact of photography as a mode of mechanical reproduction through to contemporary hyper real digital image production. Students will be introduced to semiotic analysis and study the work and roll of photographic practioners in both a contemporary and historical context. Each student will produce a photomontage and workbook based on notions of cultural identity and/or stigma and discrimination.
Assessment will be by a visual project photomontage (50%), a workbook (50%), and a compulsory oral presentation. |
|
|
MDS-10012 |
Introduction to European Cinema |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
From the end of the Second World War until the 1970s, European Cinema enjoyed a Golden Age which saw directors across Europe produce many of the Classics of World Cinema. From Great Britain to France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and beyond, many countries reached the height of productivity and artistry in their national cinemas, with $ùnew waves&© in most countries, especially in the key period from the end of the fifties to the end of the sixties. This module seeks to introduce students to some of the great works of world cinema produced in these countries in these decades. Directors central to this module will include some of the $ùgreats&© of world cinema - Fellini, Bertolucci and Antonioni from Italy, Godard and Truffaut from France, Fassbinder, Herzog and Wenders from Germany, as well as Ingmar Bergman, and key representatives from the British New Wave.
The module will not presume any knowledge of the cinematic history of a given country, but will seek to introduce students to currents, trends and techniques which cut across national boundaries, as well as to the specifics of national cinemas, and the uniqueness of the work of particular auteurs. |
|
|
MUS-10042 |
Analog and Digital Audio |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module aims to establish a common theoretical base on elements of acoustics, electro-acoustics and digital audio for future practical modules that will focus on the creative application of audio technologies.
At the end of the module students will be able to: demonstrate knowledge/recollection of basic core concepts, rules and physical measurements of acoustic phenomena and their representation in the digital domain; demonstrate comprehension and interpretation of basic core concepts; apply methods and theories learnt in the module.
The module covers: elements of acoustics, auditory perception; analog audio and signal path; elements of spectral analysis, audible spectrum, spectrum of noise and pitched sounds, filters; Fourier theorem, additive sound synthesis; digitisation of audio signals, sampling theorem, aliasing; computer audio, hardware, software, MIDI protocol; electro-acoustic transducers, microphones, loudspeakers.
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Film Studies Minor - Level 2 Modules
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
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AMS-20060 |
Hooray for Hollywood? Approaches to American Film |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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What kind of world has Hollywood shown, how has the industry changed over time, and in what ways have its films been studied? These are the main questions addressed in a module that looks at American popular film, concentrating on the transition from the so-called &«classic Hollywood cinema&ª (from the 1920s to the 1940s) to a &«New&ª Hollywood consolidating itself in the 1960s and 1970s, and onwards to the end of the 20th century.
Starting with the close analysis of films, we will examine developments in film form and content, and questions of gender, genre, and race in relation to the changing social contexts of film production and reception. We will consider changes in the organisation of the film industry, its target audiences, its technological innovations and commercial complicity. Last but not least, we will explore the changing role that cinema-going has played in people&©s lives.
Although it does not presume previous experience of film studies, this module is intended for students committed to the study of film and/or to the study of modern America.
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ENG-20036 |
Twentieth Century Novels into Films |
EA |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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Film has always had a close relationship to the novel through both literary adaptation and novelists who have also been screenplay writers. It has, nonetheless, frequently been framed as the poor relation of the two in terms of cultural value. By examining the distinctiveness and complexity of film language and the relative parameters of literary and film modes of narration, this module will examine some of the key but distinctive questions that need to be addressed when thinking about how film and literature make meaning. The module is specifically focused on the construction of history within narrative and will investigate how the categories of personal and collective memory, political conflict, change, national identity and gender are articulated in three novels and their film adaptations. |
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MDS-20025 |
Gender and the Cinematic Gaze |
C |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module will explore and evaluate the significance of gendered representation in film focusing specifically on theories of gendered spectatorship, voyeurism and the dis/pleasure of looking. Students will be introduced to a number of significant theorists such as Laura Mulvey, Judith Butler, Claire Johnston and Sue Thornham in order to gain an understanding of gender as a cultural and social construction (differentiated from $ùsex&©) and influenced by political movements such as feminism. Students will consider if, how and to what extent notions of gender are culturally determined. In addition, they will consider the complexities associated with representations of gender on-screen and study how filmic audiences have traditionally identified with specific gender positions leading to a consideration of notions of subjectivity and objectivity in film spectatorship. Via analysis of a range of filmic texts that may include 'Rear Window' (Hitchcock, 1954), 'Beauty and the Beast' (Trousdale and Wise, 1991), 'Fight Club' (Fincher, 1999) and 'Caramel' (Labaki, 2007), this module will explore the ways in which gender representations are negotiated in-line with other areas of identity politics such as sexuality, ethnicity, race and class.
Through theoretical and illustrative lectures and contextualised screenings, this module will allow students to explore the ways in which notions of self are linked to social and cultural representations of gender on-screen. Students will question gender identities on-screen as representations that may shape and organise the ways in which we see and find pleasure in seeing. |
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MDS-20027 |
From Nosferatu to Saw: Horror Cinema in Social Context |
EA |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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In this module we study horror cinema in social and cultural context. In order to introduce the module we start by thinking through the meaning of horror and exploring the function of horror cinema. What is it that horror cinema communicates? Following this introductory class, we begin our exploration of the horror genre by analysing the classic film Nosferatu and the sub-genre of the vampire movie. Beyond our study of the vampire, we move on to examine Frankenstein, the archetype of the mad scientist, and the critique of promethean man in the horror genre. Remaining in the 1930s, we look at Jekyll and Hyde and the horror of self / other, before focusing on Wolfman and the figure of the werewolf in western culture.
If Jekyll and Hyde introduced the figure of the other in horror cinema, and Wolfman developed the idea of the other as animality, the classic 1950 B-movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, created the notion of the other as a social alien, in this case the communist infiltrator. In classes that follow we extend our study of the other in horror cinema through discussions of the figure of the zombie, the Devil, and the monstrosity of the wilderness. Moving away from an analysis of the horror of the wilderness, we consider horror much closer to home, the trope of the haunted house, the suburbs, the psycho-killer, and the idea that everyday life is horrific. Finally, and in order to conclude the module, we examine mock realism in the horror genre through a consideration of the Blair Witch Project and the sadistic ultra-violent turn in horror cinema represented by the torture porn sub-genre and in particular the movie Saw.
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MUS-20047 |
Unheard Melodies? Music in the Narrative Film |
EA |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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Why do films have music? How does music help a film to tell its story? Do we actually hear film music? Does music make perceivers more receptive to a film's ideological content?
This module will explore questions along these lines, while enabling students:
&· to acquire an understanding of the uses and history of music in the narrative film (and, by extension, in other screen media, e.g., television, computer games)
&· to develop the ability to analyze instances of film/screen music, and to critique its narrative and ideological purposes
&· to learn a basic vocabulary of music analytical tools
&· to gain a basic understanding of narrative theory, and
&· to develop analytical and other scholarly skills through written assignments, classroom contributions and independent research.
Students interesting in composition or sound editing will also have an opportunity to rescore an existing passage of film as part of their portfolio assessment.
The first half of the module will proceed by building up a theoretical base for understanding and analyzing filmic narrativity and, crucially, music's place within the filmic discourse; the second half of the module will then progress through a series of case studies exploring examples from Hollywood and non-Hollywood scoring practice.
A basic knowledge of music theory and some practical musical ability would be advantageous to students taking this module, but is not strictly necessary.
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| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
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AMS-20061 |
Alfred Hitchcock's America |
EA |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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Alfred Hitchcock was an historian, critic, and analyst of American culture, as becomes clear by focusing on some of the greatest films he made in Hollywood from the early 1940s until the late $ù50s. We will pursue cultural and politicised readings, while also attending in detail to both the production histories of his films $ú the stars, studios, and collaborators he worked with - and, through close attention to detail, their paramount formal features.
Themes considered include the relation between national security and sexual identity, the complicity of cinema in a surveillance culture, fashion and the politics of gender construction.
This module is designed for students who have already taken a film module, and is not recommended for those without some relevant previous experience.
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ENG-20031 |
French Cinema |
EA |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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Known as 'the seventh art', cinema in France occupies an important place in terms of practise, criticism and spectatorship in that country. This module looks at key moments within the history of French cinema, namely the Golden Age of the 1930s, the New Wave of the 1950s and 1960s, postmodern and postcolonial films of the 1980s and1990s. and trends such as the de-eroticised erotic, blockbusters, and social realism of the 2000s. In so doing, it considers questions around genre, auteurship, stars, social contexts, cinematography, and narrative, as well as issues around class, gender, sexuality and national identity. |
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MDS-20017 |
Politics and Cinema |
EA |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module seeks to introduce students to some of the great works of world cinema and to investigate the major ideological tendencies of the twentieth-century and key moments in modern and contemporary politics as these have been reflected in film. Topics central to this module include revolution, totalitarianism, nationalism and terrorism. The scope is international and settings include North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Films studied on the course are likely to include: Alan J. Pakula&©s All the President&©s Men; Francis Ford Coppola&©s Apocalypse Now; Michael Moore&©s Fahrenheit 9/11; Eisenstein&©s Battleship Potemkin; Askoldov&©s Commissar; Mikhalkov&©s Burnt by the Sun; The Lives of Others; Goodbye Lenin!; Ken Loach&©s The Wind that Shakes the Barley; Neil Jordan&©s Michael Collins; Richard Attenborough&©s Cry Freedom; Pontecorvo&©s The Battle of Algiers; Kevin Macdonald&©s One Day in September; Spielberg&©s Munich (2005).
The module will not presume any knowledge of film, but will nevertheless regard the films as cinematic works. The main focus will be on events, ideas and political developments, and how they are reflected cinematically. A general background knowledge of the twentieth century will be important although this module will not require deep specialist knowledge of any given country. |
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MDS-20026 |
Film Genre, Narrative and the Star |
C |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module will explore the significance of generic categorisation, narrative order and the position of the Hollywood star in association with filmic constructions of identity and dis/pleasure. Generic classification will be studied in order to consider not only the purpose of such categorisations in terms of spectator expectations but further, to situate cinematic and filmic texts as part of a predicated economy. In terms of film narrative, this module will explore the cause-and-effect relationship associated with mainstream Hollywood film, distinctions between story and plot and the significance of cinematic codes in order to shape preferred meanings for filmic audiences. The module will also analyse the significance of the contemporary filmic star in terms of their positioning as both subjects and objects of desire. As such, the module will address pertinent questions such as: what is the relationship between performance and stardom and moreover, why are we as filmic spectators, so interested in film stars?
The purpose of this module is to convey to students the significance of these areas individually and collectively to the discipline of Film Studies as well as to encourage students to recognise the different theoretical approaches to genre, narrative and star studies by leading academics. Specific texts will be studied in order to explicate the differing modes and ways in which these three pertinent areas help to shape meaning in film and to consider how these areas relate to spectator gratification and pleasure. Through theoretical and illustrative lectures and contextualised screenings, this module will allow students to explore the ways in which certain genres, narrative structures and film stars operate. Indicative study texts may include 'The Battle of Orgreave' (Figgis, 2001), 'Gladiator' (Scott, 2000) and 'Memento' (Nolan, 2000). |
