|
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
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 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%). |
| 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-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. |
|
|
FIL-10002 |
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).
|
|
|
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 |
EA |
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. |
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
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. |
|
|
FIL-20001 |
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-20024 |
Teenage Dreams: Youth Subcultures in Fiction, Film and Theory |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The DJ John Peel has the words 'Teenage Dreams so hard to beat' carved on his gravestone, a line taken from The Undertones's classic punk song 'Teenage Kicks'. Peel's love of the music, style, attitude and outlook of youth subcultures encapsulates a general and ongoing fascination for writers, filmmakers and critics alike. On this module we will examine a range of theories related to the concept of subcultures, and how they relate to wider issues of class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity. We will look at the development of subcultural theory from the Chicago School, the Birmingham School and semiotics through to postmodern theories. This theoretical context will be discussed with respect to a range of textual representations of youth subcultures including fiction, film, fashion, pop songs and lyrics. We will explore issues related to the identification and historical development of a range of youth subcultures including teenagers, Mods, Rockers, punk, hip hop, R'n'B, and postmodern. We will also analyze the way in which subcultures produce meaning and how they relate to concerns in mainstream culture. Texts studied on the module might include Colin MacInnes's Absolute Beginners, The Who's Quadrophenia (album and film), Julien Temple's The Filfth and the Fury, Courttia Newland's Society Within and Irvine Welsh/Danny Boyle's Trainspotting. |
|
|
MDS-20028 |
Seoul Summer School - South Korean Film |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module enables students to spend 4 weeks in the summer (end June to end
July) at a partner university in Seoul, attending a course in Korean Film Theory and Filmmaking. It will take place at Dongguk University in South Korea.
Attending the Summer School is an excellent way to explore the multifaceted Orient - in a metropolitan city where East meets West. Moreover, many interesting places around South Korea can be visited.
Attending a standard academic module in a four week condensed timeframe you will be studing 'Introduction to Korean Film and The Film Production Workshop'. This will combine time in the classroom, introducing you to the theories of Korean Film interspersed with a filmmaking practicum.Your study will be guided by field and University instructors. You will undertake three assessments - (two in Seoul and one on your return to the UK).
There are additional costs associated with undertaking this module that must be borne by students, namely return flight to Seoul, insurance, accommodation and living costs for the four-weeks; however, Keele and Dongguk University work together to organise student accommodation in halls nears the Dongguk campus so that students do not have to do this independently.
|
|
|
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-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. |
|
|
FIL-20002 |
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). |
|
|
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. |
Film Studies Minor - Level 1 Modules
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
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. |
|
|
FIL-10001 |
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. |
|
|
FIL-10003 |
Popular British Cinema: From the 90s to the present day |
EP |
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. |
|
|
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%). |
| 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-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. |
|
|
FIL-10002 |
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).
|
|
|
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 |
EA |
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. |
Film Studies Minor - Level 2 Modules
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
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. |
|
|
FIL-20001 |
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-20028 |
Seoul Summer School - South Korean Film |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module enables students to spend 4 weeks in the summer (end June to end
July) at a partner university in Seoul, attending a course in Korean Film Theory and Filmmaking. It will take place at Dongguk University in South Korea.
Attending the Summer School is an excellent way to explore the multifaceted Orient - in a metropolitan city where East meets West. Moreover, many interesting places around South Korea can be visited.
Attending a standard academic module in a four week condensed timeframe you will be studing 'Introduction to Korean Film and The Film Production Workshop'. This will combine time in the classroom, introducing you to the theories of Korean Film interspersed with a filmmaking practicum.Your study will be guided by field and University instructors. You will undertake three assessments - (two in Seoul and one on your return to the UK).
There are additional costs associated with undertaking this module that must be borne by students, namely return flight to Seoul, insurance, accommodation and living costs for the four-weeks; however, Keele and Dongguk University work together to organise student accommodation in halls nears the Dongguk campus so that students do not have to do this independently.
|
|
|
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-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. |
|
|
FIL-20002 |
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). |
|
|
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. |
Film Studies Minor - Level 3 Modules
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
ENG-30070 |
Shakespeare on Film: Adaptation and Appropriation |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to Shakespearean adaptation and appropriation via a detailed consideration of the phenomenon of Shakespeare on film. What is involved in the cinema&©s on-off love affair with Shakespeare and the Shakespearean? What kinds of audience are targeted by the makers of Shakespearean films? What happens when a theatrical text is transferred to the screen, or when the literary is transformed into the cinematic? What is the relationship between film adaptation and other forms of Shakespearean appropriation?
Film Shakespeare can be traditionalist or avant-garde, commercial or marginal. At one end of the spectrum, theatre productions are faithfully transferred to film; at the other, scraps of text or narrative survive in new contexts. We will examine Hollywood and art-house productions, silent and non-Anglophone films, films aimed at adults and children, films that utilise a variety of genres (film noir, horror, teen movies), and adaptations intended for film and television. We may also consider films that use Shakespeare or the Shakespearean without necessarily adapting any specific play, such as Shakespeare in Love or Theatre of Blood.
This module is designed for students who have successfully completed literature and/or film modules at Level 2. |
|
|
FIL-30001 |
British Society through the Eyes of British Film: 1960s to the Present |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
For economic reasons British Cinema has had a chequered history, especially since the 1960s. At all times, however, British directors have sought engagement with social issues, and many leading directors have striven to cast a critical eye on contemporary social and political events.
This module will seek to track the development of British society as it has been reflected in the British movie over the last five decades. It begins with a concentration on the pioneering films and directors of the 1960s, before moving through later decades to focus on the most recent developments. Participants on this course will be introduced to key social themes: working class culture (Saturday Night &©s Blow-Up) and dystopian anxiety about the implications of social and cultural change (If ... and A Clockwork Orange). Later films will concentrate both on the depiction of the underside of British society in My Beautiful Laundrette, My Name is Joe and This Is England, while multicultural modern Britain will also feature in My Beautiful Laundrette, Secrets and Lies, East is East, Bend it Like Beckham, Dirty Pretty Things and It&©s a Free World. At the same time students will be introduced to the work of some of the most important directors working in Britain over the last 40 years, including Lindsay Anderson, Ken Loach, Stanley Kubrick, Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears and Shane Meadows.
|
|
|
MDS-30016 |
Seoul Summer School - South Korean Film (Level 3) |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module enables students to spend 4 weeks in the summer (end June to end
July) at a partner university in Seoul, attending a course in Korean Film Theory and Filmmaking. It will take place at Dongguk University in South Korea.
Attending the Summer School is an excellent way to explore the multifaceted Orient - in a metropolitan city where East meets West. Moreover, many interesting places around South Korea can be visited.
Attending a standard academic module in a four week condensed timeframe you will be studing 'Introduction to Korean Film and The Film Production Workshop'. This will combine time in the classroom, introducing you to the theories of Korean Film interspersed with a filmmaking practicum.Your study will be guided by field and University instructors. You will undertake three assessments - (two in Seoul and one on your return to the UK).
There are additional costs associated with undertaking this module that must be borne by students, namely return flight to Seoul, Insurance, accommodation and living costs for the four-weeks; however, Keele and Dongguk University work together to organise student accommodation in halls nears the Dongguk campus so that students do not have to do this independently.
|
| Semester 1-2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
FIL-30002 |
Dissertation in Film Studies |
EP |
C
|
15 |
30 |
|
|
The dissertation module produces a substantial piece of work that engages the student in independent and original work in one of the many fields of Film Studies. The project will be based on a topic agreed between the student and the supervisor. It will draw on the interests of the student as developed during the three years of the Film Studies degree programme and will benefit from the research expertise of relevant supervisors in the Schools of Humanities and Sociology. The successful completion of the dissertation will represent a substantial piece of final year undergraduate work that will be a crucial part of the process that will enable the student to go on either to do further advanced academic research at masters level or to pursue a career in a relevant area of the media and culture industries. |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
ENG-30053 |
Postmodernism: Fiction, Film and Theory |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Postmodernism represents an important body of critical theory that developed in the second half of the twentieth century, and continues to have relevance in the twenty-first. It crosses a range of disciplines, but emphasizes an interrogative, reflexive and eclectic challenge to many philosophical and aesthetic values and practices. On this module, you will explore the relevance and meaning of some of the ideas associated with postmodernism with respect to selected novels and films. You will assess the influence of key ideas on writers and directors and you will study the main themes and techniques used in postmodern fiction and film. The module also encourages a critically-informed assessment of the implications of postmodern thinking for contemporary notions of history, identity, sexuality, politics and consumer society. Fiction and film likely to be studied on the module include Julian Barnes, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters; Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit; Martin Amis, Money; J. G. Ballard, Kingdom Come; The Hours (dir. Stephen Daldry); The Company of Wolves (dir. Neil Jordan); The Matrix (dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski); and Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch).
|
|
|
FIL-30004 |
British Women Directors |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to some of the key works in the recent history of British Cinema and to investigate major theories around gender, particularly in the areas of creativity and representation.
Topics central to this module include gender, sexuality, the history of British cinema, and the ways in which film reflects developments and debates in contemporary society.
Directors and films studied on this module will include some of the following: Sally Potter ('The Gold Diggers', 'Orlando'), Gurinder Chadha ('Bhaji on the Beach', 'Bend It Like Beckham'). Lynne Ramsay ('Ratcatcher', 'Morvern Callar', 'We Need to Talk about Kevin') and Andrea Arnold ('Red Road', 'Fish Tank' and 'Wuthering Heights').
The module will study the films as cinematic works, and will include detailed textual analysis. It will also consider roles of women in society and cinema, as well as the impact of gender and gender theories on creativity and representation. |
|
|
MDS-30014 |
Representing the Self, Family and Society on Contemporary British and American Television |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Television Studies interlinks with important areas of media, communication and cultural analysis, and aspects of film and screen studies. Focusing in particular upon contemporary British and American televisual texts, this module keys out the significance of televisual representation in the twenty-first century, focusing theoretically on key television studies theorists such as Jonathan Bignell, John Corner, Glen Creeber, and Trisha Dunleavy. Linking televisual representation to theories of culture, popularity, reception, generic categorisation and desire, you will explore the meanings encoded in TV texts not only via a study of aesthetics, but also through the study of televisual 'grammar'. Thematic areas of interest such as representations of self, the family and society, class, sex, the postmodern condition, and women are to be interrogated via close analysis of specific texts which may include: 'The Royle Family', 'Dexter', 'Gavin and Stacey', 'The Wire', 'Shameless', 'The Killing', 'Dollhouse', 'The Simpsons' and 'The Sopranos'. |
Film Studies Dual Honours - Level 3 Modules
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
ENG-30070 |
Shakespeare on Film: Adaptation and Appropriation |
EA |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to Shakespearean adaptation and appropriation via a detailed consideration of the phenomenon of Shakespeare on film. What is involved in the cinema&©s on-off love affair with Shakespeare and the Shakespearean? What kinds of audience are targeted by the makers of Shakespearean films? What happens when a theatrical text is transferred to the screen, or when the literary is transformed into the cinematic? What is the relationship between film adaptation and other forms of Shakespearean appropriation?
Film Shakespeare can be traditionalist or avant-garde, commercial or marginal. At one end of the spectrum, theatre productions are faithfully transferred to film; at the other, scraps of text or narrative survive in new contexts. We will examine Hollywood and art-house productions, silent and non-Anglophone films, films aimed at adults and children, films that utilise a variety of genres (film noir, horror, teen movies), and adaptations intended for film and television. We may also consider films that use Shakespeare or the Shakespearean without necessarily adapting any specific play, such as Shakespeare in Love or Theatre of Blood.
This module is designed for students who have successfully completed literature and/or film modules at Level 2. |
|
|
FIL-30001 |
British Society through the Eyes of British Film: 1960s to the Present |
O |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
For economic reasons British Cinema has had a chequered history, especially since the 1960s. At all times, however, British directors have sought engagement with social issues, and many leading directors have striven to cast a critical eye on contemporary social and political events.
This module will seek to track the development of British society as it has been reflected in the British movie over the last five decades. It begins with a concentration on the pioneering films and directors of the 1960s, before moving through later decades to focus on the most recent developments. Participants on this course will be introduced to key social themes: working class culture (Saturday Night &©s Blow-Up) and dystopian anxiety about the implications of social and cultural change (If ... and A Clockwork Orange). Later films will concentrate both on the depiction of the underside of British society in My Beautiful Laundrette, My Name is Joe and This Is England, while multicultural modern Britain will also feature in My Beautiful Laundrette, Secrets and Lies, East is East, Bend it Like Beckham, Dirty Pretty Things and It&©s a Free World. At the same time students will be introduced to the work of some of the most important directors working in Britain over the last 40 years, including Lindsay Anderson, Ken Loach, Stanley Kubrick, Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears and Shane Meadows.
|
|
|
FIL-30001 |
British Society through the Eyes of British Film: 1960s to the Present |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
For economic reasons British Cinema has had a chequered history, especially since the 1960s. At all times, however, British directors have sought engagement with social issues, and many leading directors have striven to cast a critical eye on contemporary social and political events.
This module will seek to track the development of British society as it has been reflected in the British movie over the last five decades. It begins with a concentration on the pioneering films and directors of the 1960s, before moving through later decades to focus on the most recent developments. Participants on this course will be introduced to key social themes: working class culture (Saturday Night &©s Blow-Up) and dystopian anxiety about the implications of social and cultural change (If ... and A Clockwork Orange). Later films will concentrate both on the depiction of the underside of British society in My Beautiful Laundrette, My Name is Joe and This Is England, while multicultural modern Britain will also feature in My Beautiful Laundrette, Secrets and Lies, East is East, Bend it Like Beckham, Dirty Pretty Things and It&©s a Free World. At the same time students will be introduced to the work of some of the most important directors working in Britain over the last 40 years, including Lindsay Anderson, Ken Loach, Stanley Kubrick, Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears and Shane Meadows.
|
|
|
MDS-30016 |
Seoul Summer School - South Korean Film (Level 3) |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module enables students to spend 4 weeks in the summer (end June to end
July) at a partner university in Seoul, attending a course in Korean Film Theory and Filmmaking. It will take place at Dongguk University in South Korea.
Attending the Summer School is an excellent way to explore the multifaceted Orient - in a metropolitan city where East meets West. Moreover, many interesting places around South Korea can be visited.
Attending a standard academic module in a four week condensed timeframe you will be studing 'Introduction to Korean Film and The Film Production Workshop'. This will combine time in the classroom, introducing you to the theories of Korean Film interspersed with a filmmaking practicum.Your study will be guided by field and University instructors. You will undertake three assessments - (two in Seoul and one on your return to the UK).
There are additional costs associated with undertaking this module that must be borne by students, namely return flight to Seoul, Insurance, accommodation and living costs for the four-weeks; however, Keele and Dongguk University work together to organise student accommodation in halls nears the Dongguk campus so that students do not have to do this independently.
|
| Semester 1-2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
FIL-30002 |
Dissertation in Film Studies |
O |
C
|
15 |
30 |
|
|
The dissertation module produces a substantial piece of work that engages the student in independent and original work in one of the many fields of Film Studies. The project will be based on a topic agreed between the student and the supervisor. It will draw on the interests of the student as developed during the three years of the Film Studies degree programme and will benefit from the research expertise of relevant supervisors in the Schools of Humanities and Sociology. The successful completion of the dissertation will represent a substantial piece of final year undergraduate work that will be a crucial part of the process that will enable the student to go on either to do further advanced academic research at masters level or to pursue a career in a relevant area of the media and culture industries. |
|
|
FIL-30002 |
Dissertation in Film Studies |
EP |
C
|
15 |
30 |
|
|
The dissertation module produces a substantial piece of work that engages the student in independent and original work in one of the many fields of Film Studies. The project will be based on a topic agreed between the student and the supervisor. It will draw on the interests of the student as developed during the three years of the Film Studies degree programme and will benefit from the research expertise of relevant supervisors in the Schools of Humanities and Sociology. The successful completion of the dissertation will represent a substantial piece of final year undergraduate work that will be a crucial part of the process that will enable the student to go on either to do further advanced academic research at masters level or to pursue a career in a relevant area of the media and culture industries. |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
ENG-30053 |
Postmodernism: Fiction, Film and Theory |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Postmodernism represents an important body of critical theory that developed in the second half of the twentieth century, and continues to have relevance in the twenty-first. It crosses a range of disciplines, but emphasizes an interrogative, reflexive and eclectic challenge to many philosophical and aesthetic values and practices. On this module, you will explore the relevance and meaning of some of the ideas associated with postmodernism with respect to selected novels and films. You will assess the influence of key ideas on writers and directors and you will study the main themes and techniques used in postmodern fiction and film. The module also encourages a critically-informed assessment of the implications of postmodern thinking for contemporary notions of history, identity, sexuality, politics and consumer society. Fiction and film likely to be studied on the module include Julian Barnes, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters; Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit; Martin Amis, Money; J. G. Ballard, Kingdom Come; The Hours (dir. Stephen Daldry); The Company of Wolves (dir. Neil Jordan); The Matrix (dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski); and Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch).
|
|
|
ENG-30053 |
Postmodernism: Fiction, Film and Theory |
O |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Postmodernism represents an important body of critical theory that developed in the second half of the twentieth century, and continues to have relevance in the twenty-first. It crosses a range of disciplines, but emphasizes an interrogative, reflexive and eclectic challenge to many philosophical and aesthetic values and practices. On this module, you will explore the relevance and meaning of some of the ideas associated with postmodernism with respect to selected novels and films. You will assess the influence of key ideas on writers and directors and you will study the main themes and techniques used in postmodern fiction and film. The module also encourages a critically-informed assessment of the implications of postmodern thinking for contemporary notions of history, identity, sexuality, politics and consumer society. Fiction and film likely to be studied on the module include Julian Barnes, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters; Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit; Martin Amis, Money; J. G. Ballard, Kingdom Come; The Hours (dir. Stephen Daldry); The Company of Wolves (dir. Neil Jordan); The Matrix (dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski); and Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch).
|
|
|
FIL-30004 |
British Women Directors |
EA |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to some of the key works in the recent history of British Cinema and to investigate major theories around gender, particularly in the areas of creativity and representation.
Topics central to this module include gender, sexuality, the history of British cinema, and the ways in which film reflects developments and debates in contemporary society.
Directors and films studied on this module will include some of the following: Sally Potter ('The Gold Diggers', 'Orlando'), Gurinder Chadha ('Bhaji on the Beach', 'Bend It Like Beckham'). Lynne Ramsay ('Ratcatcher', 'Morvern Callar', 'We Need to Talk about Kevin') and Andrea Arnold ('Red Road', 'Fish Tank' and 'Wuthering Heights').
The module will study the films as cinematic works, and will include detailed textual analysis. It will also consider roles of women in society and cinema, as well as the impact of gender and gender theories on creativity and representation. |
|
|
MDS-30014 |
Representing the Self, Family and Society on Contemporary British and American Television |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Television Studies interlinks with important areas of media, communication and cultural analysis, and aspects of film and screen studies. Focusing in particular upon contemporary British and American televisual texts, this module keys out the significance of televisual representation in the twenty-first century, focusing theoretically on key television studies theorists such as Jonathan Bignell, John Corner, Glen Creeber, and Trisha Dunleavy. Linking televisual representation to theories of culture, popularity, reception, generic categorisation and desire, you will explore the meanings encoded in TV texts not only via a study of aesthetics, but also through the study of televisual 'grammar'. Thematic areas of interest such as representations of self, the family and society, class, sex, the postmodern condition, and women are to be interrogated via close analysis of specific texts which may include: 'The Royle Family', 'Dexter', 'Gavin and Stacey', 'The Wire', 'Shameless', 'The Killing', 'Dollhouse', 'The Simpsons' and 'The Sopranos'. |
