FIL-10003 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

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.
Films likely to appear on this module include many of the recent hits and new British 'classics', including Four Weddings and a Funeral, This is England, Trainspotting, Billy Elliot, Bridget Jones, Bend it Like Beckham, and Pride. One of the main emphases of the module will be to examine the fact that, while being hugely entertaining and popular, these films also address very serious issues, such as identity, race, social class, nationality and gender.

To familiarise students with dominant themes represented in contemporary British cinema.
To identify and analyse through diverse examples the significance of film aesthetics and how these aesthetic choices shape preferred cinematic meanings.
To enable students to practice close film analysis through formal written exercises and reflective diaries.

Intended Learning Outcomes

engage in detailed film analysis of contemporary British popular cinema using appropriate terminology accurately. will be achieved by assessments: 2,3
write concisely and competently, in both short and extended written forms, about a variety popular British cinematic texts. will be achieved by assessments: 1,2,3
identify and describe the defining features of film narrative. will be achieved by assessments: 1,2,3
discuss the role of different aspects of film aesthetics (mise-en-scene) in the production of narrative meaning in the texts studied. will be achieved by assessments: 1,2,3
analyse the texts studied in line with scholarly themes such as identity, nationality, gender, race and class. will be achieved by assessments: 2,3

Study hours

11 x 2 hour seminars = 22 hours
Class preparation: 44 hours
Essay plan and essay writing and preparation: 64 hours
Reflective diary writing: 20 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment