Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay of 5,000 words | 80% |
| Semester Assessment | Presentation (must also be submitted as a written piece) | 20% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resits of failed assignments to a different title | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On sucessful completion of this module students should be able to:
- demonstrate a systematic knowledge of theories and perspectives in the study of the cultural value of film.
- show a sophisticated engagement with the key themes addressed in critically assessing the value of film (linking themes together and connecting them to cultural realities).
- demonstrate a detailed ability to link cultural theories and issues to individual film texts and oeuvres through case studies.
- demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of both the themes and case studies within film industry practices.
Aims
This module is designed to introduce students to the debates and perspectives of studying the place and value of film in a variety of wider socio-cultural contexts. In doing so, it links with the other Film Studies modules (British Film History, The Film Text).
Brief description
This module aims to address issues and problems in studying film as a contemporary cultural product, and critically assessing its value and status. It will look at a number of issues related to the how that film circulates within a cultural and social environment, and thus assess issues of reception, exhibition, practices that emerge around films and how attitudes towards film feed into its broader social status. We will look at how film became valued as a particular art, how the 'art' of film was constructed and how it developed in relation to changing social (and technological) contexts. We will also think about the ways in which particular films have gained the status of 'low' and 'high' cultural objects, and the shifts that have led to the rise of more serious considerations of 'popular' and 'generic' filmmaking. We will look at particular case studies within broader contexts and place screened films within such frameworks.
Content
- film's status as art
- film societies and awards
- film festivals
- critics and canons
- censorship
- exhibiting film
- cinephilia
- fans and cult cinema
- film collecting
- film piracy
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Communication | Students will be expected to contribute to in-class discussions and relate their own research progress orally. The portfolio requires students to demonstrate their communication skills (interviews, contacting distributors) extra muros. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | In the course of the module, there will be points where students will be asked to think reflexively about their reading and viewing, as well as how their research is progressing. |
| Information Technology | Students will have to word-process essay and portfolio, and are expected to make systematic use of the internet for research purposes. A significant part of lecturer-student communication will be through email. |
| Problem solving | Students will evaluate the appropriateness of different cultural theories in the investigation of the cultural value of film. Much of the learning will focus on students linking cases to theories (and vice versa) and discerning underlying patterns. |
| Research skills | This element is developed through students' own investigations into written and audiovisual material that they can bring to bear upon the course and their essay and portfolio. Particularly, the material collection for the portfolio requires a range of research techniques (library, internet, archive). |
| Team work | Although there is no official group work on the course, it is hoped that students will work together in seminars for small tasks and small-group discussions. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7