Sight and Sound

Module overview

Sight and Sound is designed to introduce students to the language of cinema in support of their research methodologies and professional skill sets in the creative industries. Using key texts and self-generated or found visual samples as a basis for teaching activities, Sight and Sound provides a learning platform for students with no prior knowledge of cinema theory who on completion of the module, will learn the usefulness of cinematic studies as a way of strengthening their academic portfolio in associated professional environments. This optional core module is designed to broaden your studies and provide you with an interdisciplinary learning experience with peers from a range of art and design subjects. The module will provide you with new perspectives and introduce you to themes and practices that can be critically explored to inform your ongoing development, interests and skills.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

interrogate forms of stylistic analysis through reference to cinema and moving image;
construct a reasoned argument based on research and analysis of texts using a clear, coherent structure.
develop and research your own position in relation to current literature and debates;

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

clearly communicate visually and in written form with an awareness of how this might be perceived by others;
organise your time and manage deliverables and deadlines.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

methods of critical visual analysis referred to genre, authorship and audience.
theoretical and historical references and how they apply to the contemporary cultural environment;

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include: •lectures; •screenings; •seminars; •tutorials. Learning activities include: •reflection on tutor feedback; •peer group critiques and presentations; •peer group learning. Relationship between the teaching, learning and assessment methods and the planned learning outcomes In this module, learning and teaching activities focus on helping you investigate, question and analyse the language of cinema and moving image, its theories and how these influence your own ideas and/or the discipline in which you operate. Feedback on your progress and development will be given by group discussions, seminars and presentations. Informal feedback will provide opportunities for peer group learning and self-evaluation. The formal assessment will be a series of blogs uploaded on a weekly basis totalling 2500 words and illustrated with Harvard referenced images. The use of illustrations will help you to develop visual research and analysis skills and to effectively present your critical engagement with visual cultural artefacts.

Study time
Type	Hours
Wider reading or practice	30
Tutorial	4
Seminar	8
Completion of assessment task	50
Preparation for scheduled sessions	20
Lecture	12
Follow-up work	26
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Internet Resources

Sight & Sound Magazine.

Textbooks

Gunkel David J. (2016). Ethics and Aesthetics After Remix. London: MIT.

Cousins, Mark (2017). The Story of Looking. London: Canongate Books.

Burnett R. (2004). How Images Think. London: MIT.

Gumbrecht Hans Ulrich & Marian Michael eds (2003). Mapping Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Digital Age. Stanford / California: Stanford University Press.

Chion, Michel (1994). Audio Vision: Sound on Screen. Chichester: Columbia University Press.

Chion, Michel (2016). Sound: An Acoustical Treatise. Duke University Press.

Manovich, Lev (2002). The Language of New Media. London: MIT.

Cousins, Mark (2011). The Story of Film. London: Pavilion Books.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Blog

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback: Feedback on reflective writing in the blog posts. You will experience formative feedback in different learning situations, for example: •seminars •presentations •peer group feedback •tutor comments on blog entries
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Blog	100%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Blog	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Blog	100%