Module overview
The module will introduce you to some of the debates key to film criticism, by reference to influential film theorists and to some fundamental ideas from which contemporary critical approaches have been developed.
Linked modules
FILM1001
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the positions those critics represent and the concepts involved
- fundamental concepts concerning representation in film
- the conflicts between different positions
- how you can usefully translate these concepts to a range of texts and contexts
- the specialised terminology used to articulate these ideas
- the work of some key contemporary cultural critics relevant to Film Studies
- the socio-historical and intellectual contexts in which those critics work
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- use theoretical material to interpret the ways audiences engage with media productions
- outline the key ideas of a selection of theoretical works
- begin to produce a theoretically informed reading of a film text using appropriate terminology
- engage critically with theoretical material
- apply fundamental theoretical notions from these theorists to practical examples drawn from film and television
- recognise and use appropriate specialised terms and concepts
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- locate and use appropriate critical resources
- write critically, reflectively and accurately
Syllabus
This module will introduce you to some key thinkers, whose approaches have been used and developed in film criticism. We will begin with a survey of the ideas of critics such as Barthes, Althusser, and Lacan to locate each of these critics within his own socio-historical context, and position him within the field of cultural criticism. In particular, we will trace the development of their ideas from their origins in the work of Saussure, Marx, and Freud. We will apply these ideas to selected filmic texts in class and you will be strongly encouraged to develop your own readings of some film and/or television texts of your choice.
We will then progress to consider the work of contemporary cultural critics who are significant to film studies. Indicative critics might include Bordwell, Dyer, Gramsci, Hall, Fiske, Geraghty, and Mulvey.
Exploring these works will equip you with a range of analytical tools and vocabulary essential to the critical interrogation of film and television texts. In considering these critics, you will examine a number of themes, such as nostalgia, community, class, ethnicity, and gender, as well as the negotiation of hegemony in the cultural field. You will engage in producing your own readings of a variety of film and television texts, from high, popular and mass culture, experiencing the synthesis of theory and practice across a range of genres.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- lectures, used to introduce key issues
- seminars, involving a mixture of whole class and small group discussion
- guidance on presentation requirements, techniques and criteria
- weekly screenings of selected films
- opportunities for one-to-one discussion with a tutor in office hours
Learning activities include
- individual study/research
- close reading and careful analysis of theoretical writings
- engagement in seminar discussions as participator and listener
- analysis of selected films in seminars, using appropriate theoretical material
- preparation of written assignments, and oral presentation.
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Independent Study | 228 |
Teaching | 72 |
Total study time | 300 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
Adorno, Theodor, and Max Horkheimer (1999). 'The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. The Cultural Studies Reader, pp. 31-41.
Textbooks
Lapsley, Robert, and Michael Westlake (2006). Film Theory: An Introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Jameson, Fredric, ‘Postmodernism and Consumer Society’, from E. Ann Kaplan, ed (1988). Postmodernism and its Discontents. London: Verso.
Storey, John (1998). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader. Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Mike Wayne (2019). Marxism Goes to the Movies. Routledge.
Stam, Robert (2000). Film Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.
Stam, Robert, et al., eds (2006). New vocabularies in film semiotics: structuralism, post-structuralism and beyond. London: Routledge.
Hall, Stuart (1997). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Milton Keynes: Sage.
Geraghty, Christine, and David Lusted, eds (1998). The Television Studies. London: Arnold.
Stam, Robert, and Toby Miller, eds (2004). A Companion to Film Theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
Braudy, Leo, and Marshall Cohen (2004). Film Theory and Criticism. Oxford: OUP.
Hall, Stuart, and Jessica Evans, eds (1999). Visual Culture. London: Sage.
Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson (2004). Film Art: An Introduction. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Stam, Robert, and Toby Miller, eds (2000). Film and Theory: An Anthology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Assessments designed to provide informal, on-module feedback
- Feedback on group exercises undertaken in class
- You will be encouraged to discuss preparation for your formal assessments; for example, draft plans
- You will have the opportunity to seek individual advice on your work in progress by appointment with your tutor
- Guidance and advice on the preparation, completion and presentation of work will be given in class
Relationship between the teaching, learning and assessment methods and the planned learning outcomes
- Lectures will introduce you to the work of the selected theorists, outline their socio-historical contexts, intellectual contexts, and define key terminology.
- Seminars will concentrate on the practical application of the different theories and methods to specific examples from film or television.
- The small group exercises, which will include some individual research, will extend and develop your understanding and knowledge of the language used by the critics, their concepts, and the positions they represent.
- Your own understanding and knowledge of the language used by the theorists, their concepts and their application will be extended and developed through your own individual research and exercises in the seminars.
- Informal feedback of your research and that of your group to the rest of the students will enhance your understanding and theirs, as well as strengthening your key skills in research, assessment and selection of material, and presenting to the group.
- You are encouraged to listen and respond to other students’ class contributions to develop your knowledge of the theory and its application.
The written essay assignments will give you the opportunity to develop and test your understanding of theories of your choice and explore their application in specific contexts, whilst developing your skill in using the appropriate language.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 60% |
Essay | 40% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 40% |
Essay | 60% |
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.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 40% |
Essay | 60% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External