Module Information
Module Identifier
FM20820
Module Title
British Cinema
Academic Year
2015/2016
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
---|---|
Viewing | 10 x 3 Hour Viewings |
Lecture | 10 x 1 Hour Lectures |
Seminar | 10 x 1 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
---|---|---|
Semester Assessment | Essay (2000 words) | 40% |
Semester Assessment | Essay (3000 words) | 60% |
Supplementary Assessment | Essay (2000 words) - to a new title | 40% |
Supplementary Assessment | Essay (3000 words) - to a new title | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Have an understanding of developments in British film history
Analyse specific instances of the portrayal of cultural identity in British films; Relate these instances to other elements of the film
Work with the theories and concepts of cultural identity in studying British film
Brief description
This module introduces students to studying British film history, looking at key periods of British filmmaking from the silent period to the present day. Students will gain awareness of the documentary and realist traditions of British filmmaking, and will be introduced to debates concerning the relationship between British cinema, Hollywood and Europe.
Students will also examine British films in relation to the key concept of cultural identity. 'Cultural Identity' refers to the ways in which films are linked to, and comment back on the cultural background they come from. As such, the module aims, specifically, to introduce students to a range of practices that have been used to read British films as representations of cultural identity, and to think about films as vehicles for the exploration of the problems and issues associated with cultural identity in different historical periods and contexts.
The module is structured to encourage students to begin thinking about what might constitute the 'British identity' or 'British Character' and then move to consider the different challenges that have been made, through cinema, concerning a single British identity. As some of the seminars will focus on issues such as realism, race, gender, and youth culture, the module will serve as an introduction to these issues in general, as well as in terms of how they have been explored within the context of British Cinema.
Students will also examine British films in relation to the key concept of cultural identity. 'Cultural Identity' refers to the ways in which films are linked to, and comment back on the cultural background they come from. As such, the module aims, specifically, to introduce students to a range of practices that have been used to read British films as representations of cultural identity, and to think about films as vehicles for the exploration of the problems and issues associated with cultural identity in different historical periods and contexts.
The module is structured to encourage students to begin thinking about what might constitute the 'British identity' or 'British Character' and then move to consider the different challenges that have been made, through cinema, concerning a single British identity. As some of the seminars will focus on issues such as realism, race, gender, and youth culture, the module will serve as an introduction to these issues in general, as well as in terms of how they have been explored within the context of British Cinema.
Module Skills
Skills Type | Skills details |
---|---|
Application of Number | |
Communication | Students' written communication skills will be developed (e.g. appropriate language and style, accuracy, precision and abillity to be concise). * Opportunities will be given, through seminar sessions, for students to develop confidence in using their speaking and listening skills when communicating their ideas |
Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will be able to develop their skills of information location and retrieval. *Students will be given opportunities to develoop effective note-taking skills. * Students will develop their critical thinking skills. *Through group discussion, students will be given opportunities to develop an awareness of the opinions of others and reconsider initial ideas if necessary. |
Information Technology | Students will be given the opportunity to develop their authorial and note-taking skills when planning and preparing for the written assignment, and will be encouraged to develop their note-taking skills in lectures. * Students will be given opportunities to develop their skills in searching for relevant reading and other materials (such as film reviews) through the University's Voyager Library Catalogue, the University electronic journal resource, Joey, and through the newspaper database, Lexis-Nexis. *E-mail and Blackboard will remain the main forms of communication and information sharing in this module, so students will be encouraged to actively engage in these processes. |
Personal Development and Career planning | Students will be given the opportunity to evaluate current knowledge and skills and set targets for self-improvement. * Students will be encouraged to take increasing responsibility for managing their own learning. * Students will be encouraged to build upon the knowledge gained from lectures through developing skills in self study (supported by the general and specific reading lists and other resources distributed throughout the module) |
Problem solving | Students should be able to identify tensions and debates in the field, and will be encouraged to critically reflect on the process by which academics arrive at particular theoretical interpretations of particular films |
Research skills | Students will be able to develop their skills of information location and retrieval (in particular through the first assessment, where they are required to locate one academic piece of writing on their chosen film and then summarise its argument). *Students will be able to develop their textual analytical skills, and to learn to analyse texts in a focused and purposeful manner |
Subject Specific Skills | |
Team work | All seminar sessions will involve group work where students will be able to collaborate through discussion, and then feed back their ideas to the seminar group as a whole |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5