MFC6112 - European Cinema

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. demonstrate systematic understanding of the historical development of cinema in Europe since 1945;
2. explain and critically evaluate the aims, character and impact of public policy affecting film;
3. deploy major concepts and theories in the analysis of film texts.

Content:

The module explores the notion of European cinema and claims about its distinctiveness. It considers critical debates about topics such as entertainment and popular cinema; the art film and auteur cinema; ideology and political cinema; public intervention and the free market; film cultures; audiences and spectatorship; the national, the trans-national and the post-national; European community policy and the impact of globalisation. It examines and deploys a range of approaches to the analysis of specific films and studies the relationship between social, political, economic and cultural factors. It provides the opportunity for more detailed examination of at least two national cinemas.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The scheduled learning and teaching activities include lectures, screenings, and seminars. The lectures provide the necessary historical-cultural context for that week’s topic, and will introduce relevant theoretical-analytical concepts or critical writing. Screenings provide examples of the critical and analytical concepts introduced in lectures, and the broad range of films used in this course will expand your reference base of films. Seminars provide you with an opportunity to discuss issues raised in the lectures and to voice your own responses to the screenings.
The module runs across the whole year due to the broad scope of the subject matter and to give students an opportunity to learn about different European cinemas in detail. Year-long delivery ensures students are able to experience a range of different types of post-war European cinema from a range of perspectives, exploring the theoretical, political, economic, social/cultural, and aesthetic characteristics of the cinemas of an entire continent.
Lectures
Contact Hours: 12
Number of Groups: 30

Screening
Contact Hours: 44
Number of Groups: 30

Seminars Contact Hours: 22
Number of Groups: 2 x 15

Guided independent study
Contact Hours: 112
Other relevant Matters
Students permitted to take a half-module for the award of 10 credits in semester 1 or 2 will be assessed by the form of assessment specified for that semester.
Essay 1
The first assignment is an essay of 2000 words focussing on either the idea of European cinema, post-war French cinema, or post-war Italian cinema.
Essay 2
The second assignment is an essay of 2000 words analysing European films in either an historical or a theoretical context. Students may propose their own topic for essay 2.

Assessment:

001 Essay 1 1 x 2000 words 50%
002 Essay 2 1 x 2000 words 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Nicholas Redfern
Level - 6
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 6YL6S1

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