ATS2962 - Now showing: Contemporary approaches to film and television - 2017

This unit will introduce students to new approaches in the production, consumption and study of film and screen texts. With a focus on a range of bold and current material from world film and screen contexts, students will study new forms of narrativisation, exhibition, aesthetics, authorship, spectatorship, genre and performance, attending to how these practices extend, revise and subvert classical traditions. Particular attention will be paid to how these new practices demonstrate the ideological capacity of film and screen texts to shape identity politics around issues of gender, race and sexuality. Students will also be introduced to new theories and concepts in film and screen scholarship, such as those from the areas of intermediality, film-philosophy and neurocinematics. Across the study of both texts and theories, consideration will be given to how contemporary issues of hybridity, convergence and digital culture have shaped these new directions.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Critically analyse a range of contemporary narrative and non-narrative film and screen material from different national contexts
2. Understand and apply a range of contemporary theories and arguments in film and screen scholarship
3. Interpret and analyse how contemporary film and screen representations contribute to specific forms of identity politics
4. Demonstrate an ability to conduct research and develop and present a critical argument in a manner appropriate to second year study
5. Demonstrate skills in providing audio-visual commentary and criticism on film and screen texts
6. Engage confidently in discussion of texts, theories and arguments in seminar environments both in the classroom and online

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Dr Claire Perkins

Film and screen studies

Twelve credit points of first-year Arts units.