ATS2964 · Film and screen theory and criticism

Overview

In this unit you will learn about vital thinkers and theoretical traditions that have shaped the study of film and television in the 20th and 21st centuries. You will consider how each have interpreted the power of different styles of filmmaking to both represent and resist the status quo – from blockbuster to art and ‘indie’ cinema, long-form television to web series. Looking at a range of films and television series from around the world, you will learn how film and television can shape understandings of class, race, gender and sexuality. You will engage in approaches to screen study including: textual analysis, ideological analysis, feminist theory, critical race theory, montage theory, psychoanalysis, structuralism and poststructuralism, reception studies, queer theory, affect studies and digital media theories.

Areas of study: Film and screen studies Screen

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Identify and summarise a number of critical positions in screen theory;
2. Apply these positions to the examination of a variety of screen texts;
3. Interpret and analyse how screen texts contribute to specific forms of identity politics;
4. Research, develop and present a critical argument.

Workload

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. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.