Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title	Film Theory and History
Module Code	CM524
School	School of Communications
Online Module Resources
Module Co-ordinator	Semester 1: Debbie Ging Semester 2: Debbie Ging Autumn: Debbie Ging
Module Teacher	Debbie Ging
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	10
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

The aim of this course is to provide students with a theoretical and historical understanding of the development of cinema. This module will concentrate on the relationship between film and reality, and cinema and society. It will also explore the psychological functioning of cinema in terms of the relationship between sound and image. The main genres and some key auteurs will be discussed, as well as the rise of the studio system, media technology and the role of the cinema audience.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critically evaluate the major developments in film theory from the early period to the present
2. Contextualise the main historical developments and movements in cinema up to the present day
3. Evaluate various styles within cinema history
4. Apply a wide range of theories to help appreciate the power and influence of cinema
5. Complete a textual analysis of a range of films and integrate into a contextual analysis of film in history

Workload	Full-time hours per semester
*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Lecture	24	No Description
Seminars	12	No Description
Lecturer-supervised learning (contact)	24	No Description
Independent learning	190	No Description
Total Workload: 250

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

1. The prehistory of cinema.
Early experiments in cinema and Textual Analysis strategies..

Technological versus cultural determinism.
2. Establishing the basic codes and techniques of cinema.

Realism versus artifice.
The Lumières and George Mélies.

3. Griffith and the rise of Hollywood.
Birth of a Nation and editing.

4. Montage and Modernism.
Eisenstein and Soviet cinema.

5. German Expressionism and the 'optical unconscious'.
From Caligari to Hitler.

6. Auteur Theory.
Cahiers du Cinéma and the 'politique des auteurs'.

7. Narrative and spectacle.
Bazin, Metz, Propp, Barthes, Lévi-Strauss.

8. Genre and society.
Western, gangster, film noir, horror, science fiction and maternal melodrama.

9. The woman's film.
The male gaze.

The gendered authorial voice and oppositional voices.
10. SFX and Postmodern image making.

Narration, and debates aroundnew realism in film.
11. Alternative cinema (challenging Hollywood).

Counter-hegemonic film.
Subverting the cinematic apparatu.

12. New Media and Film.
(+ various handouts from newspapers, film journals, etc.) Note- Seminars/workshops and textual analysis skills development will be carried out over the first few weeks of the module to suit the needs of students. TEACHING METHODS.

Lecture and screening each week with 1 hour seminars/workshops which begin with textual analysis exercises. Later seminar readings and presentations of book/chapter reviews will provide a focus..
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Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Course Work Breakdown
Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Essay	n/a	100%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; 1 = A resit is available for all components of the module 2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module 3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

David Bordwell et al: 1985, Narration in the Fiction Film, University of Wisconsin Press,
Pat Brereton: 2005, Hollywood Utopia, Intellect Press,
P Cook: 1999, The Cinema Book, BFI,
J. Monaco: 2000, How to read a film, Oxford Press,
J. Nelmes ed: 2007, Introduction to Film Studies, Routledge,

Other Resources

None

Array

Programme or List of Programmes

HMSA

Study Abroad (Humanities & Soc Science)

HMSAO

Study Abroad (Humanities & Soc Science)

MTV

MA in Film and Television Studies

Timetable this semester: Timetable for CM524

Date of Last Revision