Course description
This course provides graduates, who have a specialist interest in film and cinema, with the chance to
• develop a high degree of competence in the formal analysis of film
• relate such analysis to broader historical and theoretical considerations
• investigate, at an advanced level, issues and problems related to the development of film studies since the mid-1960s
We have offered an MA in Film Studies since 1984. Our current teaching team has seven full-time members. We support the course with
• a specialist film library with good periodical holdings
• two film theatres equipped for 16mm and 35mm
• viewing facilities for private study
Full-time and part-time study
Each module of the taught course is one semester long (normally September to December and January to May). The dissertation is prepared in the summer (June to August) by full-time students and in the third year of study by part-time students.
Full-time students normally complete the diploma in two semesters and the MA in one calendar year.
Part-time students normally complete the diploma in two years and the MA in three years.
Associated careers
There may be opportunities for research registration at MPhil/PhD level within the Cultural Research Institute.
Specific potential exists for film-related and academic and teaching careers, but the analytical skills and understanding gained from this course will benefit a wide range of careers.
Course content
The course offers a combination of textualist and contextualist approaches to the cinema through studying various cinematic forms, critical approaches and case study material. For those who wish to proceed to an MA, the dissertation offers the chance to choose an area of cinema to study in depth, drawing on the material studied in the taught part of the course.
Core modules
• textual analysis: narrative and style • studying and researching cinema
Case studies
• the post-war cinemas of Central Europe and the Balkans • adaptation reloaded . Other case study modules may be added in the future.
One of the case studies may be selected from another postgraduate programme in cultural studies, for example history, communication studies, cultural policy and management. You must submit at least two substantial pieces of written work for each module, the particular requirements vary from module to module.
