| Unit name | Black Cinema |
|---|---|
| Unit code | FATV20039 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Ryan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Film and Television |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important
This unit offers students the chance to explore the connections across regions and historical periods between films and filmmakers of Africa and the Black diaspora. You will have the opportunity to hone your insight into key developments in the field, engage with different theoretical perspectives, and expand your understanding of different kinds of texts. Finally, to counteract the tendency to isolate or marginalise Black culture and thought, the unit will foreground the contributions of Black filmmakers to our shared history of cinema as pertains to our individual and collective lives.
How does the unit fit into your programme of study
The unit’s methods of teaching, learning and assessment build upon skills and knowledge students acquire in Year 1, where they are introduced to film historiography, close analysis, and key critical frameworks. This unit builds on these foundations by deepening students’ knowledge of a particular vein of history, developing advanced practice in close textual analysis, and exposing them to new critical paradigms specific to Black cinema. The specialisation and more advanced level of analysis and criticism students will gain and develop through this unit will prepare them for Year 3, which entails more challenging modes of learning and assessment, as well as capstone projects that enable students to apply the knowledge and skills gathered throughout the degree.
An overview of content
This unit introduces Black cinema through the works of African and Black diasporic filmmakers from 1960 to the present. We will study the landmark films, movements, and intellectual paradigms that form the foundations of Black cinema as a field of study. With attention to the connections between Black Britain, the Caribbean, Africa and the Americas, we will consider how filmmakers have responded to various topics: cultural identity, feminist thought, migration, legacies of Empire, anticolonial struggle, the politics of representation, and artistic autonomy. Readings will reflect multiple perspectives on Black cinema while screenings will include fiction, documentaries, political manifestos, experimental works, and film essays to illustrate the breadth of Black film aesthetics, histories and practices.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will acquire critical expertise in researching, analysing and debating Black cinema. They will do so through a study of Black cinema combining history, theory and criticism, learning to analyse and contextualise representation, production and reception in relation to Black cinemas from around the world. Through this unit, students will develop and build upon skills gained in Year 1, while also acquiring specialisms which will prepare them for the capstone projects they will conduct in Year 3.
Your learning on this unit
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Weekly seminars/workshops and screenings
How you will be assessed
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
2000-word essay (45%) ILO 1, 2-4
10-min individual presentation (30%) ILO 1-4
class participation journal of 5 150-word entries (25%) ILO 1-2
When assessment does not go to plan
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. FATV20039).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
