| Unit name | Contemporary European Cinema |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODL10009 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Steven Roberts |
| 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 | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Europe is an important centre of contemporary filmmaking that contributes to world cinema in diverse ways. While Europe has an impressive tradition of making what is called ‘art cinema’ for its cutting-edge film festivals, the continent’s cinema has meaningfully responded to popular tastes and concerns to remain commercially competitive. This unit will equip you with the analysis and historical skills needed to understand the evolving identity of European cinema after the Cold War and into the twenty-first century. We will relate details of significant films to their national contexts. Beyond examining how individual films are practically made to entertain and provoke thought, the unit will also enable you to think comparatively and compassionately about Europe as a patchwork of national identities.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
You should take this unit if you are new to film studies or looking to develop your existing understanding of cinema, as we will introduce European contexts for exploring film style, genre, national cinema and core subject knowledge. You will be supported in the transition to university-level study by analysing and historicising films in an informed way. The unit’s considered treatment of varied texts will help to prepare you for more advanced units on film or cultural production within national and larger geographic areas, where offered.
An overview of content
The unit introduces you to cinema and nation in contemporary Europe. We will learn about practical aspects of film production and reception as well as popular genres, artistic and industry trends relevant to the topic. You will become trained in film analysis and learn how to relate textual details to specific national contexts, inclusive of the complex patchwork of identities that make up contemporary Europe. Content might include films from major producers and small national cinemas, regions such as West/North/South/Central and Eastern Europe, and transcultural works by migrant or diasporic filmmakers. Each week, you will engage with an aspect of European cinema related to national identity, which might include representing nations through visual style, sound and montage, or popular genres that have spanned European nations such as comedy, coming-of-age films, or melodrama, or European trends influencing blockbuster cinema, migration within art cinema, or the Romanian New Wave.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will recognise the complexity of identity offered by national film production and will have broader insight into the contemporary scene of European film culture and industry. You will understand core terminology that supports film analysis and your growing confidence in the close reading of cultural texts will also be presented effectively. The opportunity to work alongside students on multiple degree programmes will develop your interpersonal skills and appreciation of alternative perspectives, for example, through seminar discussion and peer feedback. A rich engagement with film will give you a critical standpoint when considering the intended effects of audiovisual communication in the digital space more generally, including beyond university study, and there will be opportunities to develop your digital skills through the assessment.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
Lectures set out the key concepts informed by scholarship, demonstrating how these might be applied to interpret specific sequences. Seminars discuss film sequences not examined in the lectures, passages of the reading, and light independent research on national contexts, using industry or academic resources provided by tutors. Preparation tasks and sequences will be provided ahead of the seminars to scaffold your learning. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills in written analysis and different forms of communication/discussion, with peer feedback built into the assessment that will also have reflective aspects. You can examine films that go beyond those taught on the unit but which engage with its European context and key issues. As such, you will be able to expand your understanding of the topic, tailor your study of it to your own particular interests and share your findings with your peers.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Film blog, 300 words per entry (0%, not required for credit)
Each week, the unit director will reveal a sequence for you to analyse in your film blog. Interim tutor and peer feedback will support reflection on your work for the summative task.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Written portfolio, 2000 words (100%) [ILOs 1, 2, 3 and 4]
To be developed from your formative work, including reflection on your learning throughout the unit.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
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. MODL10009).
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.
