FILM THEORY & CRITICISM (FM3027)

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What precisely is cinema’s relationship to reality and the real world? Is cinema a form of art, an escapist mode of entertainment, or a means of ideological control? In what ways have technological developments impacted filmmaking and its cultural, social and political functions? This course explores enduring questions of film theory: the history of ideas concerning cinema as medium of art, entertainment and technology, and the multifaceted effects films are claimed to have upon their spectators. The course will explore central debates about the nature of film and provide an opportunity to reflect on different—and often competing—theoretical frameworks. Students will read foundational writings of film theory, critically evaluate the conceptual underpinnings of key commentators, and discuss the validity of theoretical models through close analyses of seminal films.

Code: 
FM3027
Name: 
FILM THEORY & CRITICISM
Discipline: 
FM (Film)
Type: 
Regular
Level: 
Undergraduate
Credits: 
4
Can be taken twice for credit?: 
No
Pre-requisites: 
None
Co-requisites: 
None

Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will be able to identify and discuss different types of theoretical and critical traditions, and engage independently with the writings of key authors from a number of disciplines.
  2. Students will demonstrate an awareness of the social contexts and the intellectual trends providing the background for the discourses on cinema as a medium, as a language, and as an artistic and cultural form.
  3. Students will learn to apply a range of key theoretical concepts to films and to carry out the analysis of excerpts in the light of a selected method or approach.

Offering(s)

Term Code Name
Spring 2025 FM3027 FILM THEORY & CRITICISM

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