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2011/2 Provisional Module Catalogue - UNDER CONSTRUCTION & SUBJECT TO CHANGE
 Module Code: MFC1015 Module Title: HOLLYWOOD AND FILM GENRES
Module Provider: Dance,Film & Theatre Short Name: MFC1015
Level: HE1 Module Co-ordinator: HONESS ROE A Dr (Dnc Flm Thtr)
Number of credits: 15 Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
 
Module Availability
Semester 2.
Assessment Pattern

Unit(s) of Assessment (SITS MAB)

 
Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)

 

Written and oral assessments

 

40

 

Essay 1500 words

 

60

 
Module Overview

This module covers Hollywood film from WWII to the present day through the lens of genre.  The history of Hollywood film, in terms of developments in style, technology, key filmmakers and studios, is studied with respect to genre films.  One or more genres may be studied.

 
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
None.
Module Aims
  • To provide a foundation for further university-level study of film by introducing mainstream Hollywood cinema as a point of comparison.

     

  • To introduce students to genre as a means of commercial and critical categorisation.

     

  • To provide students with contextual understanding of the production and reception of mainstream commercial cinema

     

  • To provide students with skills in written and verbal analysis of film.

     
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this modules students will have developed:

 

 

  • An overview of the history of post-WWII Hollywood cinema

     

  • An understanding of the concept of genre

     

  • The ability to interpret a film according to genre conventions

     

  • An understanding of how genres have developed over time

     

  • An understanding of the connection between genre and Hollywood studio filmmaking

     

They will practice the skills of:

 

 

 

  • Genre analysis

     

  • Interpretation

     

  • Film historiography

     

  • Verbal presentation

     

  • Academic essay writing

     

Academic research
Module Content

The following topics will be covered in this module:

 

·         The studio system

 

·         Film genres

 

·         The Production Code

 

·         HUAC and the Blacklist

 

·         The Paramount decree and the decline of the studio system

 

·         Hollywood indies

 

·         The arrival of the blockbuster

 

·         Technological developments in film (e.g. colour, 3d)

 

Global Hollywood
Methods of Teaching/Learning

Lectures (10) and screenings (10)

 

Reading using lecturer’s guidance

 

Preparing presentations

 

Participating in class discussion

 

Producing a researched essay

 

Preparing and taking examination
Selected Texts/Journals

David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, (2009) Film History: An Introduction, 3rd Edition,  New York : McGraw-Hill.

 

Grainge, Paul, Mark Jancovich and Sharon Monteith. (2007) Film Histories: An Introduction and Reader. Edinburgh University Press.

 

Schatz, Thomas. (1981) Hollywood Genres. New York : McGraw-Hill

 

Neale, Stephen. (1999) Genre and Hollywood . London : Routledge

 
Last Updated
08/04/11