Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies programme.
The number of participants is limited to 25.
Description
This interdisciplinary and multi-regional course will consider filmic travel narratives – fictional and documentary -, within national and transnational contexts. This will include a discussion of one of cinema’s most popular genres – the road movie – although it won’t be limited to discussions on film genre. The course will cover a broad timeframe, including films from early twentieth century to the present day, looking at how journey narratives in cinema have often been most eloquent at times of crisis. The unprecedented scale of human mobility we witness today, in a world defined by global migration, makes the issue all the more topical. The personal life stories presented on screen often transcend the realm of the individual to reflect political, national and global issues in our increasingly interconnected world. The first part of the course will consider some key concepts and theoretical issues, such as film genre theory, which will equip students with the necessary critical tools to engage in film analysis within specific cultural contexts.
This course will provide students with an overview of the main features and trends in filmic travel narratives and mobilities within specific cultural, political and historical contexts and an understanding of the significance of these cultural constructs in articulating key issues in different societies and periods. Students will engage in close analysis of key films, thereby honing their critical, analytical and communication skills, through a series of written and oral assignments.
Among others, films studied might include:
Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984);
Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991);
My Own Private Idaho (Gus van Sant, 1991);
Central do Brasil (Central Station, Brazil, 1998);
Y tu mama también (Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico, 2001);
Historias minimas (Intimate Stories, Carlos Sorin, Argentina, 2002);
Sleepwalking Land (Portugal/Mozambique, Teresa Prata, 2007);
Rabat (Jim Taihuttu and Victor Ponten, 2010).
Additionally, the students will work through:
- W.C. Booth, G.G. Colomb, J.W. Williams, The Craft of Research, third edition, Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Course objectives
The Thematic Seminars for International Studies are designed to teach students how to deal with state-of-the-art literature and research questions. They are chosen to enhance the students’ learning experience by building on the multidisciplinary perspectives they have developed so far, and to introduce them to the art of academic research. They are characterised by an international or comparative approach.
Academic skills that are trained include:
Oral and written presentation skills:
1. To explain clear and substantiated research results.
2. To provide an answer to questions concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course:
in the form of a clear and well-structured oral presentation;
in agreement with the appropriate disciplinary criteria;
using up-to-date presentation techniques;
using relevant illustration or multimedia techniques;
aimed at a specific audience.
3. To actively participate in a discussion following the presentation.
Collaboration skills:
1. To be socio-communicative in collaborative situations.
2. To provide and receive constructive criticism, and incorporate justified criticism by revising one’s own position.
3. To adhere to agreed schedules and priorities.
Basic research skills, including heuristic skills:
1. To collect and select academic literature using traditional and digital methods and techniques.
2. To analyze and assess this literature with regard to quality and reliability.
3. To formulate on this basis a sound research question.
4. To design under supervision a research plan of limited scope, and implement it using the methods and techniques that are appropriate within the discipline involved.
5. To formulate a substantiated conclusion.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.
Mode of instruction
Seminars
Seminars are held every week, with the exception of the Midterm Exam week. This includes supervised research.
Course Load
Total course load for this course is 10 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), which equals 280 hours, broken down by:
Attending seminars (2 hours per week x 12): 24 hours
Reading literature: 80 hours
Preparing assignments: 50 hours
Oral presentation: 25 hours
Writing the final research essay: 101 hours.
Assessment method
Assessment and Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| In-class participation | 30% |
| Oral presentation & chairing seminar session | 20% |
| Final Research Essay (5,000 words) | 50% |
End Grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note that the End Grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of all assessment components.
Resit
Students who have been active participants in class and submitted the Final Essay on time, but scored an overall insufficient mark, are entitled to a resit. For the resit, students are given a chance to hand in a new version of the Final Essay.
In case of resubmission of the Final Essay (insufficient grade only) the final grade for the Essay will be lowered as a consequence of the longer process of completion. The deadline for resubmission is 10 working days after receiving the grade for the Final Essay.
Retaking a passing grade
Please consult the Course and Examination Regulations 2018 – 2019.
Exam review
How and when an exam review takes place will be determined by the examiner. This review will be within 30 days after official publication of exam results.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for the seminars. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.
Reading list
Literature will be announced on Blackboard in due course.
Additionally, the students will work through:
- W.C. Booth, G.G. Colomb, J.W. Williams, The Craft of Research, third edition, Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis for Thematic Seminars is mandatory.
The Thematic Seminars make use of a waiting list for the enrolment in uSis. If you are on the waiting list for a Thematic Seminar, this does not guarantee you a spot in this Seminar.
Enrolment in only one Seminar is allowed. Students are more than welcome to remain on one or more waiting lists, as well as an actual enrolment.
If a Thematic Seminar and its corresponding waiting list is no longer available for enrolment in uSis, this means it is full. Do not try to obtain a spot through other means.
If you are unsure of your enrolment status for a Thematic Seminar, please contact the BAIS Administration Department.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Contact
When contacting your lecturer, please include your full name, student number, and course title.
Remarks
The deadline for submission of the Final Essay is Friday 7 June 2019.