Prospectus

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Cinema: Analysis & Theory

Course
2023-2024

Admission requirements

There are no additional requirements.

This course has replaced the course Cinema & Photography: Theory (2022-2023).

Description

This course provides an overview of classic and contemporary theories of cinema. It begins by unpacking several influential movements that shaped the early days of cinema, such as: German Expressionism, Russian Constructivism, Italian Neorealism, and Modernism. Having revisited these movements, it then turns to more contemporary debates and discoruses, such as: feminism, the gaze, psychoanalysis, the quirky cinema, and metamodernim. To operationalize these theories, the course makes use of two methodologies; those are: mise-en-scène and discourse analysis. By using these methods, it inquires: In which ways does the content of a film change when read through a specific social/political/historical discourse? And what roles do all the (in)visible elements within the frame play in the overall communication of meaning? Therefore, by exploring both classic and contemporary debates surrounding cinema, this course creates a theoretical overview of ideas that have been shedding light onto this medium over the past centuries.

Course objectives

  • Students acquire in-depth knowledge of mise-en-scène/discourse analysis in relation to film.

  • Students learn about the uses and differences between theory and methodology in relation to film.

  • Students learn how to choose and apply a suitable theory for analyzing a short or a featured film.

  • Students gain an overview of the seminal film theories and discourses.

  • Student will be acquainted to classic/contemporary influential film makers in cinema history.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

  • Lecture

  • Seminar

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Group presentation (midterm)

  • Research paper

Weighing

  • Group presentation: 30%

  • Research paper: 70%

The final grade is established by the weighted average of all grades; additional requirement: all grades ought to be sufficient (= 6). You can resit the component(s) that you have failed.

Resit

A resit/ rewrite can be done for constituent examinations which are failed. As far as applicable all resit/ rewrite examinations take place at the same time, after the final (constituent) examination.

Inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Reading list

Literature will be announced on Brightspace prior to the start of the course.

Registration

Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website

Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange

Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.

Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal

Remarks

All other information.