INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN CINEMA

INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN CINEMA
Course Code
FS 1005
Credit Points
20
Course Coordinator
Dr L Harbidge

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

Not available to those who have passed any other level 1 Film Studies course.

Overview

An introduction to the history of American cinema, covering films from the inception of cinema, the era of Classic Hollywood and late twentieth century ‘post-classical’ cinema. The course introduces students to a wide range of genres, including melodrama, screwball comedy, the gangster film, science fiction and the western, and to the work of such directors as Orson Welles, Howard Hawks, John Ford, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg among others. Lectures will place the films in the context of the film industry and the social and historical context of America.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures; 1 one-hour tutorial and 2 three-hour film screenings per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (40%) and in-course assessment: one 1,500-2,000 word essay (35%), one 800-1,000 word exercise (15%) and tutorial assessment (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).