Film and screen theory and criticism

In this unit you will learn about vital thinkers and theoretical traditions that have shaped the study of film and television in the 20th and 21st centuries. You will consider how each have interpreted the power of different styles of filmmaking to both represent and resist the status quo – from blockbuster to art and ‘indie’ cinema, long-form television to web series. Looking at a range of films and television series from around the world, you will learn how film and television can shape understandings of class, race, gender and sexuality. You will engage in approaches to screen study including: textual analysis, ideological analysis, feminist theory, critical race theory, montage theory, psychoanalysis, structuralism and poststructuralism, reception studies, queer theory, affect studies and digital media theories.