5 Words: Second Year Film and Television Studies Modules

Hello everyone,

Today I want to continue my ‘5 Words’ series, this time talking about Film and Television Studies modules that I took in Second Year. I know, I know, this process is playing out backwards, but hopefully this post will help to show you the kind of things that you might be taught about in Second Year. As always, the modules taught in the department are subject to change.

World Cinema (30 CATS)

Interesting. Complex. Extensive. Powerful. Educational.

World Cinema was one of two compulsory modules that I took in Second Year. In the first term, the module focused on Brazilian cinema. We learnt about a wide range of Brazilian films, spanning a large amount of decades. There was also a heavy focus on the contexts that surrounded the making of the films, particularly from a social and political point of view. Not only did this part of the module enhance my knowledge of Brazilian film, it also helped to enhance my knowledge of Brazil in general. In the second term, the focus of the module was on Italian cinema. The term had a similar focus on social and political context, but involved an exploration of postwar Italian film. As with the term on Brazilian cinema, this part of the module really opened my eyes to the wider history of Italy, something I knew very little about.

The Hollywood Cinema (30 CATS)

Informative. Fun. Engaging. Entertaining. Thorough.

This was the second compulsory module of the year. The first term of the module was dedicated to learning about the history of Hollywood cinema from a theoretical point of view. This really helped me to better understand certain terms and movements. The other term was dedicated to the history of one particular genre- the musical. I’ve probably mentioned this on the blog before, but anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE musicals. The whole term in which we studied the musical film was a dream come true for me. Not only did we get to study some of my favourite films, I also learnt things about the genre that even I didn’t know. I love to expand my knowledge, so this was wonderful! There is a huge part of me that would love to re-sit that term.

Silent Cinema (30 CATS)

Interesting. Detailed. Technical. Extensive. Complex.

Both terms of this optional module focused on the development of film as a medium. Much of this module involved discussions about the development of various technologies that paved the way for the creation of the filmic medium as we know it today. It really helped to open my eyes to just how much effort went into creating films in the early period of cinema. It also introduced me to the work of some performers that I’d only ever read about. I will say though, the evening screening slots did make it hard to focus at times!

Television History and Criticism (30 CATS)

Entertaining. Educational. Fun. Engaging. Different.

This was another optional module which did what it says on the tin. It taught us about the history of television alongside the workings of various different genres. Not only this, but the module taught us how to apply theory to the programmes that we learnt about. The seminars for this module were particularly engaging and everyone always had lots to say. It was also a really enjoyable module due to the fact that it was different. After all, the Film Studies degree is (obviously) heavily weighted to the study of film. Of course this is great, but it was equally great to get the opportunity to explore another medium in the same amount of detail.

I’ll be back soon to complete this blog post series with a discussion of my First Year Modules. That one may be a little less accurate in relation to the modules currently available to First Years due to the fact that I took the modules a while ago. But, I hope that these posts have allowed you to get a flavour of the department nonetheless!