Overview
Film and Media Studies focuses on the historical, aesthetic, cultural and social significance of cinema, television and new visual technologies and their interconnections. It is concerned with the teaching of visual literacy as it applies to moving images since the advent of modernity and beyond, and looks at dominant practices (Hollywood cinema, global media, mass-entertainment), and alternative practices (art-film and avant-garde, local and indigenous media).
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) programme in Film and Media Studies at Otago is designed to give students a thorough grounding in the analysis of film, television and new media. It is offered through the Department of Media, Film and Communication.
From the emergence of cinema at the end of the 19th century to the Internet revolution, the production and consumption of moving images has changed every aspect of our lives and cultures. The major emphasises a range of approaches to media texts and events that include aesthetics, history and sociology while stressing a strong theoretical understanding of the subject.
Students in Film and Media Studies develop a range of skills based on the content of the course, the development of research and presentation methodologies and multimedia literacies and skills. These skills will enable students to:
- Analyse individual film and media texts and present their ideas in a written or oral form
- Understand the forces at work behind the production and consumption of these texts
- Appreciate the inter-relationship between the wide variety of media which operate in the modern world
- Have the historical, cultural and theoretical knowledge necessary to engage critically with film and media texts
- Engage with students and lecturers in a variety of contexts such as lectures, tutorials, virtual classrooms.
As such, it can be fruitfully combined with the study of a wide range of other subjects, including Communication Studies, Visual Culture, English, History, Gender Studies, Theatre Studies, Design Studies, Marketing and Psychology.
Students in Film and Media Studies will have access to a range of material and facilities which include resources through the programme's website, an audio-visual study centre in the Central Library, a digital recording and editing facility, as well as a screening room in which film prints, brought from within and without New Zealand, are displayed in theatrical conditions. This is the only programme in New Zealand which displays films in all formats: 35mm, 16mm, VHS and DVD.
Contact details
Website: http://www.otago.ac.nz/mfco
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))
- Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts)
- Master of Arts (MA)
Papers
See the full list of Media, Film and Communication (MFCO) papers.
Programme Requirements
Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in Film and Media Studies
| Level | Papers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 100-level | MFCO 101 Understanding Film MFCO 102 Understanding Contemporary Media | 18 18 |
| 200-level | At least one of MFCO 201 The History of Film, MFCO 203 Media History Two further papers from | 18 36 |
| 300-level | MFCO 301, and three further 300-level MFCO papers; or MFCO 301 Film Theory, two further 300-level MFCO papers, and GEND 305 Gender and the Media | 72 |
| Plus | 198 further points; must include 54 points at 200-level or above. Up to 90 points may be taken from outside Arts | 198 |
| Total | 360 |
Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)) in Film and Media Studies
|
Programme Requirements
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) in Film and Media Studies
The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) programme in Film and Media Studies is the same as the programme for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours.
Minor Subject Requirements
Film and Media Studies as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Theology (BTheol), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Applied Science (BAppSc) or Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree
| Level | Papers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 100-level | MFCO 101 Understanding Film MFCO 102 Understanding Contemporary Media | 18 18 |
| 200-level | See below | |
| 300-level | Three 200- or 300-level MFCO papers | 54 |
One or two of CHIN 242, GEND 205, GEND 305, or THEA 341 may be substituted for 200- or 300-level MFCO papers Must include one paper above 200-level | ||
| Total | 90 |
