Key theories that inform film and media studies and the discourses that have defined the disciplines.
This paper provides a historical survey of theoretical approaches to the moving image from early cinema to the rise of the feature film and the post-WWII introduction of television.
The paper will focus primarily on analyses of the viewing experience in its historical and socio-cultural contexts, including the industrial revolution, mass culture and modernism/postmodernism.
| Paper title | Theory of Film and Media |
|---|---|
| Paper code | MFCO210 |
| Subject | Media, Film and Communication |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $955.05 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 18 100-level MFCO points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Eligibility
- A familiarity with film and media history and a working understanding of the language of film and media analysis.
- Contact
- mfco@otago.ac.nz
- Teaching staff
Convenor and Lecturer: Dr Sabrina Moro
- Paper Structure
Topics include:
- Theorising early cinema
- Psychology and psychoanalysis of film experience
- Cinema and mass culture
- Formalism vs realism
- Spectatorship
- Ideology
Assessment:
- Concept test: 30%
- Critical essay: 40%
- Final exam: 30%
- Textbooks
Course readings will be available on Blackboard.
- Course outline
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Communication, critical thinking, cultural understanding.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- Demonstrate understanding of major approaches to film and media theory
- Show knowledge of the historical development of film and media theory
- Be able to apply theoretical approaches to the critical analysis of film and media texts
