UDFITEST - BA Film and Television Studies

The BA Film and Television Studies combines the theoretical, historical and cultural study of film and television with opportunities for practical and industry learning. Students explore a wide variety of theories, approaches, national cinemas and television industries, engaging in critical analysis of both text and context. The course provides students with a wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of the film and television industries and their global cultural significance. Practical skills of filmmaking and screenwriting are developed, as well as up-to-date industry knowledge. Students are able to gain transferrable skills throughout the course via student presentations, group work, research and coursework planning and practice-based assignments, as well as through the opportunity for work-related learning. The course shares a common level 4 with the BA Film and Television Production that covers both essential academic learning and audio-visual skills. Subsequently, students specialise in academic, historical and cultural analysis of film and television, while also continuing with some practical and industry-based learning. The course aims to combine all these elements to provide students with the academic, industry and practical knowledge, and an array of transferrable skills required for a career in the cultural industries.

Students will experience a variety of teaching and learning approaches including lectures, seminars, film screenings, workshops, group work, and blended learning via WebLearn. Students are expected to complement their in-class and blended learning opportunities with extensive guided independent study and to be actively engaged in their learning. Students are encouraged to reflect on their learning experience through developmental learning and both formative and summative assignments including portfolios, essay and project planning, presentations and project management that are embedded across the course. Learning strategies on the course are designed to promote transferrable skills of communication, independent thinking, the ability to work effectively with others, work planning and independent responsibility. Student feedback and engagement with teaching and learning strategies are promoted via student representatives and course committees. Learning facilities include large screen lecture theatres, flexible open-learning spaces and the extensive facilities of the university’s Learning Centre. For practice-based learning, students have access to up to date digilab facilities and camera equipment.

The main aims of the BA Film and Television Studies are:

• To develop students’ understanding of film and television theories and histories

• To enable students to critically analyse film and television in relation to a variety of cultural issues

• To develop students’ transferrable skills through presentations, group work, practice-based assignments, employment-based learning, course committees and student consultation

• To encourage skills of research, writing, argument development and critical analysis

• To promote students’ self-directed learning

• To encourage students to reflect on their personal development through reflecting learning and assessment

• To enable students to develop skills in screenwriting, digital film production

• To prepare students for careers in a variety of fields including the film and television industries, and for further academic and practice-based study

The following learning outcomes incorporate and depend on systematic understanding of the key aspects of the knowledge base of Film and Television Studies, including a coherent and detailed knowledge of some specialist areas in depth.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1) deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within Film and Television Studies;
2) devise and sustain arguments, and/or solve problems, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of Film and Television Studies;
3) describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, in Film and Television Studies, recognising the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge;
4) manage their own learning, and make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to Film and Television Studies);
5) apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects;
6) critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution –or identify a range of solutions –to a problem;
7) communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;
8) exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts;
9) make use of transferrable skills and employment experience in a related field in the workplace.
10) demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.

Subject Benchmark Statement: Communication, Media, Film and Cultural Studies [Oct-2016]

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-communication-media-film-and-cultural-studies.pdf?sfvrsn=28e2cb81_4.

The above latest subject benchmark statement is used in the design, delivery and review of the course and in facilitating the knowledge and skills normally expected
of a typical course graduate.

The course provides a variety of assessment strategies designed to promote and evidence students’ engagement with academic, practice-based and experiential learning. Assessments are both formative and summative to promote developmental learning, and include formal essays, presentations, portfolios, case studies, practice-based assessments such as scriptwriting, short film-making exercises, and reflection on work-related, skills-based learning. Module assessment is frequently designed around connected summative assessments, providing opportunities for initial research, planning and group work to develop towards final assessments, and so providing opportunities to demonstrate good academic practice. Students have the opportunity to submit draft material to tutors and receive written and in-person feedback prior to formal submission of summative assessments. Students will be provided with both formative and summative feedback in a variety of forms including in-class, tutorials, on-line, and formal written feedback via WebLearn. Students are encouraged to attend individual tutorials to gain additional understanding of written feedback. Processes for marking and moderating assessments and marking are clearly articulated on WebLearn module sites. The course structure diagram below sets out the course structure for full-time students. This will vary for part-time students according to their programme of study.

Students are required to take a work-related learning module, ensuring work-related experience during their period of study. Within the module they have the opportunity to reflect on their experience and skills gained in order to combine both practice-based and critical learning. The module demonstrably contributes towards the student’s portfolio of employable skills, providing the opportunity for students to demonstrate how they have developed high-level transferrable and career management skills, or how their work has demonstrably contributed towards their engagement with the discipline of Film and Television Studies.

Year 1:
SJ4030 Approaches to Film and Television
SJ4031 Film and Television Histories

Year 2:
MD4009 Film and TV Practice1
MD4010 Film and TV Production1

Year 3:
SJ5072 Stardom and Performance
SJ5089 British and European Cinema
SJ5053 Scripting Performance for Screen
MD5050 Film and TV Industry Roles

Year 4:
SJ5087 Hollywood Industry and Politics
SJ5088 Stardom, Genre and Authorship
FC5W52 Work-Related Learning for Media1
SJ5090 Contemporary Television Studies

Year 5:
SJ6032 Screening America in Hollywood Film
SJ6060 Documentary Filmmaking
SJ6058 Film Reception and Interpretation

Year 6:
SJ6P30 Project (Film and Television Studies)
SJ6059 The French New Wave
MD6050 Film and TV Industry Careers

All core modules are required.

Strategies designed to promote students’ reflective learning and personal development planning are embedded across the course. Assessments including presentations and portfolios of research and planning encourage students to reflect on their learning experience and develop plans for both individual and group projects. In addition, reflection on the links between theory, practice and work-related learning is central to course content. Formative feedback on assignments encourages students to reflect on and develop their learning and forms an integrated aspect of the assessment strategy. Group work on both theory and practice modules promotes students’ engagement with group planning and teamwork. Similarly, presentation assignments promote students’ skills in communication and group work. Through the work-related learning module, students have the opportunity to reflect on their experience of a working environment or project and the skills developed. Through the project management component of the level 6 dissertation module, personal development is extended to the higher level of students’ extended research and writing, encouraging deeper learning skills of effective planning, reflection and engagement with feedback.

Successful completion of this course offers improved career opportunities in the creative and cultural industries, teaching, arts administration and a variety of media-related professions. The programme is also excellent preparation for further research or study. Students are introduced to a variety of career opportunities in the field through modules that engage with roles within the film and television industries, and are provided with the opportunity to create commercial projects in the work-related learning module.

Graduates of this course can pursue postgraduate study or go on to work in a variety of fields, including the creative and cultural industries, film criticism and academia.

As the hub of the film and television industries in the UK, London provides many options, both in organisations such as the British Film Institute, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and in the numerous independent production companies located across the city.

Our creative technologies and digital media graduates have gone on to exciting careers as content programmers, fashion copywriters, motion graphic designers, multimedia journalists and visual effects production assistants, radio presenters, studio runners and producers in companies such as D2 Interactive, TK MAXX, Motion Picture Company, Virtual Arts, Volant Media and We Are Capture.

In addition to the University’s standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of grades BBC in three A Levels (or a minimum of 112 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg Advanced Diploma)

Application may include a compulsory interview and/or portfolio submission.

If you don't have traditional qualifications or can't meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing our Film and Television Studies (including foundation year) BA (Hons) degree.