module specification

This module charts the development of the French New Wave, a group of films of the late 1950s and early 1960s and one of the most influential movements in film history.
The work of a generation of directors many of whom had started as film critics, the module will consider this distinctive film style in the context of the social changes that transformed post-war French society and culture.

In tandem with the rise of cinephilia and the love of American cinema, the module will trace the passage from theory into practice. The textual properties of the films and their artistic innovations will be explored in connection with the representation of youth, modernity, the city of Paris, history and gender relations. ou should also include the aims of the module: what key skills and knowledge will it enable students to develop? As a guide you should have been 4-6 aims per module.

In this module, you will:

• Learn about the history of French film criticism and its impact not only a style of filmmaking associated with a particular national cinema but also on film studies as an academic discipline.

• Learn to evaluate the influence of cultural, social and intellectual forces in shaping New Wave filmmaking.

• Learn to critically interrogate the relationship between text, context and issues of representation.

• Learn to analyse a range of films critically and in relation to the context in which they were produced.

This module investigates the French New Wave from both a theoretical and historical perspective (LO1, LO4).

Using a variety of films, the module explores post-war film criticism, cinephilia and its relationship to Hollywood, the passage from theory into practice, film style, mise en scene and authorship, the rise of new stars and performance style, the representation of youth, the city of Paris, history and gender relations (LO2, LO3, LO5).

Learning and teaching on the module will be conducted via lectures, screenings, seminars, blended learning and student guided independent study. It returns to some of the key academic skills learned at level 5 such as online research, referring to academic sources in academic writing and introduces new transferrable skills through seminar presentations.

The module starts with teacher-led learning through lectures, screenings and seminars. It then shifts the balance to the students in the second half of the module, when the students seek their own themes and films to give an oral presentation on a topic of their choice.

Building on the formal feedback they receive, this phase of the module culminates in the final essay.

On completion of this module:

• Students will be able to understand and have gained specialist knowledge of a period when key concept of film theory originated (LO1).

• Students will be able to critically understand the nature of the French New Wave, its textual properties, formal concerns and thematic preoccupations (LO2).

• Students will be able to communicate effectively the interrelationship between theory and practice in both written and oral contexts LO3).

• Students will be able to analyse and discuss films in relation to relevant cultural, historical and political contexts and their impact on aesthetics and representation (LO4).

• Students will be able to develop skills in critical analysis and oral presentation as well as transferable skills through seminar presentations (LO5).

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/7833C4B5-F48C-5BDC-5A30-98617C8872FD.html?lang=en&login=1