APPROACHES TO FILM GENRE - 2021/2
Module code: MFC3038
Module Overview
This module will study several contemporary films, such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017) and Us (2020), connecting them to the history of the debates around the concept of film genre. The principal genre focus will be mainstream horror films with a secondary focus on the subgenre of the slasher film. Freudian, Lacanian, socio-historical and ecocritical scholarship on genre will be discussed. Classic genre films explored will include Friedrich Murnau’s Nosferatu (1919), Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), and Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), while more recent films will include Mary Hannon’s American Psycho (2000), Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook (2013) and Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe (2019).
Module provider
School of Literature and Languages
Module Leader
HUGHES Helen (Lit & Langs)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 6
Module cap (Maximum number of students): 20
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 70
Seminar Hours: 22
Guided Learning: 50
Captured Content: 8
Module Availability
Semester 1
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
None.
Module content
Indicative content will depend on the genre studied. The below indicates the module as currently taught:
Defining horror and its subgenres
Psychoanalytic approaches to horror
Social historical approaches to horror
Horror films discussed include: Vampyr (1932); Psycho (1960); The Shining (1980); Ringu (1998); Paranormal Activity (2009)
Defining Science Fiction
Science fiction and the space age
Science fiction and philosophy
Science fiction films discussed include: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Solaris (1972), The Matrix (1999), Interstellar (2014)
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | PRESENTATION | 50 |
| Coursework | ESSAY | 50 |
Alternative Assessment
Recorded presentation or oral exam (20%)
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to discover, explore and interrogate a film genre and to express this knowledge verbally and in writing.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
Presentation – during teaching weeks
- Essay (3000 words) – exam period
Formative assessment and feedback
Verbal feedback to interpretation of films in weekly sessions
Short formative writing assessment, written and verbal feedback provided
Essay outline (feedback provided)
Module aims
- Advance students¿ historical, formal and industrial understanding of genre
- Develop higher skills in critical cultural and textual analysis
- Enable students to explore one genre in depth
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Characterise the nature and development of a genre | KCPT |
| 002 | Situate a specific genre in the relevant historical, geographical, cultural, social, theoretical and industrial contexts | KCPT |
| 003 | Critique and question the concept of generic classification of film | KCPT |
| 004 | Write critically and analytically about a specific genre within the above contexts | KCPT |
| 005 | Present verbally complex ideas about a specific genre within the above context | KCPT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
Provide students with the necessary knowledge and analytical skills to be able to understand and analyse film within a generic classification
Encourage students to critique and question genre classification
Help student develop and refine their written and oral skills of film analysis, theorisation and critique
The learning and teaching methods include:
Lecturer presentations using illustrative materials
Seminar discussion
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MFC3038
Other information
This module has a capped number and may not be available to ERASMUS and other international exchange students. Please check with the International Engagement Office email: ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theatre and Performance with Film Studies BA (Hons) | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature BA (Hons) | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature with Creative Writing BA (Hons) | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature and Spanish BA (Hons) | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature with Film Studies BA (Hons) | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature with German BA (Hons) | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature and French BA (Hons) | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.