Women and Hollywood

Module overview

Using ‘Women and Hollywood' as its starting point, this module offers three areas of investigation: Hollywood's representation of women; women who make films in Hollywood and outside it; and the female spectators who make up the audiences and fans of Hollywood's women's films.

Linked modules

FILM1001 or FILM2006

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The latest research on women’s production and representation in Hollywood and contemporary theories of women’s popular cinema.
Key approaches to reception studies
Selected feminist film theories and feminist film histories of Hollywood.
Key women filmmakers and stars of Hollywood and key Hollywood films that have been popular amongst female audiences.
The genres most associated with female audiences: romantic comedies, the woman’s film, melodrama.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Evaluate critically the theoretical and methodological approaches to spectatorship and reception studies
Articulate, evaluate and apply feminist film theories of authorship, genre and representation.
List key women filmmakers, female stars of Hollywood and discuss the significance of their films.
Differentiate amongst and compare representations of women in Hollywood cinema and alternative (independent/art) cinemas.
Synthesize an analysis of a women’s film with the historical and cultural context.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Analyse and synthesize primary and secondary research materials.
Organise and structure materials and knowledge to write clearly and confidently.
Analyse and critique other media, both print and audiovisual, in relation to a primary text's reception.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include -workshops that combine tutor input with practical writing exercises -small group interaction, to generate constructive feedback from peers -lectures and workshops led by industry professionals. Learning activities include -generating material and ideas for a specific piece of writing -planning and implementing a strategy for completing a professional piece of work -peer review and feedback -editing and revising pieces of writing (and production, eg a promo tape or a website).

Study time
Type	Hours
Independent Study	90
Teaching	60
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

The Blot (Lois Weber 1921). Film

Thelma and Louise (Ridley Scott 1991). Film

Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren 1943). Film

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawkes 1953). Film

Making an American Citizen ( Alice Guy Blaché 1912). Film

*Dance Girl Dance (Dorothy Arzner 1940). Film

*Erin Brokovich (Steven Soderbergh 2001). Film

Now Voyager (Irving Rapper 1942). Film

*Funny Girl (William Wyler 1968). Film

*In the Cut (Jane Campion 2003). Film

*Bridesmaids (Paul Feig 2011). Film

*Jeanne Dielman (Chantal Ackerman 1975). Film

Journal Articles

Grant, Catherine (2001). Secret Agents: Feminist Theories of Women’s Film Authorship. Feminist Theory, 2(1), pp. 124.

Blodgett, Bridget and Anastasia Slate (2018). ‘Ghostbusters Is for Boys: Understanding Geek Masculinity’s Role in Alt-Right. Communication, Culture and Critique, 11(1), pp. 133-146.

Textbooks

Thornham, Sue (1999). Feminist Film Theory: A Reader. London: Routledge.

Mayne, Judith (1990). The Woman at the Keyhole: Feminism and Women’s Cinema. London: Routledge.

Kuhn, Annette (1982). Women’s Pictures. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.

Rich, B. Ruby (1998). Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of the Feminist Film Movement. London: Routledge.

Negra, Diane (2008). What a Girl Wants: Fantasizing the Reclamation of Self in Postfeminism. London: Routledge.

Bean, Jennifer M. and Diane Negra (2002). A Feminist Reader in Early Cinema. London: BFI.

Brunsdon, Charlotte, ed (1986). Films For Women. London: Routledge.

Lane, Christina (2000). Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Tasker, Yvonne (1998). Working Girls: Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Radner, Hilary (2010). Neo-Feminist Cinema: Girly Films, Chick Flicks, and Consumer Culture. Durham: Duke University Press.

Margaret Tally. The Limits of #MeToo in Hollywood: Gender and Power in the Entertainment Industry.

Stacey, Jackie (1993). Stargazing: Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship.

Basinger, Jeanine (1994). A Woman’s View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women, 1930-60. London: Chatto & Windus.

Kaplan, E. Ann (1983). Women and Film: Both Sides of the Camera. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, Ltd..

Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny.

Assessment

Assessment strategy

Assessments designed to provide informal feedback: • You will engage in small group exercises, focusing on specific formative tasks, which will be reviewed in class • You will be encouraged to discuss preparation for your formal assessment with your tutor • You will have the opportunity to seek individual advice on your work in progress from your tutor • Guidance and advice in class on preparation, completion and presentation of assignments will be available to you The formal assessments will promote skills of analysis and critical thinking. They will also reinforce organisational, planning and writing skills.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Essay	40%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Essay	40%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External