FILM2019 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.
Aims and Objectives
Module Aims
• To outline the history of women’s film production, reception and representation in Hollywood. • To give an understanding of relevant feminist film theory and feminist film history • To explore the relationship between the representation of women in Hollywood and the American historical context. • To examine the films of women working in independent production and art cinema forms that respond to and make use of Hollywood’s representation of women. • To explore how female audiences have engaged with Hollywood at certain points in the twentieth and twenty-first-centuries.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- 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.
- Selected feminist film theories and feminist film histories of Hollywood.
- The latest research on women’s production in early Hollywood and contemporary theories of women’s popular cinema.
- Key approaches to audience research.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Contribute productively to group discussion through active listening, critical questioning and offering peer feedback.
- Analyse and synthesize primary and secondary research materials.
- Construct a proposal for audience research using quantitative and qualitative methods.
- Organise and structure materials and knowledge to write clearly and confidently.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- 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.
- Articulate, evaluate and apply feminist film theories of authorship, genre and representation.
- Synthesize an analysis of a women’s film with the historical and cultural context.
- Evaluate critically the theoretical and methodological approaches to spectatorship and audience research.
Syllabus
Teaching methods include: • A weekly screening of films • A weekly hour-long lecture • A weekly hour-long seminar • Lecturer-led analysis and discussion of sources Learning activities include: • Preparatory reading before each seminar • Participation in group and class discussion • Independent reading of the sources provided and of related secondary works • Independent research of additional information and source materials • Short group presentation • Field trip to local cinema to see a recently released women’s film or film by a female director. Participation on this trip is not a formal requirement of the module, though you are strongly encouraged to attend. Lecture elements will provide you with general knowledge and understanding about chronology, sources and key concepts. This will be consolidated through readings and seminar discussions of primary and secondary source material. Discussion in seminars will help you to develop your own ideas about a topic, to analyse a range of source material and to articulate a critical argument
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).
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 114 |
| Teaching | 36 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Brunsdon, Charlotte, ed (1986). Films For Women.
Thornham, Sue (1999). Feminist Film Theory: A Reader.
Making an American Citizen ( Alice Guy Blaché 1912). Film
Negra, Diane (2008). What a Girl Wants: Fantasizing the Reclamation of Self in Postfeminism.
*Jeanne Dielman (Chantal Ackerman 1975). Film
Thelma and Louise (Ridley Scott 1991). Film
Rich, B. Ruby (1998). Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of the Feminist Film Movement.
Kaplan, E. Ann (1983). Women and Film: Both Sides of the Camera.
Lane, Christina (2000). Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break.
Radner, Hilary (2010). Neo-Feminist Cinema: Girly Films, Chick Flicks, and Consumer Culture.
Grant, Catherine (2001). Secret Agents: Feminist Theories of Women’s Film Authorship. Feminist Theory. ,2 , pp. 124.
*Bridesmaids (Paul Feig 2011). Film
*In the Cut (Jane Campion 2003). Film
Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren 1943). Film
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawkes 1953). Film
*Erin Brokovich (Steven Soderbergh 2001). Film
Kuhn, Annette (1982). Women’s Pictures.
Bean, Jennifer M. and Diane Negra (2002). A Feminist Reader in Early Cinema.
*Funny Girl (William Wyler 1968). Film
The Blot (Lois Weber 1921). Film
Basinger, Jeanine (1994). A Woman’s View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women, 1930-60.
Tasker, Yvonne (1998). Working Girls: Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema.
Now Voyager (Irving Rapper 1942). Film
Stacey, Jackie (1993). Stargazing: Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship.
*Dance Girl Dance (Dorothy Arzner 1940). Film
Mayne, Judith (1990). The Woman at the Keyhole: Feminism and Women’s Cinema.
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
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay (2500 words) | 50% |
| Essay (1500 words) | 40% |
| Presentation with supporting handout | 10% |
Referral
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay (4000 words) | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External
Linked modules
FILM1001 or FILM2006 or ENGL1079
Costs
Costs associated with this module
Students are responsible for meeting the cost of essential textbooks, and of producing such essays, assignments, laboratory reports and dissertations as are required to fulfil the academic requirements for each programme of study.
In addition to this, students registered for this module typically also have to pay for:
Books and Stationery equipment
Estimated costs for buying DVDs of films listed below that are not held by the library (indicated by *) is £75.00
Please also ensure you read the section on additional costs in the University’s Fees, Charges and Expenses Regulations in the University Calendar available at www.calendar.soton.ac.uk.