Module overview
This module aims to introduce you to the genre of utopian and dystopian science-fiction film, in order to examine utopian and dystopian constructions of identity in science-fiction film.
Linked modules
FILM1001 or FILM2006 or FILM1027 or FILM1020
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- use a range of secondary material
- participate productively in academic debate
- write critically, reflectively and accurately
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the relationship between the audience and the text
- appropriate critical approaches
- contemporary examples of relevant films
- the debates rehearsed in those films
- issues of representation
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- show an awareness of the significance of social and historical context;
- investigate topic boundaries, and their relationship to other disciplinary frameworks
- investigate the relationship between the films and their audiences;
- communicate ideas and arguments effectively in writing
- investigate, discuss and write analytically about specific areas studied within the module
Syllabus
We will consider a variety of science-fiction films produced from 1973 onwards, to investigate how these imagined communities contribute to a ‘cognitive mapping’ of their contemporary social sphere, a symbolic site where diverse issues can be articulated and negotiated, such as those relating to culture, science, and corporate capitalism; the revisioning of gender and race; and the negotiation of identity through cyberpunk, globalisation and the transnational. A selection of relevant films might include: Outland (1981); Blade Runner (1982); Johnny Mnemonic (1995); Gattaca (1997); Starship Troopers (1997); The Matrix (1999);
eXistenZ (1999); Minority Report (2002).
The films will be examined with attention to their socio-historical contexts, genre, modes of representation, and audience response, as well as considering approaches based on Williams, Gramsci, Jameson, and Hall.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- lectures, used to introduce key issues
- seminars to discuss ideas and concepts
- screenings of relevant films
Learning activities include
- close reading and careful analysis of films
- individual research
- presenting ideas/examples to the rest of the seminar
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Completion of assessment task | 60 |
Seminar | 10 |
Follow-up work | 20 |
Lecture | 10 |
Wider reading or practice | 19 |
Tutorial | 1 |
Preparation for scheduled sessions | 30 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Christine Cornea (2007). Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
J.P. Telotte (1995). Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Ziauddin Sardar and Sean Cubitt, (eds) (2002). Aliens R Us. London: Pluto.
Vivian Sobchack (1998). Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. London: Rutgers University Press.
Sean Redmond, (ed.) (2004). Liquid Metal. London: Wallflower.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Assessments designed to provide informal, on-module feedback
- You will be encouraged to prepare topics for seminar presentation
- You will be encouraged to discuss preparation for your formal assessments: for example, draft plans
- You will have the opportunity to seek individual advice on your work in progress by appointment with your tutor
- Guidance and advice on the preparation, completion and presentation of work will be given in class
Feedback on summative assessments will be given in writing on Film essay cover sheets. You will be given the opportunity to discuss the feedback on your essay in one-to-one tutorials.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 50% |
Essay | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 50% |
Essay | 50% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External