Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2010/11 |
EU30755: Film and international relations |
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Honours |
| Period: | This unit is available in... |
| Semester 1 |
| Assessment:
| CW 33%, ES 67% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| Before taking this unit you must take EU20428 and take EU20720 |
| Description:
| Aims: * To provide students with a thorough overview of key historical and contemporary approaches to film and politics. * To provide students with an understanding of various theories of film with reference to the problematic political meaning, contexts, and 'effects' of fiction and non-fiction film. * To provide students with an understanding of methods of reading, analysing and assessing cinema and 'documentary' forms, with reference to politics. * To provide students with key case studies. * To provide students with a clear theoretical and empirical understanding of filmic representation of international relations. * To analyse major international events, actors and institutions and their filmic representations to uncover competing narratives, assumptions and arguments characterising academic and filmic perspectives on international relations. * To critically assess scholarly debates on the filmic representation of history and politics. Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this unit will: * be able to 'read', discuss and analyse issues relating to the political meaning, implications and contexts of film; * gain a critical understanding of the way in which film has played a role in political manifestos and debates, including those relating to nations, states and international exchange; * acquire a deep understanding of how to read and interpret filmic representations of international relations; * have a good grasp and knowledge of key debates in international relations and their relationship to film narratives, forms and systems of production, distribution and reception; * acquire analytical skills to identify and critically assess competing narratives and discourses in filmic representations of key international events, actors and institutions. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of definitions and conceptual tools, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument, effective communication, teamwork and the planning/conduct/reporting of non-quantitative research are developed and assessed in this unit. Content: Lectures and seminars will cover the following main topics: * Competing narratives and approaches to international relations and their filmic representation * Case study: the UN in Rwanda: historical facts and debates, filmic representations and underlying arguments. Fiction and documentary. * Case study: the Cuban missile crisis: historical facts and filmic representation, the role of historians. Fiction and documentary biopic. * Reading film politically. * From First to Third Cinema: the clash of cinematic cultures. * Cases of film treatments of the Cold War/post Cold War eras, with special reference to American foreign policy, 'soft power' etc. * Colonialism and post-colonialism: film and documentary 'representations'/constructions. |