Postgraduate Programme Specification
MA Film
Academic Year 2022/23
A programme specification is required for any programme on which a student may be registered. All programmes of the University are subject to the University's Quality Assurance processes. All degrees are awarded by Queen's University Belfast.
Programme Title | MA Film | Final Award (exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes) |
Master of Arts | |||||||||||
Programme Code | FLM-MA-FV | UCAS Code | HECoS Code |
100441 - Film production - 100 |
ATAS Clearance Required |
No |
Health Check Required |
No |
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Portfolio Required |
-- |
Interview Required |
-- |
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Mode of Study | Full Time or Part Time | |||||||||||||
Type of Programme | Postgraduate | Length of Programme |
Full Time - 1 Academic Year Part Time - 3 Academic Years |
Total Credits for Programme | 180 | |||||||||
Exit Awards available | No |
Institute Information
Teaching Institution |
Queen's University Belfast |
School/Department |
Arts, English and Languages |
Quality Code Higher Education Credit Framework for England |
Level 7 |
Subject Benchmark Statements The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies |
Communication, media, film and cultural studies (2008) |
Accreditations (PSRB) |
|
No accreditations (PSRB) found. |
Regulation Information
Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations No |
Programme Specific Regulations N/A |
Students with protected characteristics N/A |
Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations (Please see General Regulations) No |
Educational Aims Of Programme
Within the framework of the University's Mission Statement, Film Studies aspires to be a research-driven teaching unit with an international portfolio that harnesses strategic connections and promotes an educational environment of equality, tolerance and mutual respect. The teaching specialisms and research priorities in Film reflect both its responsiveness to regional needs, and its commitment to attaining global esteem. Within this context, this MA programme integrates the critical and practice-based study of film and visual culture, and aims to:
- Deliver an innovative, intellectually robust, and flexible curriculum, in accordance with relevant QAA Benchmark Statements, reflecting the diverse field of scholarship and production practices within Film Studies at Queen's. The curriculum is informed by the research interests of staff, as well as promoting new convergences between critical and creative practice in the areas of film and visual studies
- Facilitate the study of film and visual culture through an integrated balance of practice and theory whereby practical-based modules are placed within a critical, interrogative framework and where theory-based modules can inform creative practice
- Attract students from regional, national and international environments through an appropriate range of entry routes, and to provide them with the best possible learning and teaching experience
- Provide all students with the widest possible opportunity to pursue and extend their knowledge and understanding of film and visual culture through a variety of learning methods
- Enable students to develop advanced critical, analytical and technical skills, as well as their creative potential; to improve their self-confidence, powers of concentration, understanding of group dynamics, and communication skills through a variety of oral, written, visual and practice-based media
- Introduce new areas of teaching and implement innovative pedagogical techniques and technologies in response to advances in scholarship, technology, and educational research, student feedback, as well as the interests and aptitudes of staff members
- Provide a supportive and stimulating learning environment that enables learners with a variety of entrance qualifications to fulfil their potential and develop their capacity for motivated independent learning
- Provide appropriate learning resources, including suitable production facilities and to supplement library provision by effectively utilising modes of online learning
- Foster mutually beneficial partnerships with the film industry and training programmes to facilitate applied learning
- Enrich students' learning experience by exploring possible interdisciplinary linkages /collaborations with other subject areas within the School
- Embed a diverse range of generic and transferable skills in our pathways, and thus prepare students for a variety of academic and professional careers
- Provide a range of opportunities to apply theory in the context of screen and lens-based production
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes: Cognitive SkillsOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
|
Demonstrate a keen critical awareness of the main research methods used to collect and analyse data |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study; resource-based learning, including library work and attendance at screenings, workshops, and research seminars. Methods of Assessment Key assessment methods focus on project work and essays submitted to a deadline. |
Understand the relations between practice and theory in the discipline |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Tutor and self-directed study, tutorial/workshop discussion, resource-based learning, attendance at post-screening discussions, meetings with industry professionals/industry workshops Methods of Assessment Individual and group tutorial presentations, learning journals, reflective essays |
Analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse and their effects on representation in the arts, media and public life |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study Methods of Assessment Individual interviews and essays, written assignments and exercises |
Think reflexively and independently |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Classroom discussion and online interactions Methods of Assessment Edited commentaries on learning journals |
Understand group dynamics and implement them in practical contexts |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Group work in film production and classroom presentations Methods of Assessment Assessed group presentations and films/visual works |
Learning Outcomes: Transferable SkillsOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
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Demonstrate critical, analytical skills in film practice and criticism |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study; resource-based learning, including library and production studio work and attendance at screenings and relevant public events; on-line teaching methods. Methods of Assessment Key assessment methods include practice-based projects and essays and exercises submitted to a deadline and a dissertation. |
Demonstrate creative and imaginative skills as shown through the realisation of practical projects |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Resource-based learning, including library work and attendance at screenings Methods of Assessment Continuously assessed individual and group presentations |
Communicate in a variety of oral, written and visual media |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Online teaching methods Methods of Assessment Summative group presentations |
Develop ideas and construct arguments and present them in appropriate ways |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Workshops and production meetings/filming Methods of Assessment Individual presentations |
Handle creative, personal and interpersonal issues |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Group work in filmmaking and classroom presentations Methods of Assessment Participation and engagement |
Negotiate and pursue goals with others |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Group work in filmmaking and classroom presentations Methods of Assessment Assessed group presentations and film productions |
Manage personal workloads and meet deadlines |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Assigned essays, exercises and presentations with hard deadlines Methods of Assessment Assigned essays, exercises and presentations with deadlines |
Produce written work with appropriate conventions |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Essays marked for grammar, presentation, and content Methods of Assessment Essays submitted to a deadline |
Demonstrate information retrieval skills, involving the ability to gather, sift, synthesise and organise material independently and critically evaluate its significance |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Assigned essays and presentations Methods of Assessment Assigned essays and presentations |
Demonstrate information technology skills such as word processing, electronic mail, and accessing electronic data |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Assigned essays and presentations, communication with lecturer and other students Methods of Assessment Assigned essays and presentations |
Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & UnderstandingOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
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Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of film theory and practice; historical and contemporary contexts of production, exhibition, and critical reception of the cinema |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies This is an integrated programme, with a close inter-relationship between theory and practice. The statement of teaching and assessment methods indicates a broad correlation with different learning outcomes, but there is necessary overlap between different areas of learning. Methods of Assessment Essays/exercises submitted to a deadline |
Demonstrate an understanding of how to analyse and discuss the conventions and practices involved in producing a short film |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Attendance at screenings and workshops Methods of Assessment Individual Interviews and marked essays |
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of contemporary technologies and their relationship to film and media arts production and scholarship. |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Resource-based learning, including library work, DVD and other recordings and online resources Methods of Assessment Individual presentations and marked essays |
Learning Outcomes: Subject SpecificOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
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Demonstrate a high level of specific skills including the reading, analysis, documenting and/or interpreting of film images; a wide range of processes in the creation of original work. |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study. Methods of Assessment Key assessment methods focus on project work and essays submitted to a deadline. |
Demonstrate a wide knowledge and understanding of regional, national and world film production and the cultures and societies from which these practices have arisen, including an understanding of: the histories, forms and traditions of cinema and theoretical explanations of those histories; historical and contemporary contexts of production, circulation and reception of film; the work of key practitioners and theorists; traditional and contemporary critical perspectives on film; and a developed understanding of the processes by which cinema is created, realised and managed informed by practical experience. |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Essays submitted to a deadline |
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of contemporary technologies and their relationship to film, and media arts, scholarship. |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Resource-based learning, including library work, DVD and other recordings Methods of Assessment Individual presentations and marked essays |
Demonstrate an understanding of how to analyse and discuss the conventions and practices involved in producing different forms and genres of film |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Attendance at screenings, and seminars/workshops Methods of Assessment Individual Interviews and marked essays |
Demonstrate a high level of specific skills including advanced audio-visual literacy, modes of film production, reception, and criticism |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study Methods of Assessment Individual and group assessments, exercises, and presentations |
Understand, evaluate, document and/or interpret |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Online teaching methods Methods of Assessment Practice-based exercises, assignments/exercises |
Demonstrate the film production skills necessary to communicate to/with an audience |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Workshops and screenings Methods of Assessment Participation and engagement |
Participate in processes in the creation of original work |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Contact with industry professionals in all relevant specialisms (eg editors, camera operators, directors, screenwriters, critics) Methods of Assessment Edited commentaries on learning logs |
Understand the interplay between the filmmaker’s conscious and subconscious resources in the realisation of a film production |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Seminar discussion and industry workshops Methods of Assessment Contributions to learning logs and online forums; assessed essays |
Understand production and postproduction filmmaking processes and forms (eg. studio-based, location, documentary, fictional, etc.). |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Workshops and screenings Methods of Assessment Assessed group/individual production work |
Module Information
Stages and Modules
Module Title | Module Code | Level/ stage | Credits | Availability |
Duration | Pre-requisite | Assessment |
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S1 | S2 | Core | Option | Coursework % | Practical % | Examination % | ||||||
Censorship, Regulation and Audiences | FLM7017 | 7 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Research Skills in Film I | FLM7018 | 7 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 60% | 40% | 0% |
Research Skills in Film II | FLM7019 | 7 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Avant-Garde and Experimental Filmmaking | FLM7016 | 7 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 40% | 60% | 0% |
Political Cinema: Conflict and Form | FLM7012 | 7 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Screenwriting | FLM7010 | 7 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Film Practice | FLM7008 | 7 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 40% | 60% | 0% |
Film Industries and Digital Cultures | FLM7013 | 7 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Dissertation | FLM7005 | 7 | 60 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Notes
Students are required to pass taught modules equivalent to 120 CATS points before proceeding to the Dissertation. Students who fail one or more taught modules are permitted one further attempt to pass the module at the next available opportunity for a maximum mark of 50%.
An electronic copy of the Dissertation must be submitted by 15 September for full-time students or part-time students completing the degree in 2 years. An electronic copy of the dissertation must be submitted by 1 May (of their third year) following completion of taught modules for part-time students completing the degree in 3 years.
Students will be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Film if they fail to achieve a mark of at least 50% in the Dissertation or do not submit a Dissertation.
Students may exit with a 60 credit Postgraduate Certificate if they fail to achieve a pass mark in 6 taught modules but pass FLM7018 plus 2 optional modules