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BA Drama and Film Studies

Academic Year 2018/19

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

BA Drama and Film Studies

Final Award
(exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes)

Bachelor of Arts

Programme Code

DRA-BA-JS

UCAS Code

WW46

HECoS Code

100069

ATAS Clearance Required

No

Mode of Study

Full Time

Type of Programme

Joint Honours Single

Length of Programme

3 Academic Year(s)

Total Credits for Programme

120

Exit Awards available

INSTITUTE INFORMATION

Teaching Institution

Queen's University Belfast

School/Department

Arts, English and Languages

Framework for Higher Education Qualification Level 
www.qaa.ac.uk

Level 6

QAA Benchmark Group
www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements

Communication, media, film and cultural studies (2008)

Accreditations (PSRB)

REGULATION INFORMATION

Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations
(Please see General Regulations)

None

Programme Specific Regulations

Students will be notified each academic year of the optional modules being offered in the following academic year. Students are advised that not all optional modules will necessarily be offered in each academic year. Also, the delivery of a module may be subject to a minimum number of enrolments as well as unforeseen circumstances (eg illness of a member of staff). The range and content of optional modules will change over time as degree programmes develop and students' choice of optional modules may also be limited due to timetabling constraints.

Students with protected characteristics

N/A

Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations

(Please see General Regulations)

No

EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF PROGRAMME

The Joint Programme in Drama and Film Studies is designed to provide students with:

* An intellectual training in the separate and overlapping disciplines of Drama and Film Studies which, while discrete subjects, are also complementary and mutually enriching;
* A discipline-specific perspective enabling the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the inter-relationship between texts and contexts, a familiarity with debates surrounding culture and identity, both individual and communal, and skills in synthesising and developing ideas and arguments from diverse literary, performative, contemporary sources and visual literacy;
* A range of skills, which together foster the ability to practise self-motivated learning and increase the capacity to undertake independent learning in a progressive way.

Together, these subjects equip individuals with the ability to:

* Think critically, process and understand complex information and to present it in a variety of written and oral forms, including through performance;
* Evaluate primary and secondary sources;
* Interpret a variety of types of data and information;
* Pursue independent learning;
* Work well in groups and formulate arguments.

Furthermore, students benefit from a multi-disciplinary education, which gives them a large skill set and opens a wide range of career options following graduation.

The curricula will be delivered in accordance with the national Drama and Film Studies benchmarking statements, which reflect the chronological, cultural, and generic diversity of Film critical theory, drawing, where applicable, on the unique character of Northern Ireland, and taking advantage of a variety of critical and pedagogical approaches.

More generally, the Joint Programme in Drama and Film Studies aims to:

* Attract students from local, national, and international contexts, through a variety of entry routes, and deliver the best possible learning and teaching experience in an environment of equality, tolerance, and mutual respect;
* Provide students with the necessary intellectual, practical, and key skills to enable them to develop as independent, reflective lifelong learners and able employees;
* Develop a broad context for future employment, in which graduates appreciate the continuing value of an education in these two disciplines.

The programme will thereby foster an atmosphere of intellectual inquiry in each discipline, by offering modules, which encourage a stimulating interchange of ideas.

• An intellectual training in the separate and overlapping disciplines of Drama and Film Studies which, while discrete subjects, are also complementary and mutually enriching;

• A discipline-specific perspective enabling the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the inter-relationship between texts and contexts, a familiarity with debates surrounding culture and identity, both individual and communal, and skills in synthesising and developing ideas and arguments from diverse literary, performative, contemporary sources and visual literacy;

• A range of skills, which together foster the ability to practise self-motivated learning and increase the capacity to undertake independent learning in a progressive way.

Together, these subjects equip individuals with the ability to:

• Think critically, process and understand complex information and to present it in a variety of written and oral forms, including through performance

• Evaluate primary and secondary sources;

• Interpret a variety of types of data and information;

• Pursue independent learning;

• Work well in groups and formulate arguments.

Furthermore, students benefit from a multi-disciplinary education, which gives them a large skill set and opens a wide range of career options following graduation.

The curricula will be delivered in accordance with the national Drama and Film Studies benchmarking statements, which reflect the chronological, cultural, and generic diversity of Film critical theory, drawing, where applicable, on the unique character of Northern Ireland, and taking advantage of a variety of critical and pedagogical approaches.

More generally, the Joint Programme in Drama and Film Studies aims to:

• Attract students from local, national, and international contexts, through a variety of entry routes, and deliver the best possible learning and teaching experience in an environment of equality, tolerance, and mutual respect;

• Provide students with the necessary intellectual, practical, and key skills to enable them to develop as independent, reflective lifelong learners and able employees;

• Develop a broad context for future employment, in which graduates appreciate the continuing value of an education in these two disciplines.

The programme will thereby foster an atmosphere of intellectual inquiry in each discipline, by offering modules, which encourage a stimulating interchange of ideas.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate 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

Methods of Assessment

Essays submitted to a deadline

Understand the interplay between practice and theory in the discipline

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Resource-based learning, including library work and attendance at performances, workshops and rehearsals

Methods of Assessment

Individual presentations

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

Think reflexively and independently

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Classroom discussion and online interactions

Methods of Assessment

Edited commentaries on learning logs

Understand group dynamics and implement them in practical contexts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Group work in performance and classroom presentations

Methods of Assessment

Assessed group presentations and performances

Engage with and interpret layers of meaning within film and critical texts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

A sensitivity to layers of meaning within film and related critical texts is developed in all Film Studies modules. Discussion in class is devoted to interpreting and analysis of image making strategies in relation to their aesthetic and formal qualities, historical and cultural contexts, and implications for practical work.

Methods of Assessment

Written exercises, both formative and summative, such as long and short essays.

Contextualise from a variety of perspectives

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Screenings of film work and independent research on film history.

Methods of Assessment

Written exercises, both formative and summative, such as long and short essays, segmental analysis, log-books and/or other exercises test the students’ ability to engage with, interpret, and contextualise image making strategies and critical content.

Demonstrate a capacity for critical reflection and judgment in the light of evidence and argument

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

In many modules, students give informal presentations on specific films, film segments, and key concepts within Film Studies. Moreover, they are encouraged to refer to films and film scholarship in order to form their own judgment and evaluation of the film or critical concept in question.

Methods of Assessment

Written exercises, both formative and summative, such as long and short essays, segmental analysis, log-books and/or other exercises test the students’ ability to engage with, interpret, and contextualise image making strategies and critical content.

Work autonomously, manifested in self-direction, objective-setting, prioritising, self-discipline and time management

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are given a number of deadlines to which they are expected to work; thereby, they learn to prioritise assignments and projects, objectives, and activities generally.

Methods of Assessment

Working to deadlines to produce new written and practical film work.

Understand complex tasks and present appropriate solutions in written, oral and visual form

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

These skills are introduced in the first year of study, nurtured and commented upon at meetings with the students’ tutor, with guidance as to the direction of their studies and with a view to increasing the amount of autonomous learning, which the student undertakes. Advisers of Studies also contribute to this process, though in a more general fashion, in the wider context of the subject and in the sense in which it forms a component of the degree pathways followed by the student.

Methods of Assessment

In class presentation; production of Film Work in various forms; in class critiques and formative feedback sessions.

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate critical, analytical and physical skills

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Specific teaching methods include tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study

Methods of Assessment

Essays submitted to a deadline

Demonstrate creative and imaginative skills as shown through the realisation of practical research projects

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Resource-based learning, including library work and attendance at performances

Methods of Assessment

Continuously assessed group presentations

Communicate in a variety of oral, written, visual and performance media

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Online teaching methods

Methods of Assessment

Summative group presentations

Sustain concentration and focus for extended periods

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Workshops and rehearsals

Methods of Assessment

Individual presentations

Show an awareness of inter-disciplinary approaches to study, and the capacity to engage with different theories or paradigms of knowledge

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Contact with working professionals in all relevant specialisms (eg actors, director, designers, lighting designers, critics)

Methods of Assessment

Individual interviews

Develop ideas and construct arguments and present them in appropriate ways

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Practical performance, participation as appropriate in the process from initial research to engagement with an audience

Methods of Assessment

Scene-work and performance

Handle creative, personal and interpersonal issues

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Group work in performance and classroom presentations

Methods of Assessment

Participation and engagement

Negotiate and pursue goals with others

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Group work in performance and classroom presentations work in particular promotes good communication and team building skills. Working creatively, students have to create new and original work

Methods of Assessment

Assessed group presentations and performances

Manage personal workloads and meet deadlines

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Assigned essays and presentations with hard deadlines

Methods of Assessment

Assigned essays and presentations with hard 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, interactive internet forums with required student interaction, communication with lecturer and other students

Methods of Assessment

Assigned essays and presentations, marked contributions to internet forums

Present knowledge and demonstrate expertise in a coherent, effective and meaningful form

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Individual and group presentations; seminars offer a variety of tutor-led and student-led learning opportunities as well as a more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information.

Methods of Assessment

Group presentations are used to encourage students to pursue their own interests and develop their understanding of a topic.

Use libraries and online resources

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

In the first year, students are introduced to the Main Library and given a tour of the stacks. There are introductory sessions on how to use the Library’s online catalogues. Students’ use of online resources is currently being developed, as are the resources themselves.

Methods of Assessment

Writing skills tutorials and lectures develop essay-writing on stylistic, rhetorical and bibliographical levels. The ability to source and collate information is assessed through the marking system for essays written as coursework.

Write and think effectively under pressure and meet deadlines

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The modules are in general demanding, and students learn early on how to write and think under pressure, as well as how to meet deadlines. Guidance is given in the form of advice in tutorial meetings, and also on an ad hoc basis in the classes, where the tutor responds to individual as well as collective requests for guidance and advice.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment is by a variety of traditional and innovative methods, including timed unseen written examinations, data analysis, essays, critical book/article reviews, portfolios, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions. Assessment methods vary in accordance with the specific learning outcomes of particular modules as detailed below and as set out in the individual module descriptions

Communicate and interact effectively

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The core activity of film production in all its forms requires teamwork and good communication skills.

Methods of Assessment

Working in groups and following the production cycle of making a film.

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate a wide knowledge and understanding of local and international drama and theatre practice and the cultures and societies from which this has arisen, including an understanding of:
• the histories, forms and traditions of performance and theoretical explanations of those histories;
• historical and contemporary contexts of production, circulation and reception of performance;
• the work of key practitioners and theorists; traditional and contemporary critical perspectives on performance;
• the processes by which performance 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 drama, theatre, performance, and academic research.

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 and performing dramatic work on stage

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Attendance at performances

Methods of Assessment

Individual Interviews and marked essays

Understand the aesthetic and formal qualities of film and visual art and their relation to meanings in particular cultural forms and contexts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, screenings, seminars, practical workshops; tutorials, group and individual project work, open and resource-based learning, multi-media and new media learning.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment methods in the programme aim to encourage the following:
(a) subject knowledge and awareness of the contexts of that knowledge
(b) critical analysis of image making structures and an ability to engage in relevant critical debates through discursive argument
(c) skills of written and oral presentation and critical enquiry
(d) the use of technological systems for accessing relevant resources, and media production skills and creativity
(e) an ability to respond productively to self-assessment and tutorial feedback
Assessment strategies are drawn from amongst the following: essays and exercises; examinations; individual presentations (both oral and technology-based); logbooks and/or portfolios, research exercises; critical self-evaluation; creative practice within both an individual and group context; tasks aimed at the assessment of film making skills.

Demonstrate an insight into the cultural and social ways in which aesthetic judgements are constructed and aesthetic processes experienced

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Large and small group and individual learning and teaching situations; tutor-led, student-led and independent learning sessions.

Methods of Assessment

Assigned written essays.

Show an awareness of a wide range of visual techniques, cultures and modes of reception

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The programme’s learning and teaching strategies are designed to consolidate and enhance the following skills; subject-knowledge acquisition, analysis and critical evaluation; use of a range of technology systems for accessing resources, literature, and for the acquisition of production skills.

Methods of Assessment

Practice classes use a range of assessments which include but are not limited to short film production, documentary film, experimental film, video essays, editing projects, screenwriting, cinematography exercises and other forms of moving image media outputs.

Understand the visual, verbal and audio conventions through which images, words and sounds make meaning in film

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Knowledge and understanding are developed through lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars (many of which will be enhanced by learning aids such as handouts, and key readings available online through Queen’s Online) and through the assessment and feedback process.
Lectures and tutorials together provide knowledge and the opportunity to discuss, evaluate and apply that knowledge to texts.
Seminars offer the more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information.
Extensive background reading is required throughout the pathway, developing students’ specialist knowledge of particular genres and periods of cinema, filmmaking and literature in addition to a broad base of knowledge about literary and cinematic history.

Workshops are led by both specialist practice staff and industry tutors to explore best practice in film production, in a connected and integrated way to the rest of the programme.

Methods of Assessment

A range of assessment methods ensures that these skills are evaluated in different ways.
Formative written work assists the development of understanding, critical judgment, and independent thought, both through the feedback given, and through the process of writing itself.
Examinations, essays, seminar presentations and Film project work require that students demonstrate technical skills appropriate to level, coverage of material, appropriate methods of textual and critical analysis, the ability to discriminate between arguments, and the ability to form an independent argument. The ability also to create original creative outputs is assessed and informed by historical and critical understandings of the discipline.

Demonstrate an understanding of professional practices and traditions, and of the possibilities and constraints involved in film and visual art processes

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

A substantial aspect of the learning in Film Studies is through practical work. The experiential learning involved with film production has a number of core benefits. These include the development of realistic and pragmatic understandings of the challenges involved with film production. The ability to develop crucial technical skills to empower creativity; a profound and thorough understanding of the parlance of production, which leads to greater insight and ability to articulate craft processes and action in close analysis and lastly these skills enhance employability.

Methods of Assessment

Screening and exhibition of film outputs. The production of short film and documentary to a high level. Completion of technical training in non-linear editing. Screenwriting and project development skills. Pitching and conveying creative projects to assessed panels and in presentations.

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate a high level of specific skills including the reading of written texts and how to effect transitions from page to stage

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Tutor-led, student-led, self-directed study

Methods of Assessment

Continuously assessed group presentations

Engage critically with creative practitioners, theorists, and be able to debate and apply these strategies within a subject discourse

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, screenings, seminars, practical workshops; tutorials, group and individual project work, open and resource-based learning, multi-media and new media learning.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment methods in the programme aim to encourage the following:
(a) high quality of subject knowledge and awareness of the contexts of that knowledge
(b) critical analysis of image making structures and an ability to engage in relevant critical debates through discursive argument
(c) skills of written and oral investigation and enquiry, the use of technological systems for accessing relevant resources, and media production skills and creativity
(d) critical reflection on issues of practice and the ability to respond productively to self-assessment and tutorial feedback

Assessment strategies are drawn from amongst the following: essays and exercises; examinations; individual presentations (both oral and technology-based); logbooks and/or portfolios; research exercises; critical self-evaluation; creative practice within both an individual and group context; tasks aimed at the assessment of film making skills.

Understand film forms and their historical precedents

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Large and small group and individual learning and teaching situations; tutor-led, student-led and independent learning sessions.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment is by a variety of traditional and innovative methods, including timed unseen written examinations, data analysis, essays, critical film/article reviews, portfolios, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions.

Analyse, interpret, and exercise critical judgement in the understanding of the subject area studied

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The programme’s learning and teaching strategies are designed to consolidate and enhance the following skills; subject-knowledge acquisition, analysis and critical evaluation; use of a range of technology systems for accessing resources, literature, and for the acquisition of production skills.

Methods of Assessment

Essays and exercises; examinations; individual presentations (both oral and technology-based); logbooks and/or portfolios; research exercises; critical self-evaluation; creative practice within both an individual and group context; tasks aimed at the assessment of film making skills.

Put to use a range of IT skills from basic competences such as word processing to more complex skills using multimedia, and develop proficiencies in utilising a range of image making technologies

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Industry standard software instruction is embedding in coursework. This empowers students to take external examinations in video and audio editing to an advanced level in film and television.

Methods of Assessment

Video essay and editing exams, Editing of film projects, documentaries. Advanced post production techniques such as picture grading and colour management softwares.

Read, analyse, document and/or interpret performance

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Online teaching methods

Methods of Assessment

Scene-work and performance

Demonstrate the performance and production skills necessary to communicate to/with an audience

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Workshops and rehearsals

Methods of Assessment

Participation and engagement

Participate in group processes in the creation of original work

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Contact with working professionals in all relevant specialisms (eg actors, director, designers, lighting designers, critics)

Methods of Assessment

Edited commentaries on learning logs

Understand the interplay between the performers’ conscious and subconscious resources in the realisation of performance

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Assigned readings for classroom discussion

Methods of Assessment

Contributions to learning logs and online forums; assessed essays

Understand processes by which performance is created, realised, and managed, such as the processes of rehearsal, writing, scoring, devising, scenography, improvisation, choreography, performer training techniques, and production arts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Workshops and rehearsals; performances

Methods of Assessment

Assessed performances

MODULE INFORMATION

Stages and Modules

Module Title

Module Code

Level/ stage

Credits

Availability

Duration

Pre-requisite

Assessment
S1 S2 Core Option Coursework % Practical % Examination %
Film Authorship FLM3007 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Dissertation DRA3025 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Postconflict Drama: Performing the NI Peace Process DRA3042 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Theory and Practice of Adaptation DRA3056 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Drama, Health and Social Care DRA3057 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Film and Music: Theory and Criticism FLM3024 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Dance Theatre DRA3060 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Cinema and Postmodernism FLM3031 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
The Theatre of Brian Friel DRA3010 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Performing the Classics DRA3061 3 20 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Work-based Learning AEL3001 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%

Notes

Level 3: Students take any three DRA/AEL modules and any three FLM modules at L3, provided that they balance their workload across the year.