| Unit name | Italian Cinema: Genre and Social Change (TB2) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ITAL20037 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. O'Rawe |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Italian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit aims to introduce students to the study of Italian cinema through the study of the genres which compose it; genre will be used as a tool to discuss and understand processes of social change in twentieth-century Italy. Through study of particular genres, including comedy, realism and the western, the module will address issues of gender representation, the construction of the nation, and the relationship of the spectator to popular genres. Attention will also be paid to the workings of the Italian film industry, in both its national and transnational contexts.
Aims:
By the end of the unit successful students will be able to demonstrate:
1) a detailed knowledge of the films studied and an understanding of their context in Italian cinematic history;
2) a knowledge of the workings of genre, its importance as a classificatory and marketing tool and its historicity (i.e. the fact that it changes in different periods);
3) an understanding of how the films studied may be related to one another, ideologically, historically, technically or thematically;
4) an understanding of the relationship between films, genres and the processes of social change in Italy;
5) skills in the formal and thematic analyses of the individual films; with some guidance in class from the tutor on the application of this analysis in groups to selected film clips;
6) understanding of and an ability to apply a range of film-critical terminology, applying it to independently researched material as well as to material introduced by the unit tutor;
7) skills in written and video presentation, at a standard appropriate to level I;
8) skills in group working to achieve a common goal.
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous sessions and asynchronous activities, including seminars, lectures, and collaborative as well as self-directed learning opportunities supported by tutor consultation
1 x group presentation (25%) (ILOs 1-8)
1 x 2500-word essay (75%) (ILOs 1-6)
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ITAL20037).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
