Film theory for teachers

January – April 2013

£908

Who is the course for?

The course is designed to help you teach film theory to students of 14+.

What level is it?

It’s an MA module worth 30 credits or one sixth of the MA in Culture, Media and Communication at the London University, Institute of Education.

What does it cover?

You’ll focus on one of these topics:

  • Narrative Theory
  • Audience and Spectatorship
  • Semiotics and Representation
  • Genre (Horror).

We’ll set you exercises that enable close reading of key theoretical texts from Film Studies, and help you fully grasp the ideas in them. There’s also a core unit on working with film theory in the classroom, and you’ll write an essay based on your reading.

How long is it?

The course starts on Monday 14 January 2013 and you’ll need to submit your final coursework by Tuesday 28 May 2013. It starts with a one-day seminar on Friday 18 January 2013 and a two-day seminar on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 March in London.

All run from 10am - 4pm and are held in London at BFI Southbank (Waterloo).

What is distance learning?

It’s a flexible way to learn at your own pace, fitting in around your life and work. It’s particularly good for professional development because everything you learn in this course is relevant to your career.

It’s a mixture of face-to-face teaching, a Course Book of printed materials and a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) enabling online group discussions and feedback from your tutor.

How is the course structured and assessed?

Unit 1
At the beginning of the course you’ll choose one of four subject areas to focus on and working collaboratively with other students give a group presentation at the face-to-face seminar in March. Assessment is by written assignment based on your group’s presentation.

Unit 2
You can either produce a 1,000-word scheme of work plus a 2,000-word commentary on one of the theory bundle areas, or a 3,000-word essay based on a piece of audience research.

Who tutors the course?

The course tutors are Dr. Chris Richards, Senior Lecturer in Media Arts Education, Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, Institute of Education and Dr. Kate Domaille, Asscoiate Lecturer in Education, University of Southampton / freelance Media Education Consultant.

What materials does the course include?

You’ll get a course book with activities, commentaries and course reading extracts. You’ll be able to print off, watch or listen to other course materials on the VLE.

What can I do when I finish the course?

The course will give you a good grounding in film theory. Also, you can go on to take other distance learning modules as part of the MA, or use it as evidence of Accredited Prior Learning for other film-related MA courses.

How to apply

You can apply using the UKPASS website.

Fees

The course fee is £908 for UK and EU students and £2050 for overseas students.