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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
67
Film studies
COURSE CODE:
PLACES 2012:
POINTS 2011:
DEGREE AWARDED:
TR001 (TSM)
30
445*-540
B.A.
TSM points:
See page 27
Film studies cannot be studied as a single honor course.
It must be combined with one other subject within the two-
subject moderatorship (TSM) programme. TSM is a joint
honor programme. An honors degree is awarded in both
subjects.
For subjects that combine with Film studies, see page 36.
Overview
Since 2003 Trinity College has pioneered the Republic of
Ireland’s first specialist undergraduate Film studies course
leading to an honors degree. The four years of the course allow
students to sample a wide range of film movements and film
styles and to gain some experience of practical filmmaking.
Through lectures, class discussions and practical courses,
students will gain a wide knowledge of film as art, as industry,
and as creative practice. The staff in the Department of Film
Studies are experts in their fields and publish widely on areas
such as European cinemas, Hollywood cinema, Irish cinema,
film stardom, and film theory and history.
Is this the right course for you?
If you enjoy watching a wide range of films and if you are
interested in acquiring the critical tools to analyse them in
relation to questions of style, technology, society, and industry,
then this is the course for you. This course will examine film
styles and movements from cinema’s beginnings in 1895 right
up to the present day. While you will learn about practical issues
involved in film production, including how to write a script and
how to produce short videos, this course is primarily academic
and geared toward critical engagement with film.
Course content
Film studies covers the history and critical framework of film
production and consumption from the 1890s to the present
day. In the Freshman (first two) years, you will be introduced
to film theory and criticism and to a very broad range of
American, European and world cinemas. In the Sophister (final
two) years, students choose from a wide range of options.
Topics may include various national cinemas, transnational
cinemas, classical and contemporary Hollywood cinema,
genre studies, documentary theory and practice, avant-garde,
experimental, and cult cinema, film theory and criticism, cinema
and censorship, and editing. In addition, Sophister students will
complete modules in scriptwriting and digital video production.
The Freshman years
Courses taught during the Junior and Senior Freshman
(first two) years may include:
n
Film theory and criticism 1 and 2
These modules begin by studying the evolution of film as a
visual language with its own specific codes and conventions.
In the second-year students will build upon the issues raised
by Film theory and criticism 1 and further strengthen their
engagement with the subject by examining the various
approaches to reading, understanding and evaluating films
that have developed over the course of film history.
n
American cinema from the 1890s to the 1960s
This module introduces aspects of American cinema in the
first half of the 20th century by considering classical narrative
structures, important industrial developments and key generic
texts. The second part of this module introduces the student to
influential examples of film criticism that American films from
this period have generated. Film genres examined may include
the Western, the melodrama, the musical, the gangster film and
science fiction films of the 1950s.
n
European and world cinemas
These modules serve as an introduction to a variety of
national cinemas from around the world. They will examine the
relationship between nations and the cinemas that they produce,
or through which their national identities, societies and cultures
are projected. In their second year of the degree, students will
be given the opportunity for a more detailed consideration of
some of the issues raised.
n
Cinema and Ireland
This module moves from the earliest films made about Ireland,
through issues of production, representation, and censorship,
up to recent Irish filmmaking.
There are six hours of classes and six hours of screenings per
week.
The Sophister years
In the final two years of the degree course students can
choose from the wide range of optional modules available
to them. Topics covered may include aspects of Hollywood
cinema, avant-garde and experimental cinema, documentary
film, European cinemas, film music, world cinemas, genre
studies, gender and film, film theory and criticism, film style and
performance, digital filmmaking, editing and other aspects of film
practice. In addition, all Junior Sophister (third year) students are
introduced to digital video production, and will participate in joint
short film exercises. Students may wish to build on this process
with further modules in their final year. Completed student films
will shortly be made available for viewing on our website.
Assessment
Film studies is assessed by coursework and examinations. In
the Freshman years, students will also be assessed on class
presentations.