Feminism and Film (843P4B)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

The module begins with an exploration of the relationship between feminism, feminist theory and film theory, and feminist filmmaking.

Beginning from the assumption that feminism is first and foremost a politics, and its theories – its feminisms – must exist in that space, which Stuart Hall calls the ‘tension ... between ... political and intellectual concerns’, it traces a history, firstly of feminist film theory and criticism, and secondly of feminist film making.

In the first part, it explores issues of representation, asking what kinds of representations of women mainstream film constructs, how these representations function within wider social discourses and power structures, how film – through its representations – works to construct particular subject positions for its viewers, and how particular genres structure these positions differently through their specific play of realism, ideology and fantasy. In terms of a feminist film practice, it asks how far feminist film makers can intervene in film practices, and what such an intervention might/should look like.

In each session, a specific film text will be studied in the light of the theoretical issues raised.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 55 hours of contact time and about 245 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.