The module aims to familiarise students with a corpus of post-war European films, their shared thematic resonances and intrinsic stylistic qualities. The critical approach will be facilitated through the introduction of key theoretical frameworks and analytical paradigms, which will enable students to situate film within broader social, political, and cultural contexts. By focusing on the cinematic representation of questions concerning “borders” and “identities”, the course aims to provide students with the necessary critical tools for discussing and writing about the specifics of European cinema.

• Critically investigate a body of eminent European films by situating them in a historical and comparative context.
• Use a range of analytical approaches to think and write critically about film.
• Formulate and express ideas about the distinctive features of European cinema.
• Appreciate changing cultural and political conditions together with the impact these have upon film production and subject matter.

Teaching is carried out through 20 lectures and 6 seminars. Lectures focus on single films while also introducing theories and empirical approaches to film analysis. Substantial emphasis is placed on the use of brief film clips, which are intended as an illustrative source with a view to demonstrating how theories and critical methods can be applied to the study of film. Seminar groups provide students with the opportunity to work in teams to develop and understand lecture material, to discuss and debate ideas, and to acquire the critical skills needed in essay writing. 

Intellectual Skills:

• Analyse films independently, using a range of theoretical and empirical frameworks.
• Engage critically with major intellectual debates within the field of film studies and put them to productive use.
• Understand European film cultures as they have emerged historically and appreciate the processes through which they have come into being, with reference to social, cultural and technological change.

Transferable Skills:

• Learn to process information disseminated through lectures and seminars by means of note-taking and interactive discussion.
• Learn to apply lecture and reading material independently and present it in an academically-sophisticated essay form.

The module is divided into two main thematic blocks containing a total of 8 core films. The first block focuses on the cinematic representation of the self by exploring a number of theoretical, narrative and stylistic questions, with specific attention to the ways in which film represents the relationship between identity and trauma. The second section investigates the cultural and political strategies at play in the filmic portrayal of identity shifts - whether in relation to class, gender and/or race - and border crossing to investigate a number of questions related to European identity and cinema.

Indicative Reading and Resource List:

• Aitken, I. (2002). European Film Theory and Cinema: a Critical Introduction. Indiana University Press.
• Braudy, L. (1984). The World in a Frame: What We See in Films. University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
• Braudy, L. and Cohen, M. (2004). Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. OUP.
• Corrigan, T. (2004). A short guide to writing about film. New York: Pearson/Longman.
• Dyer, R. and Vincendeau, G. (eds.) (1992). Popular European Cinema. London: Routledge.
• Elsaesser T. (2005).Europeancinema: face to face with Hollywood. Amsterdam: AUP.
• Ezra, E. (2003). European Cinema. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Easthope, A. (1993) (ed.). Contemporary film theory. London: Longman.
• Forbes, J. and Street, S. (2001). European Cinema: an Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Fowler, C. (2002). The European Cinema Reader. London: Routledge.
• Fuery, P. (2000). New developments in film theory. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
• Grant, B. K. (1986). Film genre reader. Austin: University of Texas Press.
• Hayword, S. (2000). Cinema Studies: the Key Concepts(2^nd edition). Routledge.
• Holmes D. and Smith A. (eds.) (2000) 100 years of European cinema: entertainment or ideology?Manchester: MUP.
• Kaplan, A. E. (ed.). Women in film noir. London: BFI Publishing.
• Konstantarakos, M. (2000). Spaces In European Cinema. Intellect Books.
• Lapsley, R. and Westlake, M. (1988). Film theory: an introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
• Lebeau, V. (2001). Psychoanalysis and cinema: the play of shadows. London: Wallflower.
• Mast, G., Cohen M. and Braudy, L. (1992). Filmtheoryand criticism: introductory readings. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Maule, Rosanna (2008). Beyond auteurism: new directions in authorial film practices in France, Italy and Spain since the 1980s. Bristol: Intellect.
• Mazierska, E. (2006) Crossing new Europe: postmodern travel and European cinemaLondon: Wallflower Press.
• Miller, T. and Stam, R. (eds.) (1999). A companion to film theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
• Rodowick, D. N. (1991). The difficulty of difference: psychoanalysis, sexual difference & film theory. New York: Routledge.
• Stam, R. (2000). Film Theory: an Introduction. Blackwell.
• Stam, R. (1992)  (ed). New vocabularies in film semiotics: structuralism, post-structuralism and beyond. London: Routledge.
• Vighi, F. (2009). Sexual Difference in European Cinema: the Curse of Enjoyment(London/New York: Palgrave).
• Wayne, M. (2002). The politics of contemporary European cinema: histories, borders, diasporas. Bristol: Intellect.
•  Willemen, Paul (1994). Looks and frictions: essays in cultural studies and film theory. Bloomington: Indiana University Press / London: British Film Institute.

(London/New York: Palgrave).

·         Wayne, M. (2002). The politics of contemporary European cinema: histories, borders, diasporas. Bristol: Intellect.

·         Willemen, Paul (1994). Looks and frictions: essays in cultural studies and film theory. Bloomington: Indiana University Press / London: British Film Institute.