Race and Ethnicity in Popular Cinema (P3053B)

30 credits, Level 6

Autumn teaching

Whilst acknowledging the socially constructed status of the terms 'race' and 'ethnicity', it is also important to appreciate the very real consequences of such categorisations for human existence. On this module, we will be exploring the position of popular and counter cinema within this process, examining the way in which it produces particular constructions of race and ethnicity whilst also considering some of the wider implications of these representations. We will consider the representation of a range of racial/ethnic groups across history and across diverse cinemas, which may include the United States, Britain and France. In doing so, we will examine the various social, cultural, political, economic, aesthetic and historical contexts in which representations of race and ethnicity have been situated, exploring the ways in which these contexts have shaped and been shaped by such representations.

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.