Film and Screen Studies University of Cambridge

Overview

The Film and Screen Studies  MPhil programme from the University of Cambridge aims:

• to give students with relevant experience at the first-degree level the opportunity to develop a historically and theoretically informed approach to the study of screen media in their cultural contexts, both in taught classes and through closely supervised individual research

• to give students the opportunity to develop a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to the study of film and screen, by exposure to the different kinds of inquiry undertaken in a variety of disciplines

• to give students the opportunity to acquire or develop skills and expertise relevant to their research interests

• to offer a course which is also designed as the first year of research towards a PhD in film and screen studies

These aims are achieved by:

• giving students the experience and guidance necessary for them to be able to formulate a feasible research proposal, and to prepare for submitting written work based on such a proposal to a clearly defined timetable

• providing a broad foundation for the proper understanding of the issues which have shaped a given field of study, and thus for a critical assessment of existing scholarship

• encouraging students to develop insights which might form the basis of an original contribution to that field of study

• developing students’ competence in bibliographical method (including the use of computer technology)

• giving students the experience of attending and contributing to a graduate research seminar, and in particular of presenting their own work and discussing the issues that arise from it with an audience of senior and junior members of the participating departments and faculties

Key facts:

By the end of the programme students will have:

• developed a deeper knowledge of the history and theory of film and screen studies in a cultural context

• developed a conceptual understanding of the debates which have shaped that field of study, and of current research methods

• acquired or consolidated skills appropriate for research in their chosen area

• demonstrated independent judgement, based on their own research

• participated effectively in seminar discussions

• learnt how to timetable independent research to produce written work of a high standard to a clearly defined deadline