Description:
This class treats British cinema of the past twenty-five years, with
particular emphasis on the changing social, political, and economic
environments in which the British film industry has operated during
that period. One of our aims in the course will be to identify some of
the distinctive aspects of contemporary British cinema and its
particular place in an increasingly regional and global media market.
Toward that end, we will consider the differences between films that
have succeeded for the most part domestically and those that have
achieved widespread international (and especially North American)
distribution and acclaim. We will screen some examples of the so-called
Heritage Cinema as well as films that run sharply counter to this
tendency by offering more troubled or critical images of Britain and
its history. We will pay particular attention to the documentary
tradition in the British cinema and its new engagement with
transnational and multicultural subjects.
Each student will work on a single sustained piece of scholarly
research throughout the semester, culminating in a 15-20-page essay. I
will help you get started on your research, develop a bibliography of
sources, refine a thesis, and draft and revise your essay. This will be
a chance for you to really learn a lot about a film or director or
actor or other topic that you care about, and to produce a solid,
finished piece of scholarship.
There will also be five unannounced quizzes, covering not only the
films that have been screened but also the reading assignments and
lectures. These quizzes will each count 10 percent of your grade; your
research bibliography will count another 10 percent; the first draft of
your paper will count 15 percent, and your final draft will count 25
percent.