BA Film and English Studies

This programme brings together innovative approaches from Film Studies and English Studies, drawing on a range of critical tools vital for the analysis of texts, histories and institutions relevant to both disciplines, and placing them within broader social and cultural contexts.
There is a strong emphasis on British cinema and television in modules offered by the School of Film, Television and Media Studies, in addition to the opportunity to study the wider world of films, television and filmmaking. The English Studies component offers lots of choice, drawing on expertise in literature, creative writing and drama. You can also choose to engage in some creative and production work as part of your studies, with a wide range of modules offered in creative writing and performance by the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing and further modules in the School of Film, Television and Media Studies dealing with screenwriting and film and television production.
While there are certain fixed points during the course, and certain minimum requirements, there is also a great deal of flexibility allowing you to create your own pathways, in consultation with your personal tutor. You may also choose to specialise in particular aspects of either subject. Thus, if you have a special interest in British cinema or television, then you can opt to do a range of increasingly specialised modules in these areas during your degree course. Or, you may prefer to build into your course an emphasis on Shakespearean studies, on women's studies, or on theories of representation in literature and film. This list by no means exhausts the possibilities! While there is a generous range of options in film and television history, theory and criticism, and in film and video production, there is also an extensive range of options in English Studies.
School of Film, Television and Media Studies degrees make use of a wide range of learning technologies, with film screenings provided for many modules, as well as innovative assessments that use blogs, twitter, online discussions and other new forms technology, in addition to hands-on modules where students can learn to use filmmaking equipment. The School also has a close relationship with the East Anglian Film Archive, a large local archive of high quality audio-visual materials.
The School uses research-led teaching, which means we encourage you to explore your own interests wherever possible, going from set work in the first year, to guided project work on many second year modules, to more independent research projects in the final year. Many of our modules deal with British cinema and television, particularly British Cinema and the Past, British Cinema since 1990, Film Authorship, Women in British Cinema, Selling Spectacle and Celebrity. From within the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing too, there are a large number of modules is on contemporary popular literature, period literature and history, a wide range creative writing options across Years 2 and 3 including poetry, writing for journalism and prose fiction and other modules specifically about English dramaturgy, such as Early English Drama, complementing and expanding student learning in Film Studies. Other modules aimed at broadening student horizons are also available within and beyond the School, including a range of modules relating to television, world cinema and gender studies.