The Keele Film Studies Student and Employability
The Film Studies degree programme is multi-vocational in that it provides students with the
knowledge, competences and skills to pursue postgraduate study and / or a variety of careers.
Career pathways can be discipline specific, skills specific or can derive from the graduate
attributes developed through the study of Fil. Film Studies at Keele has certain crucial
advantages over other Film programmes elsewhere, primarily because it is part of a dualhonours system that permits cross-over of interest between subjects, as well as the analysis of
one area of study using the thinking styles drawn from another. Moreover, because of the
great flexibility within this dual honours system the students of Film at Keele can tailor their
course to match their own unique interest and attributes. The advantages accruing to our
students from this dual approach are discernible, since possession of a dual-honours degree
including Film Studies can prove a very valuable asset in the job market and will promote our
students’ ability to secure a graduate-level job above those of their competitors.
At Keele we have devised an fascinating Film Studies programme which demonstrates the
variety of our specialisms but also gives students the graduate capabilities that will be
needed, and will prepare students for life after undergraduate study. Some of these key
capabilities are fostered by specific compulsory core modules, while others are represented
across the range of our a large selection of electives. This document provides clear guidance
about which skills and attributes will be available via the Film Studies programme. This is
intended to assist you in being aware of, and managing your progress through, both personal
and career development. You can use this information to track your learning and
achievements, and make best use of the opportunities open to you. Employers may want to
know what skills you have gained, when, where and by what means. What follows will help
you to recognise and highlight your skills and aptitudes to best effect.
Full engagement with the undergraduate Film Studies programme at Keele will give you the
chance to develop:
1. An open and questioning approach to ideas, demonstrating curiosity, independence of
thought and the ability to appreciate a range of perspectives on human experience as
represent in filmic form from a variety of periods and cultures.
2. An appreciation of the development and value of both film and the study of film,
awareness of key contexts, links with other subject areas (both cognate, literary and social
science disciplines, and tangential or complementary studies in science or medicine), plus an
awareness of the provisional and dynamic nature of knowledge.
3. Information literacy: the ability to locate, evaluate and synthesise large amounts of
frequently-conflicting information, ideas, data, images and representations.
4. The ability to address important questions about filmic processes and developments, using
a range of different approaches and techniques to determine appropriate ways to analyse
information and solve problems.
5. An appreciation of the social, environmental and global implications of your studies in
Film, including recognition of ethical implications.
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6. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively in written, verbal and presentational
forms for different purposes.
7. The knowledge, skills, self-confidence and awareness actively to pursue your future goals.
8. The ability and motivation to participate responsibly and collaboratively as an active
citizen in the communities in which you live and work.
9. A professional and reflective approach, including qualities of leadership, responsibility,
personal integrity, empathy, care and respect for others, accountability and self-regulation.
10. The flexibility to thrive in rapidly-changing and uncertain external environments and to
update skills and knowledge as circumstances require.
How are these capabilities realised?
1 and 2: We will guide you to study the development and changing nature of both film and
the discipline of Film Studies, and offer you different approaches for recognising and
understanding key aspects in the development of film, including technical issues, aspects of
representation, genre, the film industry, and the interconnections between film, history and
society. The range of modules you choose, and the different scholars who act as your tutors,
will demonstrate the diversity, dynamism and intellectual excitement of the subject. You will
also come to appreciate the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of representation and the
knowledge about representation. The assessments you undertake help to develop your
intellectual skills including reasoning, argument, creativity, analysis, evaluation and
synthesis. In your final year, by writing a dissertation, you will become a full practitioner of
Film Studies by applying your skills to a specific body of film.
3: In first-year seminar, lecture and film viewing settings you will be encouraged to identify
and retrieve relevant information using print, online and filmic technologies, to watch and
read widely, to make sense of different (sometimes conflicting) theories and findings, and to
critically assess this information. Critical reading and viewing do not require you to
undermine or dismiss established work, but rather to question their integrity and value at
every opportunity. This is a skill which needs practice, and you will become more adept as a
critical viewer and reader over the three years of your undergraduate study. Your use and
development of representational and information literacy will be tested in essays,
examinations, on-line assessments, individual and group presentations, filmic analysis, and
(in your third year) in the dissertation.
4: Film Studies modules offer an array of study methods, typically via exposure to different
genres of film and writing about film, as well as the styles of analysis all these demand. This
will involve a variety of methods of inquiry to provide potential explanations of human
experience as it is represented in cinema from a range of periods and cultures. In our
compulsory first and second-year modules you will be introduced to a series of
methodologies for filmic analysis, and you will have the opportunity to specialise. In the
third year the dissertation module requires you to select, hone and practice a methodology to
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produce a sustained and extended analysis under the specialist supervision of an appropriate
member of staff.
5: The appreciation of the social, environmental and global implications of your studies in
Film, including recognition of ethical implications is achieved in a variety of ways. From the
first modules onwards students are encouraged, firstly to see how representation is achieved
through specific techniques, but also to evaluate the purposes and meanings of these
representations. As the course develops, alongside a deepening appreciation of the role of
film and film-makers in recent human history, you will increasingly be exposed to
understandings about ideologies around identity, gender, sexuality and ethnicity. Alongside
these specific issues, all tutors in Film Studies emphasise the value of assessing film events in
context, whilst also recognising and highlighting the ongoing implications of change. Work
for the dissertation module requires reflection and potentially negotiation of the ethical issues
surrounding research involving live subjects, or on filmic materials of a sensitive nature.
6: Film Studies is assessed via a range of genres including essays, examinations, other written
work, on-line tests, and presentations. In this way, training in written and spoken
communication skills is embedded in the programme. Opportunities to speak are most
prominent in seminars. In first-year seminar groups you will gain early experience of
communicating information, and positing questions, by making presentations to the group,
and by taking part in group discussions. In your second year you will be participating more
confidently in such presentations and discussions. At all levels you will be offered extended
experience in making formal presentations.
Opportunities to practice writing in clear, fluent and persuasive prose are present in every
module. There will be feedback, both written and face-to-face for every piece of written
assessment across all Film Studies modules. The combination of written and oral feedback
invites you to reflect on the assessment experience, self-monitor and implement appropriate
measures to improve at the next assessment opportunity. This process is valuable for
students of all abilities and levels of achievement.
7: Events arising from our collaboration with the Keele careers service demonstrate the
range of discipline-specific and skills-specific careers, in addition to generic opportunities for
graduates in Film Studies. A proportion of our graduates will train as teachers, but others are
drawn to alternative, discipline-specific employment, such as the film industry itself in a
variety of roles, work in other forms of the media, including television and journalism, and
publishing. Skills-specific employment emerges from your development as a writer, a
speaker and a critical thinker. Accomplishment in these areas is recognised and valued by
local and national government, the media, and the communications industry.
Students tend to be uncertain about their career goals in the earlier part of their undergraduate
experience. There is something to be said for flexibility of thought, and a willingness to
consider a number of options, but it is also a good idea to think about career choices as soon
as possible. You can make use of Personal Development Planning (PDP) to help you with
this task. PDP allows you to track your achievements and recognise the control you can exert
over your personal and career development. Reflection is a key part of this process, whereby
you consider your strengths and weaknesses, look back on experiences (both positive and
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negative) and learn from them. We also encourage you to take responsibility for your own
learning; we will help you to develop attitudes advantageous for lifelong learning, enabling
you to work independently and with an outlook encouraging continued learning for career
success.
8 and 9: An appreciation of the role and impact of film among the residents, immigrants and
emigrants of any community is a vital component of citizenship (whether tested formally, or
practiced informally). The content of film and the study of film inherently foster these
attributes but the practice of Film Studies is also geared towards active citizenship and
personal responsibility.
In all the modules you take you will work in groups, both within classes and in the
preparation and delivery of presentations. You will be guided to participate collaboratively,
and have the opportunity to develop key professional attributes in respect of leadership,
accountability and care for others. In your second year, if you choose to study abroad, you
will participate in this alternative learning context as a responsible representative of Film
Studies and of Keele. You can also enhance your opportunities to interact in a mature,
collaborative fashion if you offer to help support Film Studies staff on open and visit days for
prospective students, or via the Staff-Student Liaison Committee.
10: The nature of research-led teaching in Film Studies means that you will observe the
continual process by which film changes, as well as how knowledge about film is updated
and refined. Study at years one and two will illustrate this via the shifting emphasis of
secondary readings and the active inclusion of tutors’ research findings in all learning
scenarios. In particular, our final-year dissertation will require you to incorporate the
provisional and ambiguous aspects of filmic information in your own work. You will need
good time-management and flexible thinking to define a suitable research project, search for
relevant materials and react appropriately to your findings (which may be unexpected),
adapting your project in consequence. Support from your supervisor will enable you to get
the most out of your work. Discussions with your supervisor over the course of your third
year will help you to determine an appropriate balance in your work between independent
endeavour and seeking guidance.
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Top tips for making the most of your experience in Film Studies at Keele
1. View films, and read about films, widely and critically
2. Get to grips with online resources early in your studies
3. Use feedback on your work to improve your performance
4. Think about career options as soon as possible
5. Reflect on and record your achievements, perhaps by using PDP
6. Make the most of group discussions
7. Use presentations as exciting learning experiences
8. Consider the value of what you are learning in Film Studies to understanding the
impact of film and its study history in domestic, social and career contexts
9. Be ambitious when defining your own work and be prepared to take some risks
10. Enjoy the excitement and challenges that film offers
Staff in Film Studies will be happy to talk to you about the skills and employability
inherent in your Film Studies degree. See our website for contact details.