BA (Hons) Film and English Studies
About the course
The Film and English Studies course at LSBU will both stimulate your engagement in visual and
literary culture, and provide you with important skills for a wide variety of careers. You will develop
your critical understanding of contemporary cinema, historical film movements, and a diverse range of
English literature in relation to genre, period and culture.
On this course you will be challenged to apply your knowledge of film and literature in order to
develop and sustain convincing arguments, and in so doing you will gain highly developed analytical,
critical and communication skills. You will also be given the opportunity to develop transferable skills
and aptitudes including oral presentations, group presentations, writing short screenplays and the
production of film production dossiers.
Students can expect to analyse film texts, explore film histories and study national cinemas from a
variety of theoretical and interdisciplinary perspectives to develop the critical tools for understanding
contemporary film and its connections within a wider digital culture. Alongside this exploration of film,
you will cover the major literary genres (prose, drama and poetry) and develop your academic essay
writing and research capabilities. In the second and third years you will explore a wide range film
movements and literatures from pre-Renaissance work to contemporary literature.
You will be encouraged to take an independent and individual approach to the study of literature and
film, while also developing your ability to contextualise them culturally, aesthetically, politically,
economically and historically.
Lectures are accompanied by weekly film screenings, and seminars will allow you to explore different
dimensions of film and literature, and develop a deeper understanding of the pertinent issues in
conjunction with your student colleagues. We encourage our students to take advantage of London’s
theatrical and cultural life and organise trips to Shakespeare’s Globe, the National Theatre and West
End theatres, many of which are within a very short distance of our campus. You are also encouraged
to attend literary events and exhibitions.
Suggested Reading List
Film Studies
o
Bordwell,D & Thompson,K (2009) Film History: An Introduction. Winconsin: McGrawHill
o
Bordwell,D & Thompson,K (2010) Film Art: An Introduction. Winconsin: McGraw-Hill.
o
Wood, Robin (1989) Hitchcock’s films revisited New York: Columbia University Press
English Studies
o
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
o
Carson McCullers , The Ballad of the Sad Café
o
Henry James
The Turn of the Screw
o
Frederick Douglass
Slave
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American
How to prepare
Read as Much as Possible. Try to read fiction that is challenging. A detailed reading list will be sent to
students in August.
Career Opportunities
Graduates can expect to enter the film, media and cultural industries in a wide range of roles,
including film curation, journalism, publishing, public relations and other media-related professions;
administration; teaching and research related professions. Our graduates have also been employed
as librarians and curators. Former students have gone on to work for Paramount, Disney and MetroTartan.
Many graduates choose to continue their education by moving into professional and research-based
postgraduate courses in teaching, journalism, publishing, marketing, media industries and
administration. Successful completion of the course can lead to postgraduate study at LSBU on the
MA programmes in Media Arts or Creative Industries.
First Semester Teaching Days*
Days
Monday
9-11
11-1
1-3
The Practice of
Literary Criticism
(Lecture)
Understanding
Poetry (seminar)
Reading the
Screen: Film
Analysis (Lecture)
Understanding
Poetry (seminar)
Reading the
Screen (seminar
until 12pm)
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
3-5
The Practice of
Literary Criticism
(seminar)
Friday
Course Contact(s)
Dr Iris Luppa
(Email: luppai@lsbu.ac.uk; Tel: 020 7815 5420)
*Based on 2012/13 academic year timetable. Times and days are subject to change but do not
tend to vary much year on year.