Please note: there may be some adjustments to the teaching arrangements published in the course catalogue for 2020-21. Given current circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic it is anticipated that some usual arrangements for teaching on campus will be modified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff on campus; further adjustments may also be necessary, or beneficial, during the course of the academic year as national requirements relating to management of the pandemic are revised.

Cult Film and Television FTV4091

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Culture and Creative Arts
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Available to Erasmus Students: Yes

Short Description

This course examines discourses surrounding cult film and television and provides students with an opportunity to understand and engage with key issues, ongoing debates, and cult theories through case studies. The course addresses theoretical and conceptual frameworks in the study of cult, the textual characteristics of cult film and TV, the ways cult texts have been consumed by real-life audiences, and the manner in which cult films engage with their surrounding cultural and industrial contexts.

Timetable

10 sessions of five hours as scheduled on MyCampus, (includes film screening, lecture, and seminar). This is one of the Honours options in Film and Television and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Requirements of Entry

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Film and Television Studies and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Essay (2,500 words) - 60%

Reflective log (2,500 words) - 40%

Main Assessment In: April/May

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ Engage with theories and debates surrounding cult film and TV studies

■ Encounter specific case studies to analyse theoretical frameworks

■ Consider ongoing issues surrounding the way cult texts are identified, categorised and evaluated

■ Examine how cult studies relates to broader concepts including reception studies, auteur theory, fandom, and stardom

■ Encounter a broad range of examples of cult film and TV, with a focus on the formal characteristics they share and that make them distinct

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Understand key theories and debates surrounding cult film and TV studies

■ Critically analyse specific case studies within particular theoretical frameworks

■ Reflect critically on the process by which certain films and TV shows have been canonised as 'cult'

■ Relate, through continuous reflection, cult film and TV studies to broader key concepts in Film and Television Studies

■ Critically evaluate cult film and television's formal characteristics

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.