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2012/13 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

GERM3080 Contemporary German Cinema

20 creditsClass Size: 16

Module manager: Paul Cooke
Email: p.cooke@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2012/13

Pre-requisite qualifications

Successful completion of level 2 of a single or joint honours programme with German and/or with World Cinemas

Module replaces

GERM3560

This module is not approved as an Elective

Objectives

This module examines German Cinema since 2000, a time when the nation's filmmakers have enjoyed particular success at home and abroad. Students will look at a range of representative films in order to examine the state of the German film industry, along with the ways in which contemporary cinema reflects broader cultural, social and political debates.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to:
- demonstrate their knowledge of contemporary German cinema;
- analyse a range of filmic, political, academic and journalistic texts in their cultural context;
- demonstrate a knowledge of the debates surrounding the German film industry and the films it produces.

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module students should have developed advanced level skills of cultural analysis through broad secondary reading close textual study, debate and frequent writing practice.

They should have further developed their German language skills through their engagement with German-language films and texts. Finally, they should understand the principles of academic 'originality', the formulation of an advanced research question and the process of knowledge creation.

Syllabus

The module begins with an examination of the state of the contemporary German film industry and how this impacts upon the types of films that are made. Students will then examine what is specifically 'German' in German film, discussing the tradition of the Heimat film. This will be followed by examination of the growing role of 'transnational' film in Germany, students exploring the way the national industry relates to broader trends in European and World Cinemas. This will be followed by discussion of the 'Heritage' film - one of the most successful type of German film internationally - and the ways in which such films examine the legacies of Germany’s problematic past. Finally the module we discuss the work of the so-called 'Berlin School', one of the most aesthetically interesting group of filmmakers to emerge from Germany in decades.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	1.00	10.00
Seminar	10	1.00	10.00
Tutorial	1	0.50	0.50
Private study hours			179.50
Total Contact hours			20.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students will read primary material and watch films. Students will prepare short 'position papers' and essays. They will devise their own titles for this work, in close collaboration with the course tutor, and have a half-hour tutorial with the class tutor to help guide them in this.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Non-assessed in-class presentations ensure that students actively engage with the subject matter during the semesters, as will the writing of three brief 'position papers' spaced throughout the semester and the final essay. Only two of the three position papers will be assessed, so as to give students the space to experiment with approaches and ideas.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	3,000 words	50.00
Portfolio	3,000 words	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Students will write three short position papers, each on an individual film, one of which must be a film not studied directly in the seminars. They will also agree individual essay titles with the course tutor.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 18/04/2013

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