| CODE | ATS5112 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Representing Otherness on Film: Gender, Disability, Sexuality and Ethnicity in the Cinema | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Arts | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will introduce students to the study of minority group issues and to the concept of ‘gender’, ‘sexuality’, ‘disability’ and ‘race’ as social and cultural constructs, and their applicability to the study of film. It presents theories of disability, gender identity, feminism, masculinities and race. It will then focus on the production and reception of representations of men, women, members of sexual minorities, ethnic minorities and disabled people in film, and whether these representations reinforce or challenge stereotypes that are typically associated with each group. It also explores the role film can play in either reinforcing cultural and social constructs or in taking up the issues that are of concern to people from ethnic minorities, disabled people, people from sexual minorities, and men and women, especially those who are activists within their respective spheres. Intersections between these different social groups will also be considered. Films considered will include mainstream movies, television series and documentaries, as well as those made specifically by people from different minorities which may be of a more ‘political’ nature. The study-unit will also explore the role that people from different minorities play in film production, as producers, directors, actors and advisors among others. Finally, issues of universal design in film, especially in terms of accessibility for disabled people, will also be presented. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit will be to take a sociological viewpoint of film and analyse the representation of those who do not readily form part of the mainstream of society, especially people with disability, people with different sexualities, those from ethnic minorities and the different perspectives of men and women. The analysis will focus both on films that are by and those that are about people who are usually identified as belonging to these social groups. Furthermore, the critical reception of different films by moviegoers, film reviewers, Film Studies scholars, members of different minorities and scholars within Gender, Sexuality, Race and Disability Studies will be considered. Students will be able to challenge stereotypical representations while at the same time identifying ways in which film-makers from minority groups use film to put forward their own issues and agenda. The aim of the study-unit is also to enable students to acquire the skills and competencies needed to use relevant analytic tools in the study of movies, television series and documentaries from a socio-cultural angle. The status of people from different minorities in the film industry and in the various aspects of film production will also be considered. Issues of universal design and accessibility will also be included in the study-unit. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - explain broadly gender, sexuality, race and disability theories; - recognise the importance of addressing the representation of people from different minorities in film, including movies, television series and documentaries; - describe these representations, identifying the reinforcement or challenging of stereotypes; - compare the critical reception of specific films by people coming from different backgrounds; - identify issues of universal design and accessibility in the production and screening of film. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - apply analytic tools to the construction of gender, sexuality, disability and race in film; - critically evaluate the reinforcement or challenging of stereotypes associated with different groups of people; - apply theories related to race, gender, sexuality and disability to the study of film; - examine the role that people from different social groups and minorities play in different aspects of the film industry; - propose ways in which to promote universal design and accessibility in film. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Turner, Graeme. 2006. Film as social practice. 4th edition. Routledge. Nelmes, J., editor. 2011. An Introduction to Film Studies. 5th edition. Routledge. Chivers, S. and Markotic, N., editors, 2010. The Problem Body: Projecting Disability on Film Hardcover. Ohio State University Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Lara Bezzina Sandy Calleja Portelli Anne-Marie Callus (Co-ord.) Maria Victoria Gauci |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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