Film Studies: An Introduction



Overview

This beginners' course is aimed at students with little or no experience of critical film theory. The course will introduce students to a range of concepts and theoretical approaches common to film studies and develop their skill and knowledge of deep analysis of film texts. 

Classes will take the form of a mini-lecture and presentation leading onto group discussions in pairs and as a class, feeding back ideas and arguments and cementing knowledge laid out in the opening of the session. Each week will introduce a new concept, making use of set readings and pertinent scenes and sequences from a selection of films in order to mobilise the topic. Students will be encouraged to conduct their own analysis and practise putting their arguments and observations in writing in order to reinforce their understanding of the different topics, build up a broad understanding week-on-week, and think about how to mount arguments of their own. 

Programme details

Course starts: 21 Jan 2026

Week 1: Getting started with Film Studies: the film theorist's toolkit

Week 2: Sequence analysis - how to deconstruct scenes and film texts

Week 3: The origins of film

Week 4: Classical Hollywood narration 

Week 5: Unconventional narration

Week 6: Memory in film: the viewer as detective

Week 7: Cognition and emotion

Week 8: Genre & Auteur theories: pros and cons 

Week 9: Written assignments    

Week 10: Conclusion and review.

Digital Certification

Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) Points

Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. Please follow this link for more information on Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points

Digital Certificate of Completion 

Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Please note students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee (with no assessment) £300.00
Assessment and Accreditation fee £60.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Neil McCartney

Dr Neil McCartney is currently based in Oxford as an independent researcher and has taught courses at the Department since 2011. In addition to this course, previous courses have covered The Films of Orson Welles, Self-identity in Cinema and Reading the Screen. He obtained his PhD in Film Studies from the University of Kent  He is particularly interested the relationship between real-world selves and fiction film characters, and specifically the cognitive dissonance generated by films which display a disruption to conventional cinematic norms. His research is broadly aligned with the cognitivist approach and his other areas of interest include film-as-philosophy, the portrayal of memory and subjectivity in fiction film, and avant-garde deviations from conventional narrative trajectories and continuity of characters. 

 

Course aims

  • To introduce key concepts of critical film theory so that students can confidently analyse a film or sequence of a film within a properly understood theoretical context or school of thinking. 
  • To give students a basic understanding of certain key principles of film theory.
  • To encourage meaningful debate and original critical thinking about the moving image.
  • To enable students to deconstruct film texts and articulate their own insights and observations.

Teaching methods

Lecture presentation followed by seminar-style discussion and group analysis. Classes will involve pair and group discussions based around set texts (potentially to be viewed in advance of each class), and key sequences relating to the weekly topic viewed together during the class. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • have a good understanding of the necessary language and critical thinking and observational skills needed to carry out a detailed sequence analysis;
  • gain an understanding of how critical film theory has evolved and be able to contextualise particular films when studying them;
  • participate in worthwhile discussion within the class so that ideas are shared and so that a piece of written criticism can be produced.

Assessment methods

One short piece of written work between 300-500 words before the halfway point, and another piece towards the conclusion of the course no more than 1000 words.

Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation will submit coursework.

Application

To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Students who do not register for assessment and credit during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support