Background

As part of the MA in Film Television and Visual Media, students are offered a series of seminars which introduce important films and movements from the history of world cinema. We would like to develop this strand of work, both because the films from 'new' and 'developing' cinema are becoming increasingly important in the world of cinema today and because we think students should be exposed to the unfamiliar as well as the familiar.

This interest has also led us to developing a World Cinema option and MA course. Discussions are taking place to initiate an MA course as a collaboration between Birkbeck's School of History of Art, Film and Visual Media and the School of Oriental and African Studies' Anthropology department. Other London University colleges may also become involved such as Royal Holloway. The course may be open to students in the University of London group as well as those at Birkbeck and SOAS. The MA would give students the opportunity to study films that are only infrequently and briefly shown in British cinemas. The course had been submitted for ratification by the University of London.

Aims and Objectives

To develop film resources for teaching World Cinema at Postgraduate level. Establish a collection of films on VHS and DVD which will broaden the range of references available to students studying new and developing cinema and which will allow new and existing courses to be developed in diverse and flexible ways. The new films will provide a wider selection of films in the 2002 - 2003 MA options with students able to select from the new titles for their dissertations in the summer term 2003.

Resources

Resources at the two institutions will be available to students on the MA in World Cinema. The new collection of films at Birkbeck will extend the range of choice on offer at SOAS and will also duplicate certain key titles in order to allow the greatest number of students to view important films at key moments during courses.

Timescale

Groups Affected

Birkbeck College. Students on the Birkbeck College MA in Film Television and Visual Media. Students on the Birkbeck College / School of Oriental and African Studies MA in World Cinema, and potentially all students in the University of London group.

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