Film and Screen Studies BA(Hons)

Why study with us?

• You will explore a wide range of screen media, including films of all genres, television, digital games, streaming websites, photography and smartphones, graduating with a thorough knowledge of these fascinating and fast-growing industries.

• Through participating in film festivals, screening events, community projects and work placements, you will gain invaluable work experience.

• Classes are a stimulating mix of seminars, workshops and tutorials and you will work in groups and individually, engaging with debates, delivering presentations, studying set readings and viewing core screenings.

• You will be learning in our modern media centre in central Brighton and join our dynamic School of Media community, with organisations CineCity and Photoworks based in the same building.
• Your tutors are a team of experts passionate about the subject matter – they comprise academics, industry practitioners, artists, historians and writers, as well as inspiring visiting lecturers.

• Brighton is a vibrant, creative city, packed with cinemas, galleries and media companies. It is home to England’s leading arts festival, an annual digital media festival, and a host of cultural events year-round.

• You will have access to Screen Archive South East, a significant film and screen resource and benefit from our close relationships with Brighton’s renowned Duke of York's cinema and the Cinecity film festival.

Our Film and Screen Studies degree is part of the School of Media, based in our Edward Street purpose-built media centre in central Brighton. 

Year 1

Modules

• Screen Histories 1

  In this module you will explore a range of screen practices and screen histories from the Victorian period to the emergence of the ‘Movie Palace’ to the rise and decline of the Hollywood studio system in the post-war period. You will be introduced to the scientific, technological, economic and cultural factors which led to the development of the film industry. The module draws attention to the continuities and discontinuities that are found across these histories, and presents a critical perspective on the methodologies used to understand the past.

• Screen Industries

  In this module you will look at the industrial and professional aspects of screen media institutions, and issues of economics, politics, creativity and cultural labour. You will be introduced to theories of political economy and draw on contemporary examples across a range of areas including film, television, video games, and digital media. You will be taught with input from industry practitioners. Consideration is also given to the pressing issue of media convergence.

• Key Issues in Screen Studies

  This module will introduce you to major concepts used for the analysis of screen texts, by drawing on elements from the disciplines of film studies, media studies and cultural studies. Each week you will focus on one particular concept, such as narrative, editing, cinematography, ideology, representation and so on. You will be encouraged to consider the ways in which these concepts are useful in analysing different screen media.

• Screen Histories 2

  In this module you will examine screen practices during the global development and expansion of screen cultures in the latter half of the twentieth century, and the early twenty-first century. You will explore the emergence and development of post-war screen media, such as television, the personal computer and networked digital technologies, and explore issues of public service broadcasting, the video nasties debate, the emergence of the Internet, and the impact of smart screens on communication and culture. Attention is drawn to the continuities and discontinuities across these screen cultures’ distinct histories.

• Key Theories in Screen Studies

  This module will provide you with a wide range of critical and theoretical approaches to the study of screen media. Structured classes and key readings introduce a topic each week – such as Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis and screen theory, audience studies, authorship – and seminar exercises will enable you to understand key concepts, debates and theories of popular culture and the production of meanings of screen texts and their social relevance.

• Screen Consumption

  This module will provide you with an introductory survey of various critical approaches to screen consumption. The module surveys changing audience engagement with screens and the relationships between consumption and production. It demonstrates the changing critical models around audiences and screen consumption, drawing on a range of screen forms including cinema, television, digital games, and social media. You will be introduced to various methodological approaches to analysing screen consumption through weekly research methods workshops exploring different approaches to analysing audience activities.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.

Screen Archive South East is an excellent resource for students and is also based at our Edward Street media centre in central Brighton.

Year 2

Modules

• Identities and the Screen
• Beyond the Screen
• Screens and Power
• Contemporary Issues in Screen Studies 

Options*

• Videogames Cultures
• Philosophy Onscreen
• Hollywood Cinema: From Blockbusters to Indiewood
• Film Festivals
• Soundworks
• Photography in the Community
• Writing the Feature Film
• Industry placement and work placement
• Exploring the Archive
• Creating Reality: Documentary Filmmaking
• Practical Cinematography
• Creative Use of the Camera

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Second year students on the Media in Practice module using the studios and editing suites.

Final year

Modules

• Dissertation
• International Screen Industries
• Final Year Workshop

Options*

• Framing Women
• British TV Drama
• National and Global Media Studies
• Media Policy
• Celebrity Media
• Screening the Unreal: Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy
• Exploring Animation
• Television Production
• Mediating Science and Technology
• Critical Issues in Political Communication

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Meet the team

Aris Mousoutzanis, course leader

Aris Mousoutzanis lectures in film and screen studies, researching across literature, film and media. His specialisms include: media representations of trauma and disaster; globalisation and multiculturalism; identity politics on the screen; screen media, power and resistance.

Other staff who teach on the course include: Ewan Kirkland, Douglas McNaughton, Louise Fitzgerald and Emma Withers.

Student views

Emily Lodderhose Film and Screen Studies graduate

“I found the creative vibe of Brighton inspiring, enjoyed interacting with others and liked the city’s close proximity to London because it meant that all the best museums and libraries were right on your doorstep.

"I have learned a lot about things I hadn’t expected to discover and the tutors are very enthusiastic about their subjects and that makes people interact and listen closely. Classes are engrossing and interesting to attend.

"You split your time between classes and seminars, independent research, and reading and watching the required documentaries and films.”

International requirements

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Interviews

Interview days are held throughout the admissions process. The day involves a course talk where applicants can learn more about their chosen degree and, for some, a taster lecture is also available. Existing students are present and you will have the chance to ask them questions.

Interviews last between 15 and 20 minutes and are conducted by a member of academic staff. This session offers you a chance to discuss your own personal areas of interest, and to demonstrate your desire and capability for undergraduate study on your chosen course. In some instances these discussions can be conducted via telephone or Skype.

Course fees

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2019–20.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Maps

Accommodation

University building

City campus map