Course Catalogue

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Recognising that what we see on screen depends on who produces screen content and how, this course discusses work, employment and careers in the UK screen industries. Recognising that what we see on screen depends on who produces screen content and how, this course discusses work, employment and careers in the UK screen industries. The course will, firstly, introduce the industry, policy and stakeholder context of working in the UK screen industries. Secondly, the course will analyse various aspects of working in the film, TV, post-production, animation and games industries: career motivations and 'labour of love'; training, education and industry entry; employment, portfolio careers and precarity; work practices in screen; equality, diversity and inclusion.

10 x 1hr lecture

10 x 1hr seminar over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Film and Television Studies, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation

None

None

Critical report (1,500 words) - 40%

Essay (2,500 words) - 60%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:  

 Introduce students to the UK screen industries as a site of work, employment and careers, and the respective policy and practice context; 

■ Provide students with the critical and analytical skills to understand, review and critically appreciate the research, policy and practice of screen work in the UK; 

■ Expose students to accounts of experiences relating to screen work, employment, management and policy-making; 

■ Reflect on possible precarious and problematic elements of screen work, and their respective policy/practice responses; 

■ Enhance students' capacity to reflect on their own practice as (potential) workers/employers in the UK screen industries. 

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Describe and critically analyse experiences and conditions of working in the UK screen industries;  

■ Apply key concepts and frameworks of critical creative economy research in their analysis of screen work;  

■ Formulate convincing arguments that explain the positive and negative aspects of certain features of working in the UK screen industries as well as related policy and practice;

■ Identify and analyse examples of good practice in work-related screen industry practice and policy. 

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.