Course Catalogue

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This course provides an introduction to a range of seminal films produced in two of the most productive and influential periods in German cinema: the Expressionist Films of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) and the New German Films made between 1962 and 1982. Seminar discussions will focus on the major technical and aesthetic contributions of the crime and horror stories which reflected the German psyche after WW1, and the provocative rejection of the highly commercialised post WW2 cinema in favour of experimental techniques and socially critical, personal expressions of the alienation and anxiety of everyday life in the 60s and 70s. 

1 x 2-hour seminars per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in SMLC and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

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

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Type of Assessment

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which 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. 

The course aims are as follows:

■ introduce German films produced in the Weimar Republic (Expressionist Film) and the 1960s and 1970s (New German Film) 

■ place each film in its historical and socio-cultural context in order to examine the presentation of these contexts through the medium of film 

■ study the genres, styles, themes and aesthetics of Expressionist Film and New German Film 

■ apply an appropriate range of methodological and theoretical approaches to film study 

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

■ engage critically with the historical and socio-cultural contexts in which Expressionist and New German Films were produced 

■ analyse the cinematic and broader artistic techniques developed in Expressionist and New German Films 

■ carry out independent research on assigned essay topics 

■ present an informative piece of writing for a general audience on an aspect of Expressionist or New German Film 

■ present a critical interpretation of Expressionist and New German Films in the form of a written academic argument which engages with primary and secondary literature and with appropriate theoretical writing on film studies 

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