131-165 Screen Writing History: History on Film

Formerly available as 131-281/381. Students who have completed 131-281 or 131-381 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

This course gives students the opportunity to study some key historical events of the twentieth century through the medium of the feature film. By looking at the way colonial relationships, the Great War, the Holocaust and the Cold War have been represented on screen, students will examine the ways in which 'history' has been constructed on film. As they gain a greater understanding of the historical contexts that inform the films that are viewed, students will be asked to consider the following questions: How is history written for the screen? Does it need to be 'read' differently from written sources? Is it possible to present multiple interpretations of an historical event on film? Does film limit out historical imagination, or does its strength lie in its potential to stimulate and liberate it? Throughout the course, students will explore the ways in which popular cinema represents, reconstructs and interprets the past, with a particular emphasis on examining the tension between social phenomena and their personal representation. The ways that the interaction between the personal and the political are represented, especially as this interaction relates to understandings of gender, sexuality, class and race, will be of special interest.

• develop research skills through competent use of the library and other information sources;

• demonstrate critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument;

• be able to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay writing and tutorial discussion;

• demonstrate written communication through essay preparation and writing;

• develop time management and planning through managing and organising workloads for recommended reading, essay and assignment completion.

An essay of 3000 words 75% (due mid semester) and an essay of 1000 words 25% (due end of semester).