Screen Studies: Movies, Television and Ourselves
48 hours
One Semester
Hawthorn, Online
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
This unit introduces students to the major concepts and key debates in screen studies and provide students with the critical tools necessary to analyse a screen text. Students will develop an understanding of the histories and structures of screen industries with a particular emphasis on cinema and television. This unit will also facilitate greater student awareness of the relationship between screen texts, genre and society
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
03-November-2025
08-February-2026
08-February-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-November-2025
Census date
28-November-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-January-2026
Results released date
03-March-2026
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-March-2026
31-May-2026
31-May-2026
Last self-enrolment date
15-March-2026
Census date
31-March-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
21-April-2026
Results released date
07-July-2026
Winter
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
22-June-2026
02-August-2026
02-August-2026
Last self-enrolment date
22-June-2026
Census date
07-July-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
14-July-2026
Results released date
18-August-2026
Unit learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Critically analyse screen texts
- Relate specific film and television texts, as well as wider genres, to broader social contexts
- Identify the relationship between screen theory and practice
- Discuss screen texts informed by a developed knowledge of theory, history and style
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Class | 3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
| On-campus Class | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Online Learning activities | 4.00 | 12 weeks | 48 |
| Unspecified Activities Various | 4.50 | 12 weeks | 54 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Swinburne Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Class | 1.00 | 6 weeks | 6 |
| Specified Activities Various | 2.50 | 12 weeks | 30 |
| Unspecified Activities Various | 9.50 | 12 weeks | 114 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Individual | 40% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Essay | Individual | 40% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Poster | Group | 20% | 1,2,3,4 |
Content
- Form and Style
- Medium Specificity
- Defining Genre
- Genre and Context
- Animation
- The Film Industry
- The Television Industry
- Screen Performers
- Screen Authors
- National Screen Cultures
- Screen in the Digital Age
- Realism and the Screen
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.