You will benefit from up-to-date facilities and an exciting range of modules covering different national cinemas and film traditions.

Full entry requirements

Film and the Visual Arts at Leicester

The University of Leicester offers a unique programme whereby you can choose either to study film on its own or alongside a related subject such as English, History of Art or Modern Languages. We offer three degree programmes. Students taking Film Studies and the Visual Arts explore the history and theory of the medium of film and the institution of cinema, analysing key films, filmmakers and movements, and investigating their social, historical and aesthetic contexts. They draw on the teaching and research expertise, and the friendly atmosphere, of the Department of History of Art and Film, as well as the School of Modern Languages, the Centre for American Studies, and the Department of Media and Communication.

Students taking Film and English combine film history and theory with the study of literature, and are able to explore the two disciplines’ connections and distinctions. The Modern Languages with Film degree provides a distinctive opportunity to include the study of film in a four-year course, one year of which is spent at one of our partner institutions in Europe or Mexico.

The fully equipped University Film Theatre is used for lectures and screenings. The Film Production module draws upon the resources of the University’s Audio Visual Services. For film study there is an extensive collection of films on DVD. Our Slide Room contains a range of resources, as well as providing an area for individual study. Leicester has a good range of cinemas, including a multiplex and the Film & Digital Media Centre at Phoenix Square, a state-of-the-art venue and production space which opened in 2009. The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery is within easy reach of the University.

Our staff have wide ranging teaching and research interests including Hollywood, British cinema and television, European cinemas, and art history from the medieval to the contemporary. We pride ourselves on having friendly and approachable departmental staff who will support you throughout your degree. You will be assigned to a personal tutor in First Year who will offer academic and personal advice as you progress through the course.

Why Study Film Studies at Leicester?

Places: 23
Applications: 339
Example Jobs: Assistant Director; Cataloguer; Operations Apprentice; Pricing Analyst.
Example Employers: Bridgeman Art Library; Elmfield Training; Home Retail Group; The Science Museum/Seynor Benson.
Example jobs and employers information comes from the University’s ‘Where Did They Go?’ survey, and shows destinations of 2009/10 graduates 6 months after graduation.

Studying at Leicester provides you with the opportunity to take modules in a wide range of subjects taught by academics who are internationally recognised as experts in the field. Our curriculum is both historically and culturally diverse, including American, British, European and World cinemas.

You will benefit from a dynamic programme with inputs from staff in several departments, including History of Art and Film, American Studies, Modern Languages and Media & Mass Communications. In particular we believe in teaching that is informed by research: you will study topics that reflect the current intellectual agenda of Film Studies as well as looking at the classics.

We have a dedicated film theatre for screenings as well as teaching rooms that are fully equipped for the study of film and the visual arts.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Our teaching and learning strategy is designed to help you adjust to the demands of higher education and to develop the knowledge and skills that are valued by employers. The First Year of each of the degrees is designed to provide a foundation for increasingly challenging and focused modules taken in subsequent years. First Year introductory modules, taught through lectures, screenings and seminars, provide grounding in film analysis and film history. The Second Year modules include the study of American, European and World cinemas, as well as modules providing practical film-making experience and a film journalism option. History of Art options are available to Film Studies and the Visual Arts students. In the Third Year you select from a range of more specialised options, and write a dissertation on a topic of your choice relevant to the degree you are taking. Dissertation support is provided by one-to-one supervision from a member of staff.

Assessment takes a variety of forms, including essays, examinations, reviews and projects.

The Film Production module includes a practical film-making exercise. The various methods of assessment are selected to enable you to develop and display your skills in full.

Skills Gained

A Film Studies degree will provide excellent training for visual, verbal and written communication careers in a world saturated by images. As well as broadening your knowledge of film and related media, you will cultivate your ability to address complex problems critically and historically. You will gain a range of essential analytical skills. All graduates will gain practical abilities in researching and writing, working with others, time management, Information Technology, and the delivery of well organised presentations using visual technology.

Graduate Opportunities

Film Studies offers an excellent foundation for a range of career paths. There’s the film industry, of course, which directly employs 375,000 people in the UK, mostly in the distribution and exhibition sectors. A knowledge and understanding of the subject is essential for work in film-related public relations, promotions and advertising, as well as in cinema management. Other graduates will go into journalism, publishing and teaching – especially secondary and tertiary education. In addition a Film degree also equips you for general arts and humanities career paths such as arts administration, museums and galleries and the heritage industries.

Full entry requirements

Opportunities to Visit and Further Information

Admissions Tutor: Professor James Chapman

For a course brochure or for course enquiries
0116 252 2866
Fax: 0116 252 5128
jrc28@le.ac.uk 
www.le.ac.uk/arthistory

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