Program Overview

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Course Overview

The course FILM 205, Film Genre, examines one or more film genres from an aesthetic, historical, cultural, and/or economic perspective.

Course Details

• Dates: 24 February 2025 to 22 June 2025
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,090.60 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,560.00 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Tuesday 11.00am
  • Wednesday 2.10pm
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 200 hours or 11.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 20

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: FILM 101 or 102 (or 231)
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: FILM 338

Taught By

The course is taught by the School of Arts and Media — Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.

Key Dates

Important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, can be found on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be announced once the course has begun.

About This Course

In 2025, the course will focus on the horror film genre, examining key aspects such as the Universal, Hammer, and 1950s horror/sci-fi cycles, 'modern' and body horror, subgenres, representation, and contemporary trends.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of key features of the horror film genre and awareness of thematic and aesthetic specifics.
2. Evaluate course readings and other relevant literature critically.
3. Conduct research into the horror genre.
4. Express persuasive arguments in written, oral, and/or creative manners.

How This Course Is Taught

• Lectures are in-person and include class discussions, collaborative activities, and opportunities to ask questions. Lecture recordings are provided as an additional study aid.
• Tutorials are in-person.
• Screenings will be held in-person; students who cannot attend will need to access the films themselves.
• Assessments can be submitted online.

Assessment

• Textual Analysis Assignment: 30%
• Creative Assignment: 30%
• Research Essay (2500 words): 40%

Mandatory Requirements

To pass the course, students must:

1. Submit all assignments by the due date (subject to extension procedures) and achieve a mark of at least 35% for each assignment.
2. Attend at least 7 out of 10 tutorials.

Group Work

There may be informal group work in lectures and tutorials, but this will not be assessed.

Lecture Times and Rooms

Lecture times are from 24 February 2025 to 13 April 2025 and from 28 April 2025 to 1 June 2025.

What You'll Need to Get

Students may need to rent films if they cannot watch them in person and may need access to editing equipment for the creative assignment.

Past Versions of This Course

Older versions of this course may be accessible through the course archive.