Course Title: Film Criticism: From Early Cinema to the Digital Age

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Film Criticism: From Early Cinema to the Digital Age

Credit Points: 12.00

Important Information:

Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities.  

To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption.  

Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT: https://policies.rmit.edu.au/document/view.php?id=209.  

Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance: https://www.rmit.edu.au/covid/coming-to-campus  

Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance. 


Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

COMM2880

City Campus

Undergraduate

345H Media and Communication

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2022,
Sem 2 2023,
Sem 2 2024

Course Coordinator: Dr Shweta Kishore

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 6180

Course Coordinator Email: shweta.kishore@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 9 Level 4 Room 35

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment.


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

The decline of print media and the proliferation of social media platforms in recent years has prompted frequent reflection on the fate of the critic. With thousands of online reviews at our disposal, do we still need a professional evaluation of the latest Marvel superhero film? In this course we will explore the role of the film critic and the value of expertise in contemporary culture by investigating the historical and contemporary uses of film criticism and reviews, and through practicing the art of film criticism via a range of different media. You will develop skills in the critical interpretation of film texts and secondary sources; in descriptive writing and expression; and in argumentation and reasoning. 


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes 

In course you will develop the following program learning outcomes: 

  • Identify, evaluate and critically analyse cultural, historical and theoretical practices which contextualise your professional practice and further study. 


Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 

  1. Recognise and critically evaluate different approaches to film criticism. 
  2. Build skills in critical description of film and screen texts. 
  3. Apply skills in argumentation and reasoning to the practice off film criticism.
   


Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities such as lectures, tutorials, seminars, project work, class discussion, individual and group activities. Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both. 


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. 

A list of recommended learning resources will be provided by yourlecturer, including books, journal articles and web resources. You will also be expected to seek further resources relevant to the focus of your own learning. 

 

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal. 


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. 

Assessment Tasks 

There are three assessment tasks. 

Task 1: Short-form Criticism (30%) (CLO 1, 2 & 3)
Task 2: Critical Analysis Task (30%) (CLO 1 & 3)
Task 3: Long-form Criticism (40%) (CLO 1, 2 & 3)

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. 

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.