Film and Screen Studies

Film and screen studies is the academic discipline that examines cinema and other screen media as cultural, aesthetic, and industrial phenomena. It asks how films and television programmes work at the level of visual and narrative language, how screen media relate to the societies and histories from which they emerge, and what theoretical frameworks best illuminate the experience of watching and the meanings that screen texts produce. The discipline combines close reading of individual films and programmes with broader historical, sociological, and theoretical perspectives.

At the University of Nottingham, this four-year full-time programme begins with a foundation year, which provides a supported and rigorous introduction to the methods and ideas of film and screen studies before you move into the degree proper. The foundation year is designed for students who need additional preparation for university-level arts study, and it provides a secure academic foundation that enables you to engage fully with the demands of the degree. As the programme develops you will explore film history, genre, theory, documentary, television, world cinema, and the politics of representation, developing your analytical and critical writing skills at every stage.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner institution overseas and to encounter different national screen traditions from a different vantage point.

Graduates from film and screen studies programmes go on to careers in journalism, broadcasting, arts programming, film criticism, education, cultural policy, the creative industries, and postgraduate research. The analytical and written skills developed by the degree are valued across many professional contexts, and Nottingham's programme provides a strong platform for master's level study in film studies, media studies, or cultural theory.