History, Theory, Methods: Perspectives on Audiences and Spaces of Film Exhibition

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenors and tutors: Professor Ian Christie, Janet McCabe
• Assessment: two 3000-word research exercises (50% each)

This module begins with theories of spectatorship and histories of the audience. Next, structured by a case study of London, the module explores the social, spatial and temporal sites of exhibition.

Indicative module syllabus

• Early attempts to identify the film spectator 
• The era of the mass audience and classical Hollywood 
• The rise of the European 'New Waves' 
• Studies in the sociology of the film audience: from the 1930s to now 
• Identifying audiences in the multi-platform era 
• Spatially mapping film culture and sites of exhibition 
• London's picture palaces 
• Researching a lost cinema

By the end of this module, you will:

• have a strong understanding of relevant areas of cultural theory and media history of audiences and film exhibition
• have a strong understanding of how film audiences are constituted, in theory, but also in exhibition spaces 
• be able to apply theoretical concepts to particular issues related to audiences and film exhibition.